County scientist warns High Springs of new Santa Fe BMAP obligations, local allocation of 496 pounds of nitrogen

Stacy Greco, Alachua County’s water resources program manager, told the High Springs City Commission on Dec. 11 that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s updated Santa Fe Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) — effective Nov. 25, 2025 — assigns local nitrogen‑reduction responsibilities to municipalities within the basin.

“This BMAP was just updated, and it’s effective 11/25/2025,” Greco said, explaining that the plan focuses on nitrogen as the pollutant of concern and assigns load allocations to responsible entities. For the Hornsby Springs area within High Springs’ boundary, she said the city’s allocation is 496 pounds of nitrogen.

Why it matters: local governments must show milestones and projects that will achieve the reductions. Greco told commissioners the state requires jurisdictions named in the BMAP to submit plans for meeting the 2028 milestone by Jan. 16. That schedule sets a short turnaround for identifying projects, documenting creditable actions and seeking funding.

Greco outlined local and county options. Alachua County is already running a septic upgrade rebate program that pays up to 50% of the cost — capped at $10,000 — for property owners who install enhanced nutrient‑reducing systems. She said county projects (stormwater retrofits, wastewater facility upgrades or sewer extensions) and agricultural BMPs will be important to close the gap. “Wastewater treatment facility upgrades… septic‑to‑sewer conversions… stormwater retrofits” are among the approaches Greco listed.

She also described larger regional projects and regulatory tools that factor into the MFL (minimum flows and levels) analysis. Greco noted planned projects such as a $119 million Black Creek recharge project and the Water First North Florida initiative (planning‑phase cost cited at about $1.1 billion), which county and state planners expect to contribute significant recharge or offsets for the basin over time.

Commissioners pressed for local implications. Staff said some of the city’s wastewater facility improvements might cover a substantial portion of High Springs’ allocation; Greco encouraged coordination with county modeling and said the county will share watershed analysis reports and BMAP tools to help municipalities identify creditable projects. She also said the county will share sample irrigation‑design code language and other model ordinances for local land‑use review.

On funding and timelines, Greco urged the commission to track available rebates and grants and to account for possible legal and regulatory updates. She cautioned that some retrofit requirements have been phased in for other basins and that retrofit mandates could appear in future BMAP versions if voluntary uptake is insufficient.

Next steps: Greco said staff will continue engagement with the Water Management District and DEP and will provide the city with technical materials and sample code language. Commissioners requested copies of the county’s watershed analyses and the BMAP documentation cited in Greco’s presentation.

Provenance: presentation to the commission by Stacy Greco (Alachua County Water Resources Program Manager) during the commission meeting (topic introduced SEG 1008; topic discussion continued through SEG 1835).