[0:26] All right. I'm going to call to order the governing board meeting of the St. John's River Water Management District. Today is June 9th, 2026, and it is 10 a.m. That's all rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

[0:54] Thank you.

[0:59] All right. We'll start with the roll call. Miss Gabby White.

[1:04] Mr. Allover, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Atwood, Mr. Borneak, Mr. Burnett, Mr. House,

[1:17] here sir, Mr. Price, in my name is Rob Bradley. I am the proud to be the chairman of this

[1:27] a guest spotty, and we have let the record reflect that everyone is present for our governing

[1:34] board meeting today. Item 1 is Ms Hudson, the very special employee awards today.

[1:44] Indeed, thank you. Good morning and Robin Hudson, the Human Resources Director. First we

[1:49] like to present our employee of the month. Congratulations to Brian Corbin, the June employee of the month.

[1:54] Brian is an engineer 3 on the Division of Regulatory Services Compliance Team.

[1:58] Brian consistently demonstrates the district's core values through his technical expertise, professionalism, customer service and teamwork.

[2:06] Brian has developed extensive knowledge of complex stormwater systems and regularly assist a public and understanding drainage and compliance issues.

[2:14] He carefully evaluates stormwater designs and researches permit histories to help identify practical solutions.

[2:20] His ability to work through complex permits and coordinate with review staff had made him a valuable resource for both staff and the public.

[2:27] Brian, thank you for the work that you do.

[2:37] A five-year service award, a Kaylee Peters, Deputy District Clerk, and the Office of Records

[2:42] and Regulatory Support.

[2:52] A five-year service award for Courtney Shaddock, Environmental Scientist for, and the Bureau

[2:56] of Water Supply Cleaning.

[3:07] A 30-year service award for Russell Hiscott, Senior Trades Worker, and the Bureau of Transportation

[3:11] and Facilities.

[3:13] Russell is responsible for forming preventive maintenance and minor and major repairs to the

[3:22] craftsmanship next for Tease as a boat mechanic, fabrication specialist and trailer guru.

[3:27] He worked his work plays a vital role in ensuring the quality, safety, and reliability of

[3:32] the district's fleet. Russell's hands-on knowledge and attention to detail have not only kept

[3:36] operations running smoothly but have also set a standard of excellence. During his career, Russell

[3:41] has remained a loyal and dedicated employee, making a lasting impact on the team and the agency.

[3:47] He received a Meritorious Service Award and the SDR MVP Award.

[3:53] Congratulations on this incredible achievement and thank you for three decades of outstanding service.

[4:07] A 35-year service award to Steve Miller, Supervising Environmental Scientist in the Bureau of Environmental Sciences.

[4:13] Steve Fish Miller has left his fingerprints on many many district scientific and management issues,

[4:19] particularly in the upper St. John's River Basin.

[4:21] He was a major author of the Upper Basin Project Environmental Impact Statement and he was central in developing the Environmental Water Management Plan and the Water Control Plan.

[4:31] He is a deep intuitive grasp of Upper Basin Hydrology. True to his fish moniker, Steve has maintained a robust Gisord-Chad Harvest Program and pioneered pioneered the exotic fish harvest program, removing hundreds of thousands of pounds of invasive species and improving water quality.

[4:48] He also led the Fisheries Working Group for the Water Supply Impact Study, earning accolades from the National Academy of Sciences.

[4:56] Steve continues to provide strong scientific insights and is a true district assets, congratulations and thank you for your service to the district.

[5:15] And now we will move on to my favorite rewards, our retirement awards.

[5:20] The first is for Thomas Beesley, Senior Trade's Worker in the Bureau of Transportation and Facilities.

[5:24] Tom is responsible for forming preventative maintenance and repair of district equipment, both

[5:29] big and small house at the Sunny Hill Field Station. His knowledge of vehicle systems and operation

[5:34] is second to nine. Tom is known for his attention and detail. He will not let a vehicle

[5:39] leave that shop until all repairs have been completed properly. Tom also dedicated himself to sharing

[5:45] his knowledge with other technicians and assisting them with repairs. He mentor staff and

[5:50] and ensuring all work performed at the Sunny Hill Shop at the stop-match.

[5:54] Over his 13-year career with the district Thomas built strong working relationship with district staff and earned the respect of his peers.

[6:01] Tom's work while mostly behind the scenes directly supports the district's ability to fill fill its mission.

[6:06] Tom was recognized as employee of the month.

[6:09] Congratulations on your retirement Tom, and we thank you for your many years of dedicated service to the district.

[6:25] In a retirement award for Brad Pursail.

[6:28] Today, we are honored to recognize Radford Sal on the occasion of his retirement from the St.

[6:33] Jones River Water Management District.

[6:35] Brad's career with a district is a meaningful and professional growth public surface

[6:40] in a longstanding commitment to the district's mission.

[6:43] He began his service to the district as a drafting technician and through hard work,

[6:47] professionalism and dedication steadily worked into positions of increasing responsibility.

[6:51] A long way he developed a deep understanding of a district's work, its responsibilities, and the importance of serving the public with fairness, consistency and efficiency.

[7:01] Brad later left the district to continue his commitment to public service, serving the citizens

[7:06] of Putnam County, a County Commissioner, where for 12 years he worked tirelessly to

[7:11] improve the lives of the citizens of Putnam County. Receiving such honors as legislature

[7:15] of the year by the Northeast Florida Association of Relators, and the Presidential Advocacy

[7:20] Award by the Florida Association of Counties. As a Commissioner in private, environmental consultant,

[7:26] He ganged values, valuable experience, and public policy.

[7:30] Emergency, community needs, intergovernmental coordination, and practical realities of balancing environmental protection with the needs of local communities.

[7:40] When Brad returned to the district, he brought that broad perspective with him.

[7:45] In each role he assumed after his return he used his experience to help improve the way the district carried out its responsibilities.

[7:52] He was especially focused on strengthening efficiency, responsiveness, and effectiveness of the district's regulatory program.

[8:01] Brad understood that good regulatory work requires both firm commitment to resource protection and a clear understanding of the people, communities, and businesses that interact with the district.

[8:11] He helped advance that balanced approach by promoting better coordination, clear processes, and a service-minded culture.

[8:18] his work contributed to regulatory programs that were not only protective of order resources,

[8:23] but also more accessible, timely, and accountable to the public.

[8:28] In this current role as Chief of Staff, Brad has continued to make lasting contributions

[8:32] to the district by helping strengthen and improve both the communications and governmental

[8:37] affairs program.

[8:38] Drawing on his experience in public service, policy and community engagement, he has helped

[8:44] and greater coordination, consistency, and a strategic focus to the district's communications and external affairs efforts.

[8:51] His leadership has supported clear public messaging, stronger relationships with elected officials and partner organizations,

[8:58] and a more effective approach to sharing the district's priorities, accomplishments and needs with the public and key stakeholders.

[9:04] There was work that has helped ensure the district is better positioned to inform, engage, and advocate in support of its mission.

[9:11] Just as importantly, Brad has been a trusted colleague who's institutional knowledge, judgment, and

[9:17] study of product help others navigate complex issues and find practical solutions.

[9:22] His career reflects the best of public service, a commitment to mission, respect for people,

[9:28] and a willingness to keep improving the organizations he has served.

[9:32] On behalf of the many employees, applicants, stakeholders, and partners who have worked with him.

[9:37] We thank Brad for his dedicated service, leadership, and lasting contributions to the mission.

[9:43] Brad, we can graduate in when you're retirement, and we wish you the very best.

[10:42] What we're going to do without your Brad, you have a lot to be proud of for your dedicated service, not only in this space, and in this organization where your contributions, talent and impact is always be felt.

[11:02] But also for the region as a whole, I've known you for a long time, and you're distinguished

[11:09] service.

[11:10] I also went beyond these walls, and this impact of this district has to make life better

[11:18] for all of the people of North Florida.

[11:21] So congratulations on the wonderful career, and I'm excited about what comes next for you.

[11:26] Well, thank you, Mr. Chair, and it's been an honor and a privilege to work for this board and get an opportunity to work with the people that are met for here this morning and the 550 folks and then also how much I've learned from this group of people and how rewarding it has been, so thank you very much for that.

[11:54] All right, we're going to move on to item two, the Hydrologic Conditions Report, 10, you're

[12:01] recognized.

[12:03] Thank you.

[12:03] Good morning, Chairman Bradley, and the members of the governing board, Tim Miller, Chief

[12:07] of the Bureau of Water Resource Information, presenting the June Hydrologic Conditions Report

[12:11] representing data from the month of May.

[12:17] Beginning with precipitation in May, the rainfall average across the district was above

[12:21] normal for the first time since October last year.

[12:24] 17 counties were above their averages and as you can see on the map some of the northern and western counties that had been lacking in recent months received higher amounts than southern counties.

[12:36] Rainfall extremes observed in May, range from less than an inch in parts of Oceola and

[12:41] Brevard County's to over at 10 inches in portions of Baker, Nassau, and Northern

[12:46] Volusia County.

[12:48] The average total across the district was 1.89 inches above the monthly average of 3.46 inches.

[12:58] Here are those monthly rain dated displayed as averages across counties along with the

[13:02] associated monthly rain dated table.

[13:05] Oka Chovie was the only county below its average in May.

[13:09] Of the 17 counties above normal for the month, six counties received six inches or more,

[13:14] and both Nassau and Bradford counties more than doubled their average rainfall amounts.

[13:20] Countywide average rainfall totals range from a high of 8.36 inches for Nassau County to a low of 3.55 inches for Brevard County.

[13:28] And to note in May, the average rate of evapotranspiration is over five inches, and the average

[13:35] rainfall is about two inches less than that, so typically dry conditions trend upward

[13:40] during this month.

[13:41] However, rainfall averages in seven counties exceeded the ET rate, helping to counteract the

[13:46] drying trend that we normally see at this time of year.

[13:54] Looking at rainfall over the past 12 months, the district wide annual rainfall total was

[13:57] 7.36 inches below the annual average of just over 51 inches.

[14:03] Rainfall has been highest in the East Central part of the district through the year and only

[14:07] Volusia and Brevard counties were above normal.

[14:10] In contrast counties to the northwest have large areas which have received below 35 inches.

[14:16] Although some improvements occurred in May regarding deficits 16 counties were below their 12

[14:21] month rainfall average with seven counties recording deficits of more than 13 inches.

[14:26] of those Baker County was more than 19 inches below normal.

[14:31] Countywide annual totals range from the highest value of 53.27 inches for

[14:36] Volusia County to the lowest value of 33.5 inches for Baker County.

[14:45] Updated weekly, this is the most recent US drought monitor assessment.

[14:49] Some improvement occurred from last month but drought persists statewide.

[14:54] Over 50% of Florida was classified as D3 or extreme drought,

[14:59] which is the bright red.

[15:00] Police have a classification of severe or moderate drought. And while the rains in May were welcome, temperatures were above normal and a continued wet pattern is needed to reduce the long-term rainfall deficits.

[15:13] The National Weather Service short-term forecast indicates increased chances for above normal rainfall with some improvement expected to the drought.

[15:20] Looking further out, the NOAA seasonal precipitation outlook through August indicates equal

[15:26] chances for normal rainfall, and although improvement in the drought is expected, it is likely

[15:31] to persist.

[15:34] Although we're currently in an end zone neutral status of transition to El Nino is likely in

[15:39] the next two months, which increases the chances for a below normal hurricane season, followed

[15:45] by a higher likelihood of a wet winter.

[15:50] Here are predictive data from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information based on conditions as of June 6th with the state separated into seven different climate divisions.

[16:03] Last month, you saw a similar map which displayed rain amounts needed to have a significant improvement in drought conditions.

[16:10] The difference in this map is the values here represent rain amounts needed to end the drought in the next three months.

[16:15] and relative to normal rainfall this means that in our driest regions we would need to exceed the average

[16:21] by about 70% and the drought. Of course, lesser rainfall amounts that exceed averages will

[16:28] impure still improve upon current conditions. Did you say 70? 70? Yes, 70% above yes. Thank you.

[16:38] Here's the Keech Byrum drought index map for Florida, which is updated daily, and it's designed

[16:43] specifically to assess wildfire potential,

[16:46] because it estimates the dryness of surface soils and

[16:48] dust layers, and so it's more sensitive to recent rains.

[16:52] Shown here are the data from June 7th,

[16:56] and within the district only Ocachobe County

[16:58] had a value above 500.

[17:01] But several counties were in the 400s in rising.

[17:04] County enacted burn vans remain in place for four counties

[17:07] within the district, which includes Baker,

[17:10] Provards Seminal and Asiola Counties.

[17:16] Moving on to surface flows here are the monthly mean surface flows as compared to historical statistics through May.

[17:22] Surface flows ranged from very low to normal.

[17:25] Changes in flow percentiles from last month included increases along the northern St. John's River and decreases for the Wakayva and Econ rivers.

[17:34] Flow is in the normal range for the St. John's River stations as locations from Delan, northward,

[17:39] received the majority of rain in May. In contrast, the Wakayba and Icon rivers were in the very low

[17:45] range. To the north, the St. Mary's River remained in the very low range, although some improvement

[17:50] in flow was observed, and in general flows have remained on trend with rainfall amounts.

[17:58] In the next series of slides, we'll review the status of water levels that selected long-term

[18:02] lakesites. I'd like Brooklyn, the water level decreased by seven tenths of a foot

[18:08] from the previous month, and levels rained below average for this time of year.

[18:16] In May, like we recorded an increase of just one tenth of a foot and was above the average water level.

[18:25] Water level at like one of a set had a decrease of two tenths of a foot and was above the average

[18:29] level for this time of year.

[18:34] And Lake Bob, a pop because level decreased slightly from the previous

[18:37] month remaining above its average level, but below regulation schedule.

[18:45] At blue cypress lake,

[18:46] Although you can see an increased mid-month due to rainfall, water level had a slight decrease

[18:52] in May, and levels at the end of the month were above both the regulation schedule and

[18:56] the average water level.

[19:02] Across the upper floor at an aquifer, water levels decreased at most sites.

[19:07] Approximately 90% of stations were below the normal range, areas of low levels expanded

[19:12] in southern counties, as did areas of very low levels in northwestern counties through

[19:17] the month.

[19:17] And although a slight improvement was recorded in the tri-county area, five sites recorded

[19:22] decreases of 10 or more percentile points primarily in the southern counties.

[19:28] Our water shortage team continues to evaluate data and assess drought conditions, particularly

[19:32] as low and very low aquifer levels persist.

[19:36] They remain focused on monitoring areas most impacted and providing guidance for conservation

[19:42] and associated messaging, and they are also closely monitoring areas of the district that

[19:46] less impacted by drought.

[19:52] Looking at the district wide index value for aquifer conditions,

[19:55] we see the upper floor at an aquifer well index value at the end of May was 26 placing it at

[20:00] the bottom of the normal range. As a district wide indicator, with representatives of wells

[20:05] from across the district shown as a single value, the index can be limited in its summary of

[20:09] conditions when regional differences exist like we have now as the north and west are in higher levels

[20:15] of drought. And with an index value just above the low range dry conditions for the majority of the

[20:20] district continue to emphasize the importance of water conservation.

[20:27] In the next series of slides

[20:28] are review changes in flow it selected spring sites with long-term monitoring.

[20:34] The monthly mean

[20:35] for flow and silver springs decrease 31 cubic feet per second from the previous monthly mean.

[20:40] Flow is in the low range for this time of year, reflective of low rain recorded in this spring

[20:45] recent months.

[20:51] I blew spring a decrease of 15 cubic feet per second was recorded for the

[20:54] monthly mean and flow was in the normal range.

[21:00] At rock springs flow decreased to cubic

[21:02] feet per second from the previous monthly mean and it continues to be in the normal range.

[21:10] And a slight decrease in flow was observed in the monthly mean at the Ki was spring,

[21:13] and flow continues to be in the normal range for this time of the year.

[21:21] In May the well-plugging

[21:22] program abandoned 17 wells. The estimated potential flow conserved from these abandonments was just

[21:28] under 0.7 million gallons per day, and the program has

[21:31] conserved an estimated potential flow of nearly

[21:35] 108 million gallons of water per day since November 2020.

[21:42] To add context of the estimated potential flows

[21:44] conserved by this program, here's a comparison with water

[21:47] use in 2025 by the 10 largest utilities within the district.

[21:53] Looking closer at the two bars on the right,

[21:55] there were Lando Utility Commission served

[21:57] population of roughly 550,000 with the water use of about 85 million gallons per day.

[22:04] And while JEEA on the far right served approximately 1 million customers with water use of

[22:10] about 133 million gallons per day. And keep in mind that typically well abandonment takes place

[22:16] in areas where our teetion flow exists as you'll see in the next slide. However, there's not much

[22:21] space will overlap in those areas with the surface.

[22:30] Welles by homeowners may occur, which is a permitted process regulated by counties who have been delegated

[22:35] that authority. And while the estimated potential flow conserved through the well-plugging program

[22:40] is important in terms of water supply, there's also several other important benefits linked to the

[22:45] abandonment of leaking or flowing wells.

[22:51] In the map on the left, the blue shading represents

[22:53] areas in the district where the water pressure and the confined floor in aquifer is sufficient to

[22:58] as well as to flow at land surface,

[23:00] illustrating where there's potential

[23:02] for our teaching wells to flow

[23:04] if wells were open or if there were issues

[23:06] with that wellhead or casing.

[23:08] Based on the map,

[23:09] we would expect that the majority

[23:10] of wells drilled in Brevard

[23:11] and Indian River counties

[23:13] would flow at land surface.

[23:15] In contrast, Western or Northwestern counties

[23:18] have very little potential for a well to flow

[23:20] at land surface.

[23:22] And while devol and Nassau counties

[23:23] have significant areas

[23:24] where there's potential for flow,

[23:26] There are fewer wells in comparison to the counties in the south where populated areas often

[23:32] have irrigation walls, many of which are now experiencing failure due to age.

[23:38] In addition, the depth to the artisan aquifer is less in the south than the north, so well

[23:43] installation in areas like Brevard County is more common than northern counties where installation

[23:48] costs were higher due to depth.

[23:51] The map on the right shows the shaded area with potential artisan flow overlaid by the

[23:57] of Wells Abandon since November 2020 is part of the District's Well Abandonment Program.

[24:03] And for the reasons to discuss just a second ago,

[24:06] the Southern counties have been in continued to be the primary location

[24:09] of abandonment assistance needs.

[24:12] As mentioned beyond water supply, there are other important benefits

[24:15] linked to the abandonment of leaking or fail their flowing wells.

[24:19] And some of these benefits include the reduction of upconing impacts

[24:25] and upconing is the upward movement of lower quality water, often associated with

[24:29] salinity intrusion, and higher artesian pressure helps to prevent that. Also, the reduction

[24:35] of potential aquifer contamination, where compromised well-cassings may allow for cross-contamination

[24:41] between aquifers or from the surface down to the aquifer. And the maintenance of artesian pressure

[24:47] for existing users of free flowing wells, such as in the agricultural groups where having access

[24:54] to that free flowing water is a big benefit and enables them to operate without the added

[24:59] expense or need of pumps.

[25:04] Here's the fire dash.

[25:05] Yes, of course. Yes, go back to the slide. Sure, do our sister districts do this?

[25:14] Yeah, there's different programs depending on what their aquifers look like.

[25:20] And so the Southwest Florida has one that would probably be the most similar to ours, but there are

[25:27] They've got areas where our Teas and Flow happens and so those areas are part of their program and then they've also got some limits to

[25:35] amounts that they'll contribute towards that and then they also depends upon how long the wells been in place or how many wells have been abandoned by a certain owner.

[25:46] So there's some variety there depending on which water management district you're talking about.

[25:52] Does every district have this issue?

[25:56] I mean, I know that you're saying this different extremes depending on you.

[26:00] Well, South floors different.

[26:01] They don't really have that issue because of where they're pulling their water from

[26:04] in their aquifer.

[26:05] They don't have that same influence for the artisan, well, flow that we have from our upper

[26:10] floor.

[26:11] As we go south, that the upper floor and drops in depth and then get saltier, so their use

[26:17] is not there.

[26:18] They use the biscan aquifer in South Florida.

[26:21] Are we the only district that pays the other side of the equation?

[26:28] No, Southwest Florida does contribute to that, to theirs when they have requests for abandonment

[26:34] in those zones that it's applicable, they do contribute.

[26:38] What about in the Panhandle and in Swanney?

[26:41] Swanney is a different kind of animal in terms of aquifer, so they don't currently have a program for that that I'm aware.

[26:50] the and then the panhandle it's a different sort of set up there. They have, again, that

[26:55] aquifer is different there and so that's not a program that they have in place.

[26:59] Just because they don't have them. Yeah, they're not having the artesian flow like we have here

[27:04] where if there's a damage to a well or if it's in over time the casing may start to leak. A lot of the

[27:10] installations were cast iron, et cetera, and so they start to fail over time 40, 50 years.

[27:16] All right, thanks.

[27:18] Yes, sir, general.

[27:21] Could go back to slide 23.

[27:26] Mr. Chairman, I noticed that J.E.A. has really

[27:29] done some good work here.

[27:31] So we credit them with that good work.

[27:33] How do we do it for it and how to be in their district?

[27:36] By the fastest case, we want to write them

[27:39] a lot of appreciation for getting engaged with the program

[27:42] and making this huge adjustment here.

[27:45] I think that's pretty impressive.

[27:51] Okay.

[27:55] Here's the fire dashboard provided by Land Resources updated through May.

[27:59] In spite of rains in May, prescribed burn opportunities were limited as staff resources

[28:03] worked on containing five wildfires, totaling 996 acres, the largest of which was

[28:11] 950 plus acres on Laucluse Wildlife Conservation Area. Recent rains have helped to reduce

[28:17] the wildfire threat, but as mentioned earlier, burn bands are still present in four counties,

[28:22] And while storms bring rain, they can also be an ignition source with increased lightning strikes at this time of year.

[28:29] The total area burned this fiscal year is nearing 4,000 acres.

[28:33] Looking ahead, as the prescribed fire window opens back up following the rains,

[28:38] we're targeting burn units that have areas that could benefit from applied fire during low water conditions like wetlands and associated ecosystems.

[28:46] as has been discussed in recent board meetings. Yesterday staff were able to conduct a 7,000

[28:52] plus acre prescribed fire in the Martian Brevard County. We also have some sandhill areas

[28:57] with wiregrass that require fire this time of year to produce viable seed. These areas are also

[29:03] high on our list, which will support seed collection for restoration projects. And staff are also

[29:08] keen on units adjacent to the large lock loose wire wire footprint since staff can burn

[29:14] toward it with less concern about containment issues.

[29:18] Land Resources staff continue to coordinate closely

[29:20] with the appropriate state agencies on where and when we can burn safely.

[29:28] These next two slides provide an update on two of the key indicators related to the phase three

[29:34] extreme drought water shortage order approved by the board last month for select counties

[29:38] and current conditions indicate the need to remain in phase three.

[29:43] On the left is the map that you saw last month and on the right is the update.

[29:48] We had some slight improvements to the annual rainfall totals for the district specifically in the northern

[30:00] Central portion of the district. Last month, Baker County was just above and Bradford County was just below 30 inches for their annual totals. As of this month, both are nearing 33 inches with other counties above that.

[30:17] Last month and this month, we've shared a slide that showed we needed significant rainfall over the next three months to improve or end the drought.

[30:24] The recent rainfall has helped in some cases to hold the line and slight improvements to groundwater levels were observed in some areas while conditions worsened in others, bigger county in particular as you see.

[30:38] Overall, the recommendation is to hold where we are with the phase three water shortage order.

[30:44] This concludes my report. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

[30:49] All right, were there any questions?

[30:54] Thank you, Tom.

[30:55] Thank you.

[30:57] We're going to move to item three of the consent agenda, which is item 6 through 11 on the agenda.

[31:06] Do any board members wish to pull any item for discussion?

[31:13] Seeing that I'll entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda and its entirety.

[31:19] Emotion is second to approve the consent agenda as presented any discussion.

[31:27] Seeing none. All those in favor say aye.

[31:30] I, any opposed, the motion, the motion passes unanimously.

[31:38] I am four.

[31:40] We have one consumptive use permit dealing with the GREU area.

[31:46] Miss Presley is going to discuss the term to agenda item four that is before the board

[31:54] for consideration.

[31:56] You recognize Paula.

[31:58] Thank you. Good morning, chair and governing board members. My name is Paula Presley. I'm the Bureau Chief in the Bureau of Water Use Regulation.

[32:11] I will be presenting the Gainesville Regional Utilities Mercury Water Treatment Plant Consumptive Use Permit Application for your consideration. This project is also known as GRU.

[32:27] GRU is located in Elatio County, which is in the North Florida Regional Water Supply Plaining Region.

[32:38] The GRU service area is located in Central Elatio County.

[32:43] GRU provides water and wastewater services within its service area.

[32:48] This application is for the renewal of an existing public supply permit with a requested duration of 30 years.

[32:56] The applicant is requesting an increase in upper-floored and aquifer groundwater allocation from 30 million gallons per day to 34.6 million gallons per day.

[33:08] This increase reflects a projected increase in population that will be served by the utility from approximately 188,000 people to approximately 274,000.

[33:21] The increase in groundwater allocation is a 15% increase in allocation to meet a projected 36% increase in population.

[33:32] The city also maintains a low residential per capita of 72 gallons per person per day.

[33:43] GRU is requesting and meets the requirements for a 30-year permit duration based on implementation of a new water resources development project using reclaim water that meets advanced water treatment standards.

[34:00] This project is referred to as the Main Street Water Reclamation Facility, Capacity, Renewal and Upgrade.

[34:07] This project is a $170 million project that will enhance the reliability of this water

[34:15] reclamation facility and increase the capacity of the facility by 2.5 million gallons per day.

[34:24] The project will also allow GRU to fully offset increasing pumping associated with

[34:39] the extended

[34:40] water for public access irrigation, wetland enhancement, and aquifer recharge.

[34:47] The utilities beneficial use of reclaimed water is 100% and it is projected to remain at

[34:54] 100% as reclaimed water flows continue to increase.

[34:59] GRU currently produces approximately 17 billion gallons per day of reclaimed water and flows

[35:06] As over the Permit duration are expected to increase to 24 million gallons per day.

[35:12] Through GRUs aquifer recharge projects, the utility has been able to offset its impacts

[35:18] to MFLs from its groundwater withdrawals.

[35:22] The picture in this slide shows one of GRUs flagship environmental restoration projects,

[35:29] the Sweetwater Wetlands Park, which GRU developed with the Gainesville Public Works Department.

[35:35] Here, water from the Main Street Water Reclamation Facility,

[35:40] discharges into sweet water branch,

[35:43] then flows into the sweet water wetlands park,

[35:46] and finally into Paine's Prairie,

[35:48] where the water recharges the aquifer through a latch to a sink.

[35:53] This project removes nutrients from the water,

[35:57] restores natural flows to wetlands in Paine's Prairie,

[36:02] provides a park with wildlife habitat,

[36:04] and public education, and provides recharge water to the Florida and aquifer.

[36:11] GRU is also partnering with the Latchua County, the Swansea River Water Management District,

[36:17] and DEP to construct a similar park called the Southwest Nature Park in Western Latchua County.

[36:28] GRU is a financial participant in the Black Creek Water Resources Development Project.

[36:34] GRU has entered into a contractual agreement with the district to purchase

[36:40] lift associated with the Black Creek Project to offset its share of impacts on the Lake

[36:47] Brooklyn, and Geneva M.F.L

[36:53] .S.

[36:54] This slide provides the requested action for the item which is to approve

[36:59] renewal of GRU's Murphy Water Treatment Plan Consumptive Use Permette.

[37:04] I would be happy to answer any questions and we also have representatives from GRU here.

[37:11] All right, we're going to do questions first and then we have some public comment as well before we entertain any potential actions.

[37:18] Are there any questions?

[37:20] Any questions?

[37:25] All right, let's go to public comment period.

[37:28] Yes, sir, our first comment.

[37:30] Good morning and

[37:40] welcome.

[37:45] Good morning, gentlemen and ladies. Good to see you today. I have it then in this meeting. This is Marley Malwitz, Gipsen. I live in Fort White. I am a riparian owner on the Santa Fe River, so I do see that river every day. And I own a tourism business that uses the river for our purposes to paddle on the river and to have people enjoy the springs and Santa Fe River in the edge of the darkening in those waterways.

[38:11] here for a couple of different reasons. Number one, we great, used to come here years ago to

[38:17] stagger these meetings. There is a Swani River Water Management District meeting occurring exactly

[38:22] at the same time and it would be great if I could go to both meetings but instead I had to make

[38:26] choices which is fine, I haven't been here in a long time. I am concerned deeply about the wastewater

[38:31] transfer project from Jacksonville Buckman's, especially Buckman's treatment facility into our

[38:39] So I'm here to express that to you, letting you know that I am concerned.

[38:44] So when GRU who is right now influencing our waterway has this type of a permit, water

[38:52] use permit.

[38:54] In 2009, the permit was for 11 million gallons, and today we're looking at 34 million.

[38:58] So you see the amount of human growth and amount of anthropogenic needs that we have in

[39:03] basin, which we're very concerned about, where we are because you can lock across the river.

[39:09] So, I'm also concerned that projects such as these make us less responsible for what we're

[39:19] putting down our sinks. The type of sludge and the type of chemicals that we're seeing in the

[39:34] notice that I am not a fan of Black Creek project. I am very concerned if you have read the

[39:39] grist grstst.org article that was produced last summer. It was a deep dive into this particular

[39:51] area of Florida and where that wastewater is going and we're flooding is happening and we're

[39:55] occurring on that area of gum branch and Black Creek in between there. The water coming out of

[40:03] Coming into the Black Creek Project, especially during storm events, you really need to be monitoring.

[40:09] You have a dump site there that's more than 30 years old.

[40:12] You have a mining interest that is using an NPDES permit into that particular area.

[40:19] Residents in that area are dying of rare autoimmune disorders in the Clayhill and Maxville neighborhood.

[40:24] If you don't know, walk across the street from where that mining interest is, and you should find out.

[40:29] the article that I just explained talks more about that. It would be really wise for all of you to read it.

[40:35] I did send a letter probably three or four years ago about this issue. You should have it. It should be

[40:41] with your upper level staff. They have that letter if you're very interested. Old art are old letter to you all.

[40:47] Thank you. Thank you very much for allowing me to speak.

[40:50] Thanks for being here.

[40:53] Mr. Chris Farrell representing Audivan, Florida.

[41:03] Good morning, Chris. Welcome.

[41:07] Good morning, Chris Ferrell of Audubone, Florida.

[41:12] First, I want to thank staff for taking a call and walking me through this permit.

[41:18] 30-year permits. This is one of the first actions under some new statutory frameworks that

[41:24] can allow extended permits with. If you include certain reuse projects,

[41:32] Gainesville is looking at an advanced wastewater treatment project which is good, so, you know, it's one of those things it's a good incentive. We also have to be careful just to make sure people are living up to there and of the deal to get the extended permit.

[41:47] It's great to see sweet water wetlands, just as this is another thing for all utilities to pay attention to the sweet water wetlands is now being used to help with this second phase of requirements that

[42:00] are you has to meet and we're going to be putting more water through that project and getting

[42:04] more aqua for recharge. All the aqua for recharge projects that we mentioned, point out those

[42:09] are ones that autobond we feel are the most useful. There's a lot of purple pipes going around

[42:15] to irrigation which perpetuates the high water use landscape format that we've been using for

[42:23] decades that we really need to move away to free up all that irrigation that aesthetic outdoor water

[42:28] use for for our future growth and needs and MFLs. So I think GRU for these projects and staff

[42:38] for walking me through this. So it does appear that the permit has the capability for the district

[42:45] to make sure they're doing what they're doing. It'll be important for staff over the years

[42:50] to, you know, work with GRU, do the number crunching, make sure that is going as planned

[42:57] And if not, then to dial back the permit so that they're not just getting the extended time and extra water without making real benefits, but it appears that everything is poised to do that.

[43:13] So, you know, I'll say as far as this permit is concerned specifically, it seems to be structured well, they have the new type of project that we want to see more of for advanced wastewater treatment.

[43:26] I will give a general comment about, you know, we really do need to move away from so much

[43:33] outdoor irrigation.

[43:35] Gainesville's done that in the past, we'd like to see them do more, we'd like to see governments

[43:40] throughout the district, turf by back programs, and change their permitting requirements

[43:46] so that we don't need as much water per new person coming into the area.

[43:51] Thank you very much.

[43:55] Excellent comments.

[43:57] Thank you.

[44:00] Our last commenter is Rick Hutton,

[44:03] representing Gainesville Regional Utilities.

[44:06] I wrote welcome.

[44:10] Good morning.

[44:10] So happy to be here with you all this morning.

[44:13] I just wanted to thank you so much.

[44:15] We really appreciate all the hard work your staff.

[44:17] Put in with this permit and it's, you know,

[44:20] the technical staff report is 27 pages long.

[44:23] And so I think they really did, you know,

[44:25] your staff has been their level of technical expertise

[44:28] is awesome. They've always been super professional to work with. So we really appreciate

[44:34] our partnership with them. And with you in ensuring that we have clean, safe, affordable,

[44:39] drinking water for our community and also making sure we're protecting our natural resources.

[44:45] So we look forward to continuing to work with you all as well as a Swan E District, which we

[44:49] are part of our service areas and their district and DEP and all the stakeholders

[44:54] and evolve to continue to make sure we're protecting our environment and providing.

[45:00] Citizens.

[45:02] Anybody have any questions for TRE, while he's with us?

[45:06] Thank you for your partnership.

[45:08] I think this is a good model for what we would like to see in terms of the innovative approaches

[45:17] to alternate water supply.

[45:21] And I think the carrot stick approach

[45:24] and statute with giving the extra years and exchange for doing some

[45:29] not that you wouldn't have done it any way because I'll have been mindful and good stewards of these types

[45:34] of matters but I do think that it's a it's a unique approach that in this case is a bearing

[45:42] fruit as long as you know and we have a job to Chris's point to make sure that there's markers

[45:49] are met and I know that y'all will be cooperative partners on that front certainly.

[45:55] Thank you very much.

[46:02] Any other public comment?

[46:04] No sir.

[46:05] Okay. All right. So we have completed the presentation,

[46:14] description, and public comment portions of this important matter.

[46:18] You have before you board a requested action.

[46:23] Is there, and we're going to roll call this,

[46:26] is there any body which is to make a motion on this matter?

[46:35] So move, Mr. Chair.

[46:38] All right. Well, we have a motion by Mr. Peterson,

[46:43] and a second by Mr. Atwood.

[46:46] Is there any further discussion on this matter?

[46:55] Seeing none, I'm going to do a roll call vote.

[46:57] I vote yes, Miss Gaby White.

[47:00] Mr. Oliver?

[47:01] Mr. Peterson?

[47:03] Mr. Atwood, Mr. Borneak, Mr. Burnett, Mr. House?

[47:12] Yes, sir.

[47:13] Mr. Price.

[47:15] All right, by your very, the permit is approved unanimously by the board.

[47:22] Good work, staff.

[47:26] All right, item five, we're going to now move to public comments which are available for

[47:32] to comment on what anybody wants to talk about,

[47:35] not just whatever the agenda item is.

[47:37] Do we have anybody?

[47:38] Yes, sir, we have three commenters today.

[47:41] Great.

[47:42] Our first commenter is Tim Hodeling,

[47:45] representing Fix the Lower St. John's River.

[47:47] All right,

[47:54] good morning, Tim.

[47:54] Good morning again.

[47:56] You know, I've been up here talking about

[47:58] the eelgrass with the bad roots and all of it.

[48:02] And how it really needs some scientists

[48:04] to apply their skills, preferably a aquatic chemist. But as I sat here, I wasn't planning

[48:13] on talking. Your slideshow had a public meeting where you were telling all about the

[48:22] reclamation works you've done over in Apapa. It was geared for everybody. I'd like to know

[48:31] what the plan is for the lower St. John's River to fix it as well as the challenges and what's been overcome.

[48:43] I know there was a meeting here a couple of weeks ago where the experts came in seem to be highly productive,

[48:54] but I'd like the general public to get the same opportunity to learn what the plan is.

[49:07] Our next commenter is Amy Minutzi. I apologize if I mispronounced that.

[49:17] Welcome, Amy. Bring her ready. You're recognized. Thank you. You pronounce that beautifully.

[49:23] Thank you. Good morning, Chairman Bradley and members of the Board. I'm Amy Minutzi,

[49:28] of volunteer advocate for the unincorporated community of Dileans brings.

[49:33] My volunteer advocacy began when we purchased property and Dileans brings in someone

[49:38] said, you know, we have an underground fuel plume here.

[49:42] I was completely ignorant of what that was.

[49:44] I began studying the FTE piece Oculus website, researching petroleum contamination records

[49:50] sitting back to the mid-80s.

[49:52] This gas bill caused one of the state's largest underground fuel plumes stretching from

[49:57] origin at the gas station on the east side of US Highway 17, contaminating the water at the adjacent

[50:03] McGinnis Elementary School, and gasoline was found in commercial and residential wells

[50:08] in the downtown area. The plume continued to travel westward under the highway and petroleum

[50:14] constituent showed up in Dileon Spring. I helped incorporate the Dileon Spring Community Association

[50:21] and continued studying water resource issues, advocating for the FDEP to excavate under the highway.

[50:28] Eventually, they took out 63,000 tons of petroleum laden soil and hauled it away.

[50:36] With this, there was a great need for water and wastewater services to provide safe water to our

[50:41] downtown and our elementary school. The De Leon Springs Community Association coordinated with

[50:46] our Volusia County Water Resources Director Mike Ulrich and his team, City of Deland Utilities

[50:52] and the FDEP to provide services to what became a dream come true for our community.

[50:59] As you know, water resources and safe drinking water techniques have been on the forefront

[51:04] of politics recently with social media influencers attempting to create followers for themselves

[51:12] at the expense of truth and reason.

[51:14] Pollution County utilities does not even have it within their tenure plan to consider using recycled water, purified to drinking water standards for human consumption.

[51:25] But that truth hasn't stopped those who would use fear and disinformation as a political weapon to lead the public astray.

[51:32] If the current drought continues not only will water resources be stretched then, but purified water may become a necessary and welcome alternative to dry wells.

[51:42] It's a valuable tool that's been used safely around the world for decades and these facts

[51:48] along with other truthful information should be offered for the public to understand and

[51:53] consider.

[51:54] On behalf of my community and reasonable citizens of Volusha County, I'm requesting that this

[51:59] board direct your staff to provide informational presentation to combat the falsehoods regarding

[52:05] water resources.

[52:06] As the regulatory agency creating and enforcing the rules, we must comply with regarding

[52:12] safe drinking water standards, you have authority to direct your staff to coordinate with

[52:17] Feluxia County Water Resources Division to provide a water resource presentation to the

[52:23] elected Councilman of the Feluxia County Council and presentations directed to the officials

[52:28] of our encore.

[52:30] Thank you.

[52:35] Thank you for your presentation. Our next commenter is Gavani Galatini.

[52:54] Good morning. My name is Giovanna Galatini. I'm a resident of Sol Springs, a proud resident of Sol Springs.

[53:00] And I'm here with a comment and a question. The first comment is that I love all the information that is available from the district to people like myself who have an interest in our water resources.

[53:13] But from a public general knowledge, I can tell you that the public is at least in my community,

[53:22] pretty much aware of the reclamation efforts, but very skeptical of the quality of the water that is reclaimed.

[53:29] So anything you can do to assure the public of the quality of the water that is put back in the ground for our use, that will be very welcome.

[53:38] And that ties me to the next subject, which is Water First North Florida Project.

[53:46] We have received a very incomplete information about the quality of the water that will

[53:52] be injected back in the aquifer.

[53:56] And we are very unsure what is the position of the district, as you know the counties involved

[54:03] have rejected the project. The legislature really does not excited about it. So the question

[54:10] for you is what is your position? Do you still have under $25 million in your budget for

[54:16] these item? And have you counsel the contracts with the consultants? Thank you.

[54:26] All right. Appreciate it. Any other public comments?

[54:30] No, sir.

[54:37] Okay. We're going to go to item 611, we're going to go to item 611. We're

[54:41] approved on the consent agenda. Item 12 is pending litigation. This

[54:46] press, and you're recognized. Good morning, Mr. Chair. Members of the board. Most of our

[54:51] time over the last month has been spent on discovery and settlement discussions for

[54:55] the cases set for hearing in the next few months. We've got July, August, and September

[54:59] hearings coming up. But otherwise, I have no significant events to report on this month.

[55:06] All right.

[55:10] That's the type of report I like to hear from the law firm.

[55:17] Okay, I

[55:17] didn't 13 governing board comments.

[55:23] Members, does anybody have any comments

[55:26] today?

[55:31] I mean, we love to hear from you, man. I was getting disappointed. I happened

[55:38] to be up at the great state of New York and reading about the mass migration from

[55:43] York to elsewhere. And I used to live in California for college and grad school. And I've

[55:50] read where 350,000 people leave that state every year. We are getting in this state the numbers

[55:59] vary, but roughly the size of our land of plus 60,000 on top of that every year no matter what we do.

[56:08] We're going to be doing something right in the governor and what they are doing here is as a beacon of hope for the other states in my humble opinion.

[56:19] At some point you got to praise the leadership of the state because everybody is coming here.

[56:26] that's why it's on the newspapers.

[56:28] I was just in Boston day before yesterday catching

[56:32] a flight down here, reading that newspaper.

[56:35] And they were talking about that issue

[56:38] that everybody is moving to Florida.

[56:42] And having been a New York, and I just talked to my friends

[56:45] in California, my brother lives there.

[56:48] He was lamenting that, because he's a liberal.

[56:52] He was saying, everybody's moving to your state, Doug,

[56:54] And so your governor's doing something right.

[56:58] But anyway, I just happen to be at a number of states

[57:01] or the newspapers are pointing out.

[57:03] Everybody is coming here.

[57:06] And we have to deal with that with almost 400,000 new people,

[57:12] every year, every year that we're here.

[57:16] It's phenomenal.

[57:18] That's a lot of folks.

[57:19] That's a lot of New Orlando's every year we have to deal with.

[57:23] And that's most of those are projected to be on the eastern side of Florida.

[57:29] Most of the growth is going to be over here, along the way, between Jacksonville and Jupiter.

[57:36] They are projecting the biggest growths going to be the Palm Bay area up through Canaveral.

[57:42] So it falls right into our lap, and we're going to have to deal with that.

[57:49] But a feather in the cap to the people and the governor's leadership.

[57:53] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[57:56] Thank you.

[57:58] Anyone else?

[58:03] Great.

[58:05] Okay.

[58:07] We're going to move died in 14, which is Mr.

[58:10] Register is a report and a listing of upcoming matters on the calendar.

[58:17] All right.

[58:17] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[58:18] Members of the board.

[58:19] Here to the first slide.

[58:22] The district recently hosted a delegation from Taiwan here in

[58:26] for a technical exchange on shared water resource challenges, continuing a decades-long collaboration on focused

[58:33] focused on water conservation, basin management and sustainable resource management.

[58:38] And if you're wondering why Taiwan, Florida and Taiwan share very similar climate challenges, including intense rainfall, major storm events,

[58:46] creating opportunities to exchange ideas on resilience, flood management and long-term planning.

[58:51] Thank you to all the district staff who helped to coordinate and support the St.

[58:55] New Exchange and represent the district's expertise on an international stage.

[59:00] Next,

[59:03] with the drought and input from the board staff took a more strategic approach to

[59:07] drought messaging by focusing on simple plane language and water conservation information.

[59:14] And we got quite a bit of results from it over 250 of our news articles have been published as a

[59:21] result of some of the work that we had done, the social media post had a

[59:26] of a million views, 2,000 shares, and over 35,000 visits to the water

[59:33] restrictions page. So appreciate the hard work of our communications team and

[59:38] getting that word out.

[59:42] Could you go back to that?

[59:44] I think I mentioned this at a previous meeting that people who I think

[59:50] here to forget and realize that I've served on this board,

[59:54] learned that during this drought,

[59:58] because I got calls from friends and neighbors.

[1:00:00] Members about it. And I will tell you that in my conversations with them, they were well informed.

[1:00:11] The simplicity of the message and the straight forwardness of the information, I think, was effective.

[1:00:20] And so I think it's a good, good something to build on in terms of how we, you know, I would love our district whenever we,

[1:00:29] as a communication strategy, as a big picture communication strategies, they don't need to hear

[1:00:34] everything from us all the time. But when something important is happening, they need to hear

[1:00:40] from us, they need to hear and in a very straightforward, simple, quick, consistent with how people

[1:00:47] receive their information. And that's what I think was executed here. So I want to commend

[1:00:55] The staff on that.

[1:00:57] Thank you.

[1:01:02] The district recently convened the 2026 Spring St. John's River Research Management and Management

[1:01:10] Consortium, bringing together scientists, resource managers, agency partners, non-profits, and academic institutions focused on the health

[1:01:18] of the St. John's River.

[1:01:20] This consortium provides an important forum for collaboration allowing partners to share the latest science,

[1:01:26] identify emerging challenges and coordinate approaches to improving water quality and the ecological

[1:01:32] health and the river system.

[1:01:34] This brings meeting focused heavily on a some-merch-courtic vegetation and the relationship

[1:01:39] between water quality, light availability and habitat recovery, in the middle and lower

[1:01:43] St. John's river, including updates on harmful, global monitoring and restoration trends.

[1:01:50] Meaning concluded with a collaborative strategy session focused on identifying science-based

[1:01:54] solutions advancing restoration efforts and strengthening partnerships to support long-term

[1:01:59] River Health across the Basin.

[1:02:02] And there was a mention in public comment about having an opportunity for the general public

[1:02:06] to comment on some of our plans and that's where our Basin management plans, where we recently

[1:02:11] did the interview, or if you're in any river-the-goon upper basin, the next plan is the Yakuahah

[1:02:18] Basin, which we're going through the process of taking comments on that right now.

[1:02:22] And then next, the lower basin, lower basin or middle, I'm sorry, got a amount of order.

[1:02:29] Middle basin and then later the lower basin and so we'll be having workshops where the

[1:02:34] public will have opportunity to see what we're proposing to identify issues and address those

[1:02:40] issues with any of those basins and then those will come back before the board and have another

[1:02:45] opportunity for input when the board approves those basin plans.

[1:02:50] I think to comment on that, you know, we've talked about by-solds for several years around here, and it looks like we're finally making some, we start making some good movements in 2020, and we've made further steps, I think.

[1:03:06] But as a district and as a state, I sense from listening to advocates that the SAV issue is really starting to

[1:03:18] become, it's a concern for all of us, but people are understanding because they're seeing it affect their enjoyment of our resources

[1:03:27] and see how interactive that is with the health of the river and our water bodies.

[1:03:35] So, as we continue to finish, you know, the good work on via solids, not finished, but continue to move forward on that.

[1:03:45] I think SAV needs to become more and more, and my sense is you probably heard that at the consortium.

[1:03:51] Is that fair to say?

[1:03:52] Yes.

[1:03:54] All right.

[1:03:55] Thanks.

[1:03:58] Thank you.

[1:04:00] Celebrating our communications group again, this is just some short snippets from the video,

[1:04:05] But our district video earned a national recognition in the Telly Awards.

[1:04:09] The districts connected by conservation,

[1:04:11] birding at the Lake Pocka North Shore was recognized in the Telly Awards

[1:04:16] a national program honoring excellence in video and television production.

[1:04:21] Telly Awards recognized outstanding work across television,

[1:04:23] digital video, branded content, documentary, social media,

[1:04:27] and other visual-tippling storytelling formats.

[1:04:31] The awards program receives more than 13,000 entries annually

[1:04:34] from all 50 states and six continents, recognizing work from respected advertising agencies,

[1:04:39] television stations, production companies, and publishers worldwide. The district received

[1:04:44] two honors for the video, a people's tele-silver award, and a judges selection bronze award.

[1:04:50] This recognition highlights the district's continued efforts to communicate conservation

[1:04:54] work in engaging and accessible ways. And I would recommend everybody try to take a look at

[1:05:00] that video. We have it on our website and there's QR code within that. They can take you directly

[1:05:05] to it. It's really highlights how Lake Apapaica has become a very premier birding destination

[1:05:13] for serious burgers across the country, across the world. And then finally, for calendar,

[1:05:26] we will

[1:05:28] 250th anniversary of independence here in the country on 7-3, and then our board meeting is scheduled for July 14th next month on this concludes my reports.

[1:05:40] All right any questions from Mr. Register. Many board members.

[1:05:47] Well God bless America. Exciting milestone.

[1:05:52] All right. Anything else?

[1:05:54] Come to come before the board, seeing none, this meeting is adjourned.

Governing Board Regular Meeting

Agenda

Transcript