Following the policy of the State of Florida, the polluters and water abusers are carefully protected when our governor throws money at our water problems.
Agriculture the Golden Boy is carefully spared: A little over 92% of the nitrate pollution in springs is due to agriculture, but 97% of the funding is being spent on septic and wastewater projects. That funding will do very little restore the springs of the Suwannee River Basin.
This is what we see over and over again.
Our thanks to the Florida Springs Council and Ryan Smart for exposing these failures by the State of Florida. Yet we are happy for the small bright spot pointed out by Ryan below.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
“Funding for Springs!” It’s a nice headline, but springs advocates should look carefully at the reality behind the dollars.
Is it being spent effectively? How much will it help to restore the springs? Is it really the best we can do with the limited funds given? The Florida Springs Council has analyzed the springs restoration projects proposed to receive funding this year. We’re eager to share our findings, and solutions, with you.
BACKGROUND
Every year the Florida Legislature is required to appropriate at least $50 million from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to springs restoration projects. Project proposals are collected and reviewed by water management districts and submitted to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for approval.
DEP has announced the proposed springs projects for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. FSC staff analyzed the proposed projects. We found that the vast majority are ineffective, wasteful, and ignore the largest sources of springs pollution.
FUNDING IS NOT BEING USED WHERE IT’S NEEDED MOST
According to the Basin Management Action Plans prepared by DEP, agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of local addressable nitrogen pollution to Outstanding Florida Springs. Septic tanks and wastewater treatment plants account for only 18%.
What SHOULD happen: Ideally, funding for springs projects should reflect the pollution sources, with the most funding going towards the biggest problems. Agriculture is 70% of the pollution source? Then roughly 70% of the funding should be directed to land conservation and to cost-share programs to help ag producers adopt nitrogen- and water-saving practices.
What IS happening: To the detriment of our springs, less than 6% of the requested state funding addresses agricultural pollution. The lion’s share of the requested funding, 80%, is going to septic tank and wastewater treatment projects.
In the Suwannee River basin, the disconnect is particularly striking.
A little over 92% of the nitrate pollution in springs is due to agriculture, but 97% of the funding is being spent on septic and wastewater projects. That funding will do very little restore the springs of the Suwannee River Basin.
FUNDING IS NOT BEING USED ON THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE PROJECTS
Projects that address agricultural pollution are far more cost-effective, removing far more nitrogen pollution from springs per dollar than the septic and wastewater projects currently making up the lion’s share of funded projects.
Wastewater and septic projects proposed for FY 23-24 are estimated to remove 102,534 lbs of Nitrogen per year from our springs for a total cost of $248,713,447. That means those projects only remove one pound of nitrogen per year for every $2,426 spent.
By contrast, the proposed agricultural best management practices and land conservation projects are estimated to remove one pound of nitrogen for every $98 spent, making them 25 times more cost-effective at reducing pollution than septic and wastewater projects.
HOW IS FUNDING BEST SPENT?
Overall, the proposals continue the trend of the state sending the majority of funds to wastewater infrastructure projects over more effective agricultural and land conservation projects. However, there are several projects included which FSC strongly supports and hopes to see funded by DEP this year:
Poe Springs Addition. Alachua County is proposing to add 250 acres adjacent to Poe Springs along the Santa Fe River. The project would protect the property from development and convert an existing slash pine forestry operation to a long-leaf pine recreational area.
Five land conservation projects proposed by Alachua Conservation Trust would protect over 2,000 acres in the Santa Fe and Suwannee River Basins. These projects include conservation easements to protect land from future development, natural systems restoration, and enrollment in agricultural best management practices.
Agricultural best management practices project proposed by the Northwest Florida Water Management District would reduce agricultural pollution to Jackson Blue Springs and Chipola River. The only large scale BMP project proposed for funding, it is also by far the most effective project, estimated to remove at least one pound of nitrogen per year for every $36 spent.
FINAL TAKEAWAY
Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature are determined to spend our way out of Florida’s water crisis, prioritizing expensive taxpayer funded infrastructure projects over regulations and rules that would stop pollution at the source, before costly fixes are necessary.
At FSC we have always been critical of this approach. But if it is to succeed, we must have enough funding and the funding must be spent wisely. Neither is the case for Florida’s springs.
The Florida Springs Council is reviewing and analyzing all springs restoration projects funded through the Land Acquisition Trust Fund, from the initial year of funding to present day, to shine more light on the effectiveness of the Springs Funding process. We will release the full comprehensive report, with findings and proposed improvements, later this year.
Read more on our website at https://www.floridaspringscouncil.org/single-post/springs-funding-in-florida
Copyright (C) 2023 Florida Springs Council. All rights reserved.
