Springs protection a year-round focus

Protecting Florida’s springs is a year-round focus for the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Since 2014, the district has provided $36 million in costshare funding for 76 projects with local government and other partners. These projects benefit spring flows by reducing groundwater demands by 68 million gallons of water a day and improve spring-water quality by eliminating almost 1 million pounds of nutrient pollution annually.

There are many participants and tools involved in protecting springs — regulatory programs, water supply planning, land acquisition, water conservation, scientific data collection and analysis, cost-share partnerships, community outreach and the development of minimum flows and levels.

We have learned a great deal about what is causing reduced spring flow in priority springs systems and have been actively developing protective MFLs for several outstanding Florida springs.

It’s important to know that MFLs are not a one-stop solution to all springs’ problems; nor are they intended to create ideal or optimal conditions. MFLs don’t address flow declines caused by drought. Their purpose is to protect against significant harm from overpumping.

District staff are committed to continuing to increase our understanding of Florida’s springs and the Floridan aquifer system and protect them through appropriate strategies and projects. There is still work to do, but we make our greatest strides when we work together through a collaborative process and find common ground on which to move forward. Ann B. Shortelle executive director, St. Johns River Water Management District