09/23/2024
The St. Johns River starts in Indian River County and flows north for some 310 miles before spilling into the ocean just east of Jacksonville. The river serves as a minor water supply source for various municipalities in central Florida that lie along its course. Currently, Melbourne, Sanford, DeLand, Winter Springs and Seminole County are permitted to pump a total of up to 28 million gallons a day.
With some 1.4 million new residents projected to live in central Florida by 2035 — a 49% increase over the 2010 population — the water needs of the growing population have led to proposals for additional pumping.
A five-county coalition called the Central Florida Water Initiative has drafted a plan that outlines central Florida’s water needs over the next 20 years. The plan, which dovetails with the St. Johns Water Management District’s own 20-year plan, calls for taking an additional 155 million gallons a day from the St. Johns to provide water for the new residents.
The proposal has irked Jacksonville residents and river advocates concerned about a possible impact on the river’s health. “The problem is they have been having hundreds of meetings in central Florida, where they will reap benefits, and very few in north Florida,” says Lisa Rinaman, who works for a privately funded advocacy organization called St. Johns Riverkeeper and has the title of “Riverkeeper.” The river already suffers from low flow and algae blooms caused by nitrate pollution, she says. “What happens when you remove freshwater and reduce the flow is you pull in water from the ocean and the water becomes more salty.
That can kill vegetation, fish and other wildlife.” The water management district counters that its own water supply study shows that pumping 155 million additional gallons a day won’t hurt the river. “Four to 5 billion gallons a day flow out of the river and into the Atlantic Ocean,” says Tom Bartol, assistant director for the division of regulatory, engineering and environmental services for the district.
He cautions that pumping water from the river is just one of many solutions to deal with a looming water supply shortage. Other options include encouraging conservation and using reclaimed water. “Utilities are going to go for the less expensive option first,” Bartol says.
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