The Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority, WRWSA, is the way to avoid Local Sources First. Yes, most of you remember or have heard of the water wars and the fight against a water pipe from the Tsala Apopka Lakes to Tampa. We won and our then Senator Nancy Argenziano led the fight to stop the long distance water piracy. The roadblock was Local Sources First which still gets a lot of lip service but the stealth forces came up with a new approach. It was patterned after Tampa Bay Water the public co-operative that built and put together a massive combination of water facilities including the desalination plant and the reservoir. Ignoring the years of delay and design flaws, it is finally functioning. The project was so big that it made sense to combine the multiplicity of governments into a regional authority.

Now zoom into the Citrus, Hernando, Sumter and Marion - 4 county area: the WRWSA. After years and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent they generated a plan. The first part of the plan was submitted to their board for implementation on June 16th. Their board members are representatives of the various cities and counties that make up the authority. None of the board members are elected to the board by the public.

TOO FAR has members in all 4 counties but Citrus County was in the barrel for this first phase. Citrus County has 4 representatives on the board. Ken Hinkle Councilman from Inverness missed the meeting on June 16th. The other three are County Commissioners and all were present.

An 8 page memo supported the budget to "implement" the plan. The plan shows a new well-field in south-central Citrus County with a "proposed interconnect" to Hernando County. Citrus County was well represented in the audience filling most of the chairs in a full house. TOO FAR had four members there, including me. Citrus County Council had six members there including Teddi Rusnak, President. Norman Hopkins, Director of the Amy Remley Foundation and Jim Bitter, President of the Homosassa River Alliance were also there. Some belonged to more than one organization. The guests begged, pleaded and instructed the Commissioners to no avail. The Executive Director assured the Commissioners that the "interconnect" from Citrus County to Hernando County would carry no ground water but only Alternative Water Source (AWS) water in the distant future. This was in spite of the fact that the plan drawings clearly show that the "interconnect" (read "pipe") will exist before any AWS is available.

Hopefully the Citrus County Commissioners as well as the other board members will wake up and see this is a real danger and protect the resources of their areas.

This is just the beginning - Jack Sullivan and Pete Hubbell (you remember him) have the Withlacoochee and Lake Rousseau in their sights. Their plan includes a four foot diameter pipe taking water out of Rousseau potentially to the detriment of the Gulf estuary and the lower Withlacoochee River.

I pray that the vision of the board members clears up.

Al

Additional information:

• Board: Our water isn’t going anywhere
  Commissioners say transfers not part of equation
  June 22, 2010 - By Mike Wright, Chronicle Online

This letter was submitted to the Citrus County Chronicle - Letter to the Editor.

• Keep Our Water

  The story on Page A1 of the June 9 Citrus County Chronicle ("Proposal steams TOO FAR president") should be an item that will help solidify readers’ decisions on whom to vote for in the upcoming Citrus County commissioners’ election.

  Just to make myself understood in this matter: Commissioners Bartell and Damato both favor a regional approach to water use and conservation. This is a quote from today’s newspaper article. I cannot find fault with the concept other than this regional approach in this case means a four-county area; one of which is growing rapidly and is in need of our water. The next step would be very easy to change the region to include any county, perhaps Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, etc. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of man? It hasn’t been very long since the Committee of 100 appointed by our late governor recommended that we turn all Florida water over to an all-knowing entity that would fairly distribute our waters to anyone with enough money.

  I don’t for a minute harbor any feelings that our two commissioners have any ulterior motives. My main problem with this attitude is that even if this were the best way to go eventually, it isn’t in our best interests presently to entertain such grandiose and charitable thoughts. With this in mind, it causes me to wonder just how many other thoughts are going through their minds that are not in the best interests of Citrus County and its residents and taxpayers.
  
  Frank Heath
  June 16, 2010

• Proposal steams TOO FAR president
  WRWSA plans call for water transfers from Citrus to Hernando counties
  June 9, 2010 - By Mike Wright, Chronicle Online

Our Newsletter

Nancy Argenziano, former State Legislator and current Chairwoman of the Florida Public Service Commission, paid a visit to TOOFAR at the group’s monthly meeting in Inverness Thursday. In a one-hour talk, she gave the audience of about 70 people her opinions on topics ranging from the PSC to campaign finance reform.

On partisan politics: "When you’re in Tallahassee you have to regularly bathe in what I call disinfectant," she said. "Now I’m beyond cynical. I’m (ticked) off. And all of you should be and I mean it, because it is the worst I’ve ever seen … partisanship is killing everything because when you can’t vote your conscience and you get attacks from everybody because you don’t drink the Kool-Aid - not by the gallon anymore, it’s by the vat - if you don’t drink the Kool-Aid, you’re in big trouble."

View the article: Argenziano talks PSC, campaign finance reform,
PSC Chairwoman addresses TOO FAR members
-by Amanda Mims, Citrus County Chronicle Online

Your help is needed to oppose an application
for a landfill adjacent to Green Swamp

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is expected to issue on Dec. 12 a letter of intent to approve/deny permit applications for a Class 1 landfill in Pasco County on a site that would be less than a mile from the Withlacoochee River and adjacent to the Hillsborough River and the headwaters of the Green Swamp.
Click here for additional information.

The FWC (Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) heard a sobering summary of a report being prepared describing what might happen in Florida’s environment by 2060, unless residents and leaders adopt smart growth strategies. The report, titled "Florida 2060: What’s at stake for wildlife?" is available on the FWC website. It notes, based on a report by 1000 Friends of Florida, that the state’s human population could double to 36 million, and millions of acres of important wildlife habitats could disappear beneath development, unless Florida adopts different growth patterns.

What does the future hold for Florida’s fish and wildlife? That’s up to all of us.

Other Meetings of Interest:

Citrus County Task Force
Lecanto Government Building
3600 West Sovereign Path
Room 166
Lecanto, FL 34461

Public input welcome at Citrus County Task Force meeting

Citrus County Task Force meetings are generally held on the 2^nd Monday of the month from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.  For information regarding future Citrus County Task force meeting dates, times and locations, call Josie Guillen, Administrative Assistant 2 at SWFWMD. You can reach Josie at (352) 796-7211 x4227 or email her with questions and concerns at: josie.guillen@swfwd.state.fl.us.

Let SWFWMD know you are concerned about our water. Get involved!

SWFWMD Governing Board

Tampa Service Office
7601 US 301
Tampa, FL 33637
813-985-7481 OR 1-800-836-0797

All meetings are open to the public

Agenda and Meeting Information

District Headquarters
2379 Broad Street
Brooksville, FL 34604

Phone: (352) 796-7211

The Governing Board establishes policies for our 16-county area.

Withlacoochee River Basin Board
Brooksville

The eight Basin Boards provide guidance for local programs that are specific to the basins they protect.

Advisory committees:

Advisory committees obtain input on District programs, projects and related resource management issues.

Citrus County Commissioners

Citrus County Courthouse
110 North Apopka Avenue, Room 100
Inverness, FL 34450

Phone: (352) 341-6560

The regular Board meetings are now being held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at 1:00 pm.

Citrus County Government meetings are broadcast LIVE on Channel 9 on Comcast Cable and Channel 622 on Bright House Cable.

Or view them on-line:
Minutes of the Citrus County Board of County Commissioners

Sumter County Commissioners

Colony Cottage Regional Recreation Center
510 Colony Boulevard
Parlor Room
The Villages, FL 32162

Phone: (352) 793-0200

or:

Government Annex
910 North Main Street
Room 142
Bushnell, FL 33513

Phone: (352) 793-0200

Meeting Schedule