Treasured but suffering, Florida springs get ‘minuscule’ attention, says coalition report
Florida’s care for its famous springs is so feeble that it will take centuries to restore these environmental treasures based on current efforts and assuming pollution from agriculture, septic tanks and other sources stops immediately.
That assessment from the Florida Springs Council, a coalition of more than a dozen groups defending springs and rivers, is based on an analysis of springs projects pursued by the state authorities.
“Our analysis paints a bleak picture of the future of Florida’s most iconic springs,” states a Florida Springs Council report issued Wednesday.
The coalition echoes mounting frustrations among many springs and river groups that South Florida’s Everglades projects enjoy billions of dollars in state funding, while Central and North Florida’s spring systems— confirmed by authorities as polluted and declining in flows— receive minimal help.
“The state budget created and passed by the Florida Legislature each year, and signed into law by Florida’s Governor reflects the values of our elected leaders,” the report adds. “Clearly, our current elected leaders do not value the health of Florida’s springs or the communities that rely upon them.”
The report asserts that state agencies have woefully underfunded projects meant to restore spring water quality and quantity. But meanwhile, according to the Florida Springs Council, various authorities do far too little to regulate the springs’ pollution from agricultural, septic tanks, sewage systems and urban landscaping fertilizers.
“Trying to spend our way out of springs water quality problems is like trying to empty the ocean with a spoon,” said the executive director of the Florida Springs Council, Ryan Smart. “The legislature must immediately pass laws that require agricultural producers and local governments to significantly reduce existing nutrient pollution.”
One pollutant from sewage and fertilizers is a form of nitrogen that serves as a basic nutrient for plants. Nitrogen pollutants readily seep into waters of the Floridan Aquifer and contaminate springs flows that otherwise would be pristine. Nitrogen pollution spawns algae growth, which upsets springs ecosystems.
The council report outlines estimated timeframes and restoration costs for major springs systems, many of which have multiple or even dozens of spring flows, including, for example, the Orlando area’s Wekiwa Springs, the Ocala area’s Silver Springs and the Gainesville area’s Ichetucknee Springs.
The Ichetucknee system, according to the report, is on track for restoration in 391 years based on current project capabilities and will cost more than $4 billion. Nearly 80 percent of the system’s nitrogen pollution is from agriculture. Proposed water-management district spending for pollution reductions in the next fiscal year is $7.6 million for sewage systems and $2 million for the purchase of agricultural lands.
At current rates, state efforts in restoring Silver Springs will span more than 2,000 years at a cost of $7.7 billion. Of the springs’ nitrogen pollution, 39 percent is from agriculture, 32 percent is from septic tanks and 22 percent is from urban landscape fertilizers. The state’s water district for the area expects to commit $3.5 million to a variety of pollution reductions in the coming fiscal year.
The Wekiwa system will take 130 years to repair at a cost of $1.2 billion, the report states. Among sources of nitrogen pollution, 37 percent is urban fertilizer, 32 percent is septic tanks, 19 percent is sewage systems and 13 percent is agriculture. Water-district authorities propose spending $9 million in the coming fiscal year for reducing septic tank pollution.
“Current springs funding levels are only a minuscule fraction of what is needed to achieve water quality goals established by Florida law,” the report states.
