Water Summit to Be Held in January

The Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council will hold a water summit next month about a controversial proposal to withdraw water from the St. Johns River to supplement dwindling supplies in other areas of the state.

Area County Commission chairmen and mayors will be invited to participate, as will Kirby Green, executive director of the St. Johns River Water Management District, and St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon. Also, representatives of Central Florida governments will be invited, said Clay County Commissioner Harold Rutledge, who is chairman of the regional planning council and will host the event.

“This is going to be the beginning of a discussion that we are going to have as a region … to protect our assets,” he said. “I hope it’s going to be a very productive meeting.”

The meeting will be held Jan. 14 or 16 at a location yet to be determined, Rutledge said.

The Legislature directed Florida’s water management districts to identify potential water sources, including river and seawater, brackish groundwater and reclaimed water, that can be developed without causing harm to the environment. The studies were prompted by dwindling water sources, particularly in highly developed areas in Central Florida.

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