Presentation to the State Legislature on 10.25.23 by Sarah Younger

The Suwannee St. Johns Chapter (SSJ)

The Suwannee St. Johns Group (SSJ) of the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club serves 14 north central Florida counties including Alachua, Baker, Bradford, SW Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Suwannee, and Union.

We are an all-volunteer organization. We believe it’s as important to enjoy and share our natural resources, as it is to protect them. Check out our Outings to join an activity or adventure for some good times and friendships.

October 25, 2023

I am here today as an Alachua County resident who, like many others in our region, relies on well water for my home.

Water is a universal need that connects us all.

We must protect our water resource as quite literally Water is Life.

But increasing populations contribute to our water woes in Florida. More people mean more of a need for fresh water on a planet with a finite amount of it, and more than 1,000 people move into the Sunshine State every day.

UF/IFAS and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) have been recommending the avoidance of Nitrogen and Phosphorus fertilizer application during the rainy season since they first started publishing Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) Manuals in the early 1990s.

There is an enormous body of research supporting strict urban fertilizer management and substantiating their need for fertilizer limits more stringent than the FDEP Model Ordinance. Alachua County has embraced strict rainy season application bans along with over sixteen other counties and well over 100 municipalities.

Please ensure that the urban fertilizer programs we know lead to improved water quality may continue under local Home Rule. It is through local control of fertilizer management that will provide a healthier and safer Florida for all, as an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

This year the state of Florida is proposing to spend over $700 million on Everglades restoration. Please work to increase funds for our region’s water resources from the proposed $50 million to $100 million to protect the headwaters of the Florida Aquifer.

In closing, the FDEP has delayed rulemaking even after the legislature made it abundantly clear when it adopted SB 552 more than 7 years ago that it expected DEP to expeditiously come up with a stricter standard for assessing how water withdrawals would affect Florida’s springs. If we are serious about protecting our Springs and this precious resource, then this Legislature must also work to ensure that these directives are carried out.

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