LIVE OAK, Fla. – Almost everyone attending a Suwannee County GOP town hall on Feb. 5 again opposed a plan to recharge the Floridan aquifer with treated Jacksonville wastewater.
Despite their concerns, the Suwannee River Water Management District approved the plan in November of 2025 to address potable water issues, citing ongoing droughts and low water levels in the Santa Fe and Itchetucknee rivers as threats to North Central Florida’s water usage.
The District is supporting a project from Water First North Florida, according to the district’s communication and outreach manager Troy Roberts. The project will carry wastewater from Jacksonville, almost 90 miles east of Suwannee, through a pipe to be treated in facilities and natural wetlands before being sent into the aquifer.
Ninety-nine percent of residents in the 15 districts the Suwannee River Water Management District serves rely on the aquifer, Roberts said.
“This is a 40-million-gallon-per-day reclaimed water project,” Roberts said. “It is not a wastewater project.”
Reclaimed water refers to highly treated municipal water that is recycled as potable water. Pipes would be constructed to carry the water from across the state, but an exact location where pipes will take the reclaimed water has yet to be determined. The project would take 15 years to complete and cost around $1 billion.
“This is the most effective and cost efficient project we have determined. This has been a 10-year process looking at these projects,” Roberts said. “The other alternatives cost more.”
Some other partners involved in the project include Gainesville Regional Utilities, Jacksonville Electric Authority, Clay County Utility Authority, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the St. Johns River Water Management District and the St. Johns County Utility Department, said Roberts.
The Jacksonville Electric Authority has committed $400 million to the project and the St. Johns River Water Management District has committed $125 million, he said.
John S. Quarterman of the Suwannee Riverkeeper at WWALS Watershed Coalition, the second speaker at the town hall, held opposing viewpoints on the Suwannee River Water Management District’s plan. He argued Suwannee made a shift toward desalination plants.
Desalination is the process of removing salt and minerals from groundwater to produce drinking water. Quarterman touted examples of desalination plants across the country and within different Florida regions that work well for its residents. Roberts said a desalination project would be less cost-effective.
“The entire area JEA serves uses 120 million gallons. Remember that Texas plant, one plant does 100 million gallons. There’s no reason it has to be all in one place,” said Quarterman. “It doesn’t have to take more than a dozen years to come online.”
Around 50 people attended the town hall, with the majority of attendees being older. None of the attendees who spoke out favored the Suwannee River Water Management District’s plan to strengthen the water supply. The main concerns of the project were over where funding would come from, project logistics, and the safety behind drinking recycled water.
“One of my biggest concerns with this project is that it’s introducing contamination that’s extremely expensive to test for, to even know it’s there, much less manage and treat,” said Hailey Hall, a groundwater monitor.
Utility companies on board with the project say this approach is the most effective way to recharge the aquifer.
“We are working to protect our springs and rivers and ensure a reliable and affordable water supply to meet our current and growing needs of our region. ” said Jacksonville Electric spokesperson Karen McAllister.
Jacksonville Electric’s $400 million will be split up over the course of the 15-year project. Rates for Jacksonville residents won’t change because of the project, she said.
Almost 100% of Suwannee currently falls under extreme drought conditions, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. Abnormally dry conditions began in late July of 2025. Extreme conditions picked up mid-October and lasted until December.
No hurricanes making landfall in Florida in the 2025 season and a general lack of precipitation seen in recent months led to the droughts, leaving little to no groundfall to reach the aquifers in the northern parts of the state. More land development over time also impacts the springs and rivers as water usage increases, Roberts explained.
“As water use goes up, you start seeing less water in our springs, especially right now in the drought,” he said. “But even with drought notwithstanding, if we still had rain, we would still be working on this.”
Spokespeople for companies signed onto the project lack some details on who would make money on the project, if the companies gain benefits, or if any support other than finances will go toward the project. During the town hall, Roberts responded to questions with what he said was his best understanding, explaining he didn’t have every detail due to the project still being in early stages.
“Now don’t be hard on Troy,” Quarterman said addressing the audience during his presentation. “He’s not making it up when he says much of this stuff, he just doesn’t know. I think that’s part of the issue.”
Some audience members raised concerns over a lack of citizen vote on the project. Suwannee residents cannot directly vote on issues the Suwannee River Water Management District is presented with. The governing board is appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won Suwannee with 83% in the 2022 general election.