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Adena Springs Ranch
consumptive use permit application

Updated on 4-27-2012
Text in red indicates updated information.

The permit application

The St. Johns River Water Management District received a consumptive use permit (CUP) application on Dec. 2, 2011, for the Adena Springs Ranch in Marion County. The permit application, which District staff are currently reviewing, seeks to withdraw 13.267 million gallons of water per day (mgd) for agricultural, commercial, industrial and livestock uses.

Prior to the permit application being received, District staff met with the applicant to discuss their plans. The applicant originally discussed applying for a permit to withdraw 27 mgd, but that amount was reduced to13.267 mgd after meeting with District staff.

The applicant proposes using the 13.267 mgd  for the following:

• Agriculture to grow forage (food) for cattle (12.56 mgd)
• Cattle watering (0.48 mgd)
• Power plant cooling (0.16 mgd)
• Plant processing (0.06 mgd)
• Potable water for employees (0.005 mgd)
• Pesticide use (0.004 mgd)

Following its initial review of the application, District staff sent a Request for Additional Information (RAI) to the applicant on Dec. 29, 2011. An RAI is used when additional information is needed before District staff can determine if an application meets District permitting criteria. The applicant had 120 days (until April 28, 2012) to respond to the RAI or to ask for an extension of the time frame. The applicant provided some of the additional information that was requested, and on April 27, 2012, requested an additional 120 days to complete the RAI response. The District approved the request and the new date to provide a complete response to the RAI or to request another extension is Aug. 26, 2012.

After the application is considered complete, District staff will prepare a recommendation for the Governing Board. The Board will consider the recommendation in a public meeting at the District’s headquarters in Palatka. The public will have a right to attend and speak at that meeting.

The permit process

During the permit review process, the applicant and District staff will evaluate the requested withdrawals using groundwater flow models. This evaluation will allow District staff to simulate site-specific impacts of withdrawals on the Floridan and surficial aquifers, the environment, water bodies with minimum flows and levels (MFLs), as well as the impacts on other permitted water users. The applicant is working with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and has agreed to meet all best management practices for agricultural operators. This includes meeting all state water quality standards.

One of the water bodies the District will review for possible impacts when considering the application is Silver Springs. Though the final rule adoption process for the Silver Springs MFLs will not be completed until 2013, much of the scientific study on the MFLs has been completed and will be available for use by District staff as they review the Adena Springs Ranch CUP application. MFLs are the minimum water flows and/or levels adopted by the District Governing Board as necessary to prevent significant harm to the water resources or ecology of an area resulting from permitted water withdrawals. Waiting until the MFLs for Silver Springs are adopted to make a determination on the Adena Springs Ranch CUP may not be an option because Florida law directs the District to take action on an application within 90 days of its completion and make a determination to issue or to deny the permit. An application is deemed complete when all requested information is received so District staff can determine if the application meets the District’s permitting criteria.

As with all CUP applications, District staff will review the Adena Springs application to ensure that it is for a reasonable-beneficial use, that it does not interfere with other existing legal water uses, and is consistent with the public interest.

Additional information

The water use permit is the only permit being considered by the District for this project. The applicant was issued an environmental resource permit for the construction of a stormwater system at the processing plant by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in December 2011. The construction currently occurring at the site falls within that permit.

The District has authorized the construction of a 4-inch well. The 4-inch well does not require a water use permit because it is under the District thresholds (under 100,000 gallons per day actual use, under 1 million gallons per day/capacity). The District also authorized a 12-inch well (with associated monitoring wells) to be used in an aquifer performance test, but the 12-inch well is not active at this time.

The Adena Springs Ranch bought a 660-acre sod farm that had an existing consumptive use permit allocation of 0.548 millions of gallons of water per day for sod irrigation. Adena Springs assumed this allocation and is operating under the terms of this permit. This is the only permit for water use they have at this time.

Public input

The District has received letters and emails from members of some communities surrounding the Adena Springs Ranch. All of that input, in addition to any received up to the day that the District Governing Board considers the staff’s recommendation, will be provided to the Board.

Public input on the application can be provided on the District’s e-Permitting site.