Water transfer proposals for the Suwannee River Basin (in which the Santa Fe River is located) occasionally surface.  Water transfers almost never achieve what their instigators expect.  This is because you cannot take water from an area without some consequence, which is often a negative one.  OSFR has opposed  this transfer since its beginning.

The Black Creek Restoration Project will treat excess water from Black Creek and pump it into Alligator Creek, which flows into Lake Brooklyn.

We question that Black Creek has any excess water.  Even if water is taken only during flood stage (which we doubt,)  nature has historically used that water elsewhere.

The reason the Keystone lakes water levels dropped is because of the cone of depression caused by JEA’s heavy pumping.

Read the complete article here at WUFT.

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

Black Creek Restoration Project of Keystone Heights lakes nears completion

Lake Geneva is seen from a satellite in 1985 and again at its lowest water level that the St. Johns River Water Management District recorded in 2012. (Images from Google Earth)

Lake Brooklyn is seen from a satellite in 1985 and again at its lowest water level that the St. Johns River Water Management District recorded in 2004. (Images from Google Earth)

While recent wet seasons have given the impression of rising water levels, natural rainfall alone cannot compensate for this water demand in the long run. As a result, the water in the lakes has fluctuated for years.

“In 1998, we had a very rainy season and water literally came all the way up to the treeline,” Katz-James said. “The next year started to drought, and it just shoots right back down.”

According to the SOLO website, discussions to find a solution to the issue have been going on since 2002. Katz-James said the project finally gained momentum with help from former Senator Rob Bradley, along with former Representatives Travis Cummings and Bobby Payne.

Bradley, who grew up enjoying Lake Brooklyn, said he developed an interest in environmental and water issues after being elected to the state Senate.

“I asked the St. Johns River Water Management District to bring me the project that would have the biggest impact on making sure that the lake levels are returned to normal,” he said.

“They brought me this project in its very conceptual stages, and then we went about getting the funding in the Florida Legislature.”

Over $43 million was allocated to the Black Creek project through legislative appropriations. Other parties involved in funding include St. Johns River Water Management District and the North Florida Utilities Consortium, according to the water management district website.

The Black Creek Restoration Project will treat excess water from Black Creek and pump it into Alligator Creek, which flows into Lake Brooklyn. Ashley Evitt, the district’s media and communications manager, said the project is expected to be finished within the next several months.

“The pipeline itself is complete,” Evitt said. “It’s really dependent on getting the media from the distributor and we just have to get that installed.”

While the project aims to increase recharge to the Floridan Aquifer, it also impacts the community of Keystone Heights. Mayor Nina Rodenroth highlighted how stable water levels may bring businesses back to the town.

“When you remove the lakes, you also remove vendors that sell things to take to the beach,” she said. “What I’m focused on now is trying to create awareness to get people to come back and bring new businesses to the city.”

For the community of Keystone Heights, the Black Creek Restoration Project means returning the town to the charming destination and ideal vacation spot it once was.

For families like Slater’s, the project means having a consistent supply of water and being able to fish without worrying about the lakes drying up.

“Keeping the Black Creek pipeline running will recharge the aquifer so we get the benefit of full lakes again,” he said. “But more importantly anybody that has a straw going into the Floridan Aquifer gets to know they can keep doing that.”