New partnership to help protect Ichetucknee

Published 5/9/2008
A new group called The Ichetucknee Partnership will give one united voice to the many organizations that have been working to protect the Ichetucknee River and springs for years.

Stevenson, who has worked for more than a decade to protect the Ichetucknee, went before the Lake City - Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and "challenged" them to lead a united partnership to protect the Ichetucknee springshed, Johnson said.

A springshed is the surface area that contributes water to a spring. The Ichetucknee Springshed is approximately 384 square miles, with 93 percent of that in Columbia County, Johnson said.
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It's time -- here come the manatees

Published 5/9/2008
Boaters on the Santa Fe and Suwannee rivers should be on the lookout for manatees because the end of winter is the start of manatees' migration around the state, said Karen Parker with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Most manatees congregate further south in areas like Crystal River, Parker said, but last year, there were reports of more sightings than usual on the Santa Fe River.

The drought last year also prevented the manatees from entering the Ichetucknee, where the water is warmer than the neighboring Santa Fe and Suwannee rivers, said Ichetucknee Park Services Specialist Sam Cole.

The drought caused the Santa Fe River to be lower than normal, preventing the manatees from crossing over a natural limerock ridge that separates the two rivers.
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Local Governments Hear Feedback on Wakulla Springs

Published May 8, 2008
Area leaders in Tallahassee, Wakulla, and Leon County listened to feedback from residents regarding policies for the Primary Springs Protection Zone. The parties have been working for quite some time on recommendations to protect the springs and local groundwater.

Bob Scanlon with the Leon County Water Resource Advisory Committee spoke to area leaders. He said, "This is us being put on notice that our aquifer is stressed by the way we are currently managing waste water and storm water and that we have an opportunity to develop the techniques and the governmental structures that will improve that."
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Georgia aims to defend drought plan against Florida's attacks

Published May 6, 2008
The director of the state Environmental Protection Division said Tuesday that the state is readying a response to Florida’s allegations that Georgia is using more than its fair share of water from the Chattahoochee River.

Michael Sole, secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, sent a letter last week to both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers condemning a proposal that would limit flows to the Apalachicola River, which begins at the Florida/Georgia border.

Sole criticized the plan that would help Georgia keep more drinking water during dry times in reservoirs such as Lake Lanier, calling the impact "potentially disastrous."
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Archaeological Find Could Re-Write History Books

Published 06 May 2008
Our history books may be wrong. Archaeologists have found signs of stone-age humans who were not supposed to exist in Sarasota County's Little Salt Springs.

The springs act as a pre-historic time capsule because there is very little oxygen in the water to rot whatever falls in.
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District's bucket of facts is leaky

Last modified 5/6/2008 (Letter to the Editor)
Interestingly, in a May 1 article titled "Florida fights Georgia water plan," it was reported that Florida is opposing Georgia's water withdrawal due to the adverse effect already seen in Apalachicola Bay.

The result of last year's Georgia experiment was increased salinity levels, which resulted in oyster kills throughout the bay.

This is precisely the same issue presented if millions of gallons of fresh water are taken out of the St. Johns River and piped to the uncontrollable and mismanaged growth of Seminole County.
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Leon County residents get chance to weigh in on land-use changes

Published May 3, 2008
Two public hearings are scheduled this week on the new comprehensive plan cycle, which contains big changes because it coincides with a state-mandated land-use review process that comes around every seven years.

Proposed changes include the creation of enhanced regulations in Woodville to protect Wakulla Springs; more money spent on alternatives to car traffic in central Tallahassee; and enhanced neighborhood protections.

The public hearings are at 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at City Hall, 300 S. Adams St.
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Less money meant more partisanship in legislative session

Published May 4, 2008
The Florida Forever land-buying program got $300 million with its ability to raise funds through bonding next year and the program was extended through 2020. Since 2000, Florida Forever purchased more than 535,000 acres of state parks and forests, water management district lands, wildlife and hunting preserves and a grants program for local parks.

The "Florida Springs Protection Act" died in a Senate committee.
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On the River: Studying the St. Johns like Never Before

Published 5/2/2008
If thirsty Central Florida starts taking a bigger gulp out of the St. Johns River, it won't make the river more shallow here. What it will do is allow more seawater from the ocean to back up into the St. Johns.

So scientists are studying out how much seawater the river can take before it breaks.

Over the years, the water management district has studied this river intensively, committing more than $1 billion to the effort, according to the agency's figures. But they've done it with more of a monthly or a yearly timeframe.

Now, scientists are getting out to these study zones every single week, so they can figure out what happens to the vital sea grass. Each spring and summer until the study's finished in late 2009, teams like this will visit this study site near Mandarin and another area near the Shands Bridge every week.

The researchers will then compare changes they spot in the grasses and algae with changes they see in the salt levels of the water, which is measured at nearby bridges.
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County approves Wall Springs Park addition

Published May 2, 2008
County commissioners recently voted to purchase environmentally sensitive property adjacent to Wall Springs Park. They now hope the state will fund half the purchase price during a year when budget cuts have been in the forefront in Tallahassee.

The park is in Northern Pinellas, between Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor, along Alt. 19.

At a County Commission meeting last week, interim County Administrator Fred Marquis told commissioners the four-and-a-half-acre parcel, adjacent to Wall Springs Park, south of Wai Lani Road, would cost $1.2 million.
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More Info:
Wall Springs Park
3725 De Soto Blvd.,
Palm Harbor, FL 34683
Phone 727.943.4653

*During periods of high rainfall as much as 10.7 million gallons of water can flow from the spring in 1 day

*The average water flow is 2,917 gallons per minute or about 4.2 million gallons per day

*Swimming is not allowed.
Wall Springs Park