Lenny Curry: No to St. Johns River water withdrawals

In a Monday afternoon news release from the office of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry containing a letter to Drew Bartlett of the Central Florida Water Initiative Steering Committee, the administration’s opposition to water withdrawals from the St. Johns River was made official.

Curry has asked that water withdrawals from the upper and middle basins of the St. Johns River be put on hold until additional work exploring alternative water supply options is completed.

“While we are committed to working with the CFWI to develop a long-term strategy,” Mayor Curry said, “we’re asking those involved to look for a better solution in meeting that region’s water supply needs.”

“The official position of the consolidated City of Jacksonville, as stated in City Council Resolution 2014-37-A,” wrote Curry, “is that we are opposed to surface water withdrawals from the upper and middle basins of the St. Johns River at this time and under these circumstances.”

In the release, Curry noted that demand for future water usage in Central Florida in the next couple of decades may be exaggerated. He also urged conservation among Central Florida counties, given their contention that their groundwater supply may be exhausted sooner than later.

According to Curry, this contention is “a tacit admission that the portion of the aquifer supplying Central Florida is already close to exhaustion. Under these circumstances, we recommend that the final plan place substantially greater emphasis on all forms of water conservation, as well as efficiency programs, as a means of addressing future water needs.”

According to Curry’s policy director Robin Lumb, the three water management districts that are working on developing the water supply plan for Central Florida are the Saint Johns River Water Management District, the South Florida Water Management District and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

“The authority and responsibility for the final plan rests with them,” Lumb said. “Nonetheless, it was important for the mayor to go on record with his recommendations about how it should be changed.”