Springs in peril because Florida fails to protect them

Thick algae coats eel grass growing near a small spring head along the Ichetucknee River in Fort White in 2013.

Dive into now while there is still water.

The Suwannee River Water Management District recently issued a press release with the headline, “Dive in to Preserve Our Springs, Improve Water Quality.” Explaining more, it goes on to say that the district has a campaign that “brings educational resources” to residents and is “an initiative to preserve and protect those unique resources and empower the community to take ownership and pride in being stewards of the region’s natural resources.”

After describing the beauty and attractions of the springs, the release mentions that they are threatened by “decreasing spring flows and excessive nutrients.”

Well, we wonder why. What is causing decreased spring flows, and why are there excessive nutrients?

We enthusiastically support the district’s campaign and its goals to protect springs. However, if it wants to educate, it should reveal that the springs and rivers in North Florida under its jurisdiction are dying and have been for decades. Nature photographer John Moran writes: “The most magnificent springs on the planet are dying on our watch. This is no accident; this is negligent homicide.”

First-magnitude springs in the two main river basins of the district are fewer in number today than historically. Spring flows are down around 30% or more and nitrate pollution is up to close to 10 million pounds per year in the Suwannee River and close to 3 million in the Santa Fe River. Monthly graphs put out by the district show a consistent downward line depicting a falling aquifer.

Special designations for the Santa Fe and its springs indicate that the flows are not meeting the minimum requirements. The press release says that the state “…identified 30 outstanding Florida springs that require additional protections to ensure their conservation and restoration…” In addition, the Santa Fe River is designated an Outstanding Waterway, which is supposed to give it extra protection.

These special names serve only to hoodwink the public into believing that they will provide protection, when in reality the district continues to issue pumping permits for agriculture, water bottling plants and just about anything someone wants water for. Much noise is made about reducing fertilizer, but only very recently has the Florida Department of Agriculture made an attempt to monitor how much fertilizer is being applied.

The Florida Springs Council has issued a study on proposed funding for projects in 2021-2022 by the water management districts. The council found that overall, about 70% of all nutrient pollution in Outstanding Florida Springs is from agriculture, but only 4% of springs funding will go to address pollution from agriculture. Further, at the current rate of reduction, the group projects it will take 217 years to achieve the outstanding Florida Springs water quality goals.

Here we must point out that at this rate we will not have any flowing springs 217 years from now.

Visitors venture into the Santa Fe River while visiting Poe Springs near High Springs in 2011.

Looking at the history of our declining springs we see there is a consistent downward trend over past decades and it is obvious that out water districts continue to give out water to all comers. The council’s study reveals that the districts spend most of their money on wastewater treatment and septic tank conversion to sewers, which contributes only about 18% of nitrogen loading to Outstanding Florida Springs.

If we examine the motive and sincerity of this press release, it is but another example of self-aggrandizement meant to mislead the public and cover up the fact that our springs are in peril because our water districts and the Department of Environmental Protection are failing to protect them.

Jim Tatum is a board member of Our Santa Fe River who lives in Tampa.

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The post Springs in peril because Florida fails to protect them first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

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