Save Our Aquifer – Rockledge, Florida

By Karen Ahlers
Published: Sunday, May 24, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.

I was mistreated at a St. Johns River Water Management District meeting – again.

I was at the May 12 Governing Board meeting to speak for the Putnam County Environmental Council (PCEC) on behalf of concerned and even irate citizens regarding withdrawals from the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers and the legal challenge our organization has filed to the district’s plan.

I was there to remind the board of citizen objections and PCEC’s petition for review before the governor and Cabinet, and to respectfully request that they deny the adoption of yet another addition, the Fourth Addendum, to the district’s Water Supply Plan.

I wanted to encourage them to act on their own doubts and fears for the health of our rivers and to slow down – take advantage of the economic downturn, Florida’s flat population statistics- and give conservation measures a chance.

However, I was given only three minutes to plead before the board. In contrast, numerous members of the legal staff of the district were given as much time as they wanted to rebut my remarks in an attempt to discredit me and other objectors and to forward their agenda with the board. I was given no opportunity to offer an explanation or follow-up comments. No doubt, if PCEC could have afforded the expense of having its attorney present, things may have turned out differently.

Had I been given the time, I would have told the board that the Yankee Lake permit they approved last month, despite tremendous public opposition, was added to the district’s Water Supply Plan in the legally challenged Third Addendum that, because of PCEC’s challenge, has yet to be finalized.

I would have asked why district staff continues to assess water supply potential from the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers based on questionable minimum flows and levels and why they insist on playing word games in their designation of these rivers as alternative water supply sources to avoid having to base potential yields on wet-weather flows as the law requires.

While the district touted the fact that they have held over 400 public meetings regarding water supply planning, this meeting was yet another example of how they rule through intimidation of both the public and their own Governing Board and have put our state into an untenable situation with regard to our fundamental right to a sufficient supply of clean water. They claim their plans are “in the public interest,” but the only folks we’ve found that believe that are developers, utilities, paid consultants and district staff.

PCEC members and other citizens have been kicked out of meetings, intimidated by legal staff and ridiculously expensive legal consultants, limited to as little as 90 seconds to make comments, and deprived of legitimate access to Governing Board members.

Approximately 400 citizens took time off from work, drove long distances, and stood in the hot sun a month ago so they could express their frustration and ire with the district’s plans to pump water through hundreds of miles of pipeline to support unbridled growth. Disheartened by the way they were treated, most of them stayed away this time.

As if the situation at the SJRWMD isn’t bad enough, the Florida Legislature has passed a bill, SB 2080, that gives the five water management district executive directors the power to grant consumptive use permits and environmental resource permits without the benefit of Governing Board review and with almost no opportunity for public input. Charles Lee of Audubon of Florida urged the Governing Board to adopt a resolution asking Gov. Crist to veto this legislation. Mr. Lee’s plea was vehemently shot down by SJRWMD Executive Director Kirby Green at the end of the meeting. At a governing
board workshop last fall, he explained how the district gets more done when they “fly under the radar” and this bill will allow them to do just that, making decisions for us instead of with us. Mr. Green obviously likes the idea of being one of five, non-elected district water czars with the power to control Florida’s water resources.

PCEC is astounded that Governing Board members from all five water management districts are not outraged at this power grab that would effectively establish a statewide water board of just five people who operate as they wish with no oversight, an idea that was patently dismissed at the 2008 Florida Water Congress.

I urge everyone to call Gov. Crist at 850-488-7146 and ask that he veto SB 2080.

What are citizens to do when the democratic process ceases to provide them with opportunities to work within the system?

The citizens of Florida need to demand that an advocate be provided to them by the state, the same way the citizens, through their tax dollars, provide legal staff for the districts.

Karen Ahlers is president of the Putnam County Environmental Council in Palatka. E-mail her at www.pcecweb.org.

I just saw a SJRWMD commercial that featured a man literally swimming in his St. Augustine lawn.

The District add was geared to ask people not to over-water their, guess what…. LAWNS.

Living proof that SJRWMD is heavily motivated by the perfect green turf grass lawn.
Have you seen the “Water Wise” billboards that have a close up photo of pop up sprinkler heads and perfect St. Augustine grass?

True conservation of the water resource would feature completely sustainable, native Florida front yards that don’t need irrigation, fertilizers, pesticides, and assorted gasoline powered lawn machines. But what would the lawn industry, fertilizer and pesticide producers and turf grass industry have to say about saving over 50 percent of potable water from being used on thirsty lawns?

EDIT: PSA Podcast download

These are some of my observations from the April 13th SJRWMD Governing Board marathon meeting that I sent to Riverkeepers and the others that I have been networking with and met at the meeting…

From Neil’s quotes in the Jacksonville Times (article) it looks like they are not giving up!
I am relieved to read Riverkeepers will continue to fight this special interest project to build a pipeline from the Saint Johns River, an American Heritage River, to Seminole County through black bear habitat. This project is all about $od. It became obvious to me that the District Governing board is little more than a turf grass special interest board. The pipeline to augment reclaimed water in Seminole county with less that 1 million gallons a day… FOR LAWNS, amazing. So “Public Benefit” is future development and lawns…

Note: Seminole County does not project a need for the “potable” water for another 6 years but wanted to get their pinky toe in the door with the withdrawal of 900,000 gallons of water a day to augment the Seminole County reclaimed water supply, for lawns.

The need for this pipeline does not exist. NEPA looks at need and the need to build a pipeline through critical bear habitat, to pipe Saint Johns river water to augment a reclaimed water system for turf grass is not a critical need. The Seminole County Conditional Use Permit (CUP) was approved by a 5-4 vote, without the cumulative impact study being complete and without Seminole County utilizing all conservation measures to conserve water. Over 50 percent of potable water is used on lawns.

The pipeline from the Saint Johns River, to Seminole County, through black bear habitat has not been approved. FDEP is the permitting agency for the pipeline.

My other thought is… WHAT IS PUBLIC INTEREST?

How can the District and Administrative law judge Rule this is in the public interest? Who where all the thousands of people who signed the petitions and sent emails and drove, sat in overflow rooms, and spoke at the meeting? Hundreds showed their opposition in attending and speaking at the meeting. Even Seminole County residents came to speak in opposition to the CUP. One person spoke in favor, the other, Bill Kerr who used to be the chairman of the District Board, remarked that the district board had only one choice and that was to follow the order of the judge. In the public interest? District Technical Staff have said the Rockledge sewage wastewater ASR well in Rockledge is in the Public Interest too. What public interest?

Another Questionable action by District Staff:

District Staff purposefully withholding all ex-parte communications from the Governing Board members for months was terrible too. The Governing board had seen none of the with held emails until two hours before the vote. Over nineteen thousand emails were sent to the governing board, and those emails were printed and counted only 2 hours before the vote. Also, Seminole Co. Board member Ertle should have recused himself from voting on the CUP permit for conflict of interest reasons.

“I’m absolutely convinced there will be no harm to the river,” said board member David Graham of Jacksonville.

Voting with him and approving the CUP were Susan Hughes, Douglas Bournique, Ann Moore and Michael Ertel, who is Seminole County’s supervisor of elections. Board members who voted against the CUP were: Leonard Wood, Hersey “Herky” Huffman, Hans G. Tanzler III, Arlen N. Jumper. See the board bio’s below…

The District Governing board’s repeated praise of the District Technical Staff is a total facade!!! The whole thing was so transparent April 13, 2009.

Very very informative and eye-opening. I am so glad we attended and stuck it out to the end, 7 1/2 hours in all.

We all are effectively exposing who the District and their governing Board are in the public eye. These people at Saint Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) are not protecting the water resources, they are EXPLOITING the resources. No doubt these issues need to be taken to the Federal level.

Amy Mosher
FLOW: For Love of Water. A MUST SEE 2008 documentary exposing the truth about who is in charge of the worlds water.