Board narrowly backs Seminole water plan - Orlando Business Journal:

moffaiqohegesa1490.blogspot.com
million gallons of water a day fromthe St. Johnse River was approved April 13 ina 5-4 vote by the . Accordingb to a release, the district’s board approved the permi t forthe $42.5 million project, which • Up to 1 millionj gallons of water per day woulc be used to augment Seminole County’zs reclaimed water system in place of groundwater. • Up to 4.5 milliohn gallons of water a day — starting in 2014 to supplement potable groundwater Representativesfrom Jacksonville-area governments and the St. Johns Riverkeeper contributec to an overflow crowd in Palatkqa atthe hearing.
The Riverkeeper organization sponsored a bus ride to transportr opponents of the permit tothe district’s offices in Palatka for the hearing. Originally, Seminole County submitted the permitt application in 2004 requesting the ability towithdraw 7.25 milliobn gallons of water per day for 20 The project already has support from the , and U.S. Fish and Wildlifde Service. However, the permit has also facex oppositionfrom St. Johns Riverkeeper Inc., a private, nonprofirt watchdog formed in 1999 to protectthe St. Johns “The district’s Governing Board, like many peopled throughout the region, is committedc to protecting the St.
Johnsx River, and it was the board’sd determination, as it was for district staff and the administrativedlaw judge, that this withdrawalo will not cause detrimenta l impacts to the river,” said Susamn Hughes, governing board chairwoman, in a prepared St. Johns Riverkeeper Inc., a private, nonprofit watchdog group formec in 1999 to protecthe St. Johns River that has foughrt Seminole's plan, vowed to fight on. “We are preparexd to do whatever it takes to stop this permif frombeing issued,” Neil Armingeon, who heads the Riverkeeperr group, told April 10.
Armingeon said the grou will meet with its legal team within the next 25 days and considetr filing legal action to blockthe permit..