Thank you to everyone who attended the Public Hearing on the Rockledge ASR well March 10th, and thank you to the amazing speakers and organizations that spoke in support of protecting the Floridan aquifer and to those who volunteered their time.
The Rockledge City Council narrowly approved (4-3 vote) the motion made by Mayor Larry Schultz and seconded by Georgia Phillips “to approve the scope of services and submit an application for cycle testing to Florida DEP.” Council members Coleen Stuart and Frank Forester also voted for the motion. We would like to graciously thank Council members Joe Lee Smith, Richard Blake and Kimberly Prosser for supporting the residents wishes of the Rockledge community and for voting against the motion.
The City still has a LONG way to go to meet the State requirements and prove they meet the applicable Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) Rules. The City will be required by FDEP to hold at least two more public hearings before any fluid (potable or otherwise) is discharged into the Floridan aquifer in Rockledge. This may take years. SOA will be outlining those hurdles and posting them on this website. PLEASE NOTE: In the near future City employees will be going door to door armed with a list of questions to ask well owners in order to “physically verify” private wells and their use in the 1-mile radius. The FDEP permit states, “No cycle testing will be allowed in the event there remain any in-use potable wells in the well inventory.”
Save Our Aquifer will continue to educate the public, elected officials and the permitting agencies about the critical need to protect our Underground Source of Drinking Water. Please stay tuned and let your friends and neighbors know we shall continue to defend our water rights and protect this vital Underground Source of Drinking Water from unnecessary experimental testing.
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