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Committee ratifies DEP rule setting new minimum flows for Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee amid debate over "Water First" project

Florida Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government · February 25, 2026

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Summary

The committee voted to ratify a DEP rule updating minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers; supporters said the rule and the Water First regional reclaimed‑water project are the most viable recovery path, while springs advocates warned the plan relies on an unproven, costly "toilet‑to‑tap" project and urged stronger conservation and earlier actions.

Sen. Ana Rodriguez presented Senate Bill 70 34 to ratify a Department of Environmental Protection rule updating minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers and priority springs. The rule sets new hydrologic milestones, increases monitoring, requires offsets for new or increased water uses and establishes a residential conservation goal (75 gallons per person per day) and a no‑fee general permit for new private irrigation wells where public supply exists.

Why it matters: The rivers and springs at issue supply drinking water and support local ecosystems and economies. The MFL revisions aim to halt and reverse declining flows linked to development, reduced recharge, and nutrient pollution.

Public testimony was extensive and split. Ryan Smart and Rick Lanise of the Florida Springs Council and Santa Fe River interests emphasized local opposition to the Water First project — a proposed 40 million gallons/day reclaimed‑water regional project — and questioned water quality (PFAS and nutrients), cost (estimates in the hundreds of millions to more than $1 billion over buildout), and local acceptance. "Toilet to tap is the word that everybody's using," Ryan Smart told the committee, reflecting community anxiety about reclaimed‑water recharge.

DEP and district officials responded that the rule is science‑based, that the Water First project is one potential regional solution (with JEA and others already committed funding in part), and that pilot testing and permitting will be required before any recharge occurs. Adam Blaylock and other agency witnesses said the ratification does not itself authorize construction but sets MFLs and a recovery strategy that may include multiple projects and conservation measures.

Committee action: After extensive debate and testimony, the committee ratified the DEP rule (SB 70 34 reported favorably). Senators and witnesses urged attention to funding, water quality testing protocols, stronger conservation measures and clearer local engagement as implementation proceeds.

Provenance: Sponsor explanation, public testimony from springs stakeholders and water management district representatives, and committee roll call reporting favorably.