'Stop issuing every single permit,' advocates say. Will Florida protect its fragile springs?

Overpumping for drinking, farming and bottled water is threatening the health of Florida’s freshwater springs, advocates said this week, lamenting the state’s lack of progress in protecting these fragile resources.

A 2016 law signed by then-Gov. Rick Scott told the Department of Environmental Protection to develop and adopt rules that prevent groundwater withdrawals that are harmful to Florida springs.

Ryan Smart, executive director of the Florida Springs Council, the only statewide advocacy group for springs, said Wednesday that nothing has changed in the past eight years.

“DEP has us in this rulemaking merry-go-round, where they propose a draft rule, withdraw it, say, ‘Hey, we’re still working on it.’ Come back, propose it, withdraw it,” said Smart.

“And because of that, our springs get no protections, and we’ve seen probably billions and billions of gallons that never should have been pumped out of the aquifer if DEP had done their job.”

Florida’s springs are threated by pollution and nitrogen runoff that lead to algae growth and interfere with habitat for manatees, fish, turtles and otters. Another key danger is withdrawing too much water, which has been going on for years.

“Throughout the entire state, our spring flow is down 20-30% overall from just a few decades ago,” said Smart.

“You have to get a permit to pump over 100,000 gallons a day. You’d think that a permit would imply that some people could get denied. But no one is denied for harming our springs. Even when our springs are already suffering significant harm,” he added.

The Florida Springs Council also wants to cut the amount of water that existing permit-holders can pump.

“We put together a team of experts, lawyers and scientists, and we drafted a rule that complies with the law, and that rule is really based on the way that Florida got out of the Tampa Bay water wars,” said Smart.

The Tampa Bay water wars erupted decades ago as municipalities in the growing region developed inland wellfields that ended up draining wetlands. Conflicts over prices for water were also common, until the creation of Tampa Bay Water in 1998.

A key part of the resolution to the water wars was that groundwater pumping from 11 regional wellfields would be gradually reduced, and funding was allocated to develop alternative water supply projects.

“Today, the region is served by a combination of groundwater, river water and desalinated seawater, which has reduced wellfield withdrawals by nearly 50% since 1998,” according to Tampa Bay Water.

Smart said it’s long past time for environmental authorities to act to protect springs in a similar way.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We actually know what works. We know how to do it. It just requires the political will and the funding,” Smart said.

“There’s only one way to restore our springs, and that is to pump less water. And there’s only one way to get folks to pump less water, and that’s to reduce the amount of water they’re allowed to pump, and to stop issuing every single permit,” he added.

The DEP noted in its workshop materials that it is tasked with adopting “uniform rules for issuing permits that prevent groundwater withdrawals harmful to the water resources.”

It must also create “a uniform definition of the term ‘harmful to the water resources’ to provide water management districts with minimum standards necessary to be consistent with the overall water policy of the state for Outstanding Florida Springs.”

Any rule they decide upon is expected to affect consumptive use permitting in the Northwest Florida, Suwannee River, St. Johns River and Southwest Florida water management districts.

By holding off from issuing any rule, Smart said the DEP has also avoided any lawsuits.

“What we’re asking DEP to do is adopt a rule. At least have the decency to let folks go to court and fight over it. But the way they’re going now, our springs will be gone by the time DEP does their job,” Smart said.

The Florida Springs Council is holding a rally at noon before the start of a 1 p.m. meeting Thursday at the St. Johns River Water Management District Apopka Service Center, 2501 S. Binion Road, Apopka, FL 32703.

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