Those of you that know me know I am very passionate about water. And the Wacissa River is not just our water source but a huge part of our family history. I sat in the County Commisioners meeting Thursday morning and was proud to hear the Board vote for the resolution. Please read below.
savethewacissa.com
savethewacissa.com
Jefferson takes stand against pumping from Wacissa River
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER By Jennifer Portman
MONTICELLO - The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Thursday that asks the Suwannee River Water Management District to deny any requests to pump water in the county and transport it elsewhere.
The resolution comes in wake of speculative plans by Nestle Waters North America to pump water from near the headwaters of the spring-fed Wacissa River for use at its Madison County bottling plant. "It makes it clear that we are asking the (water management district) to help us control this," said Commissioner Danny Monroe.
Nestle has not yet applied for a consumptive use permit for the area, but has been monitoring water quality and quantity at four test wells drilled last summer near the river. Last fall, area residents and outdoor enthusiasts joined together to oppose the company's preliminary plans for up to 70 tanker-trucks a day, for limited periods, to haul water from the satellite source to supplement its bottling operation at Madison Blue Springs.
Since then, the Friends of the Wacissa have waged a grass roots informational campaign to protect the river, which is fed by at least 13 springs that together discharge an average of about 250 million gallons a day, making it one of Florida's 33 first-magnitude springs.
The group also has teamed up with the nonprofit Corporate Accountability International, which has assisted other small communities that have tried to stand up to North America's largest water bottler. Thousands of people have signed a petition against any plan to tap the river.
Wacissa resident Kim Gilmore welcomed the commission's resolution aimed at stopping Nestle's plans.
"We think that is one step closer," Gilmore said.
David Still, executive director of the water management district, said water management board members would take the commission's recommendations seriously.
"Any time a local entity of government asks, I think the board is more than able to sit up and listen," he said.
The board's resolution also calls on the water management district to establish minimum flow and water level standards for the Wacissa and nearby Aucilla River as soon as possible.
In a letter to commissioners, Nestle's Southeast Region Natural Resources Manager Kent Koptiuch said the company supports establishing minimum flow levels and would be willing to share the information it collects about the Wacissa spring area with the water management district.
"Any data that we can get is always useful in setting minimum flows," Still said.
Koptiuch's letter also stressed that any application to withdraw water should be "fairly evaluated and based upon sound science."
At Thursday's meeting, Ryan Duffy of Ron Sachs Communications, which has been hired by Nestle to help handle public relations, said testing of the potential water source is not yet complete.
Last year, literature distributed by company officials said Nestle would not go ahead with any pumping plans without community support.
"It's going to come down to the science, if it is viable," Duffy said. "Ultimately, we want what everybody in the community wants, clean water."
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER By Jennifer Portman
MONTICELLO - The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Thursday that asks the Suwannee River Water Management District to deny any requests to pump water in the county and transport it elsewhere.
The resolution comes in wake of speculative plans by Nestle Waters North America to pump water from near the headwaters of the spring-fed Wacissa River for use at its Madison County bottling plant. "It makes it clear that we are asking the (water management district) to help us control this," said Commissioner Danny Monroe.
Nestle has not yet applied for a consumptive use permit for the area, but has been monitoring water quality and quantity at four test wells drilled last summer near the river. Last fall, area residents and outdoor enthusiasts joined together to oppose the company's preliminary plans for up to 70 tanker-trucks a day, for limited periods, to haul water from the satellite source to supplement its bottling operation at Madison Blue Springs.
Since then, the Friends of the Wacissa have waged a grass roots informational campaign to protect the river, which is fed by at least 13 springs that together discharge an average of about 250 million gallons a day, making it one of Florida's 33 first-magnitude springs.
The group also has teamed up with the nonprofit Corporate Accountability International, which has assisted other small communities that have tried to stand up to North America's largest water bottler. Thousands of people have signed a petition against any plan to tap the river.
Wacissa resident Kim Gilmore welcomed the commission's resolution aimed at stopping Nestle's plans.
"We think that is one step closer," Gilmore said.
David Still, executive director of the water management district, said water management board members would take the commission's recommendations seriously.
"Any time a local entity of government asks, I think the board is more than able to sit up and listen," he said.
The board's resolution also calls on the water management district to establish minimum flow and water level standards for the Wacissa and nearby Aucilla River as soon as possible.
In a letter to commissioners, Nestle's Southeast Region Natural Resources Manager Kent Koptiuch said the company supports establishing minimum flow levels and would be willing to share the information it collects about the Wacissa spring area with the water management district.
"Any data that we can get is always useful in setting minimum flows," Still said.
Koptiuch's letter also stressed that any application to withdraw water should be "fairly evaluated and based upon sound science."
At Thursday's meeting, Ryan Duffy of Ron Sachs Communications, which has been hired by Nestle to help handle public relations, said testing of the potential water source is not yet complete.
Last year, literature distributed by company officials said Nestle would not go ahead with any pumping plans without community support.
"It's going to come down to the science, if it is viable," Duffy said. "Ultimately, we want what everybody in the community wants, clean water."
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