St. Johns, Suwannee River governing boards to consider North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan Jan. 17 in joint meeting

PALATKA, Fla., Jan. 10, 2017 — The governing boards of the St. Johns River and Suwannee River water management districts are meeting Jan. 17 to jointly consider the North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan. The plan looks at the sustainability of water supplies 20 years into the future and identifies potential future water supply sources. The boards’ consideration of the plan is the culmination of a four-year public process that included 36 Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) meetings, more than 50 other stakeholder meetings and two public workshops.

WHAT: Joint meeting of the St. Johns River and Suwannee River water management districts to consider approval of the North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan

WHEN: 11 a.m., Jan. 17, 2017

WHERE: Alachua City Hall, 15100 N.W. 142 Terrace, Alachua, FL 32615

The meeting is open to the public and will include opportunity for public comment.

The draft plan represents the first joint planning effort between the St. Johns River and Suwannee River water management districts. The plan constitutes an evaluation of how much water is needed in year 2035 and whether the traditional sources of fresh groundwater can meet the future water demand while protecting the water resources and related natural systems, such as springs and wetlands.

Where traditional sources are not adequate, the plan identifies more than 200 million gallons per day (mgd) of water conservation, water resource development and water supply development project options to meet the 2035 projected increase in demand of 117 mgd.

The final draft plan can be reviewed and downloaded from http://northfloridawater.com/watersupplyplan/draft.html.