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Residents press Jefferson County to demand answers after videos show steady runoff from Trulieve site
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Summary
Residents told commissioners they have observed persistent water flowing from the Trulieve/TrueLeaf retention pond onto neighboring property and into Lloyd Creek; citizen tests reportedly showed elevated nitrates and the board directed staff to coordinate with state water agencies and assemble well and creek testing results.
Residents at Monday’s Jefferson County meeting urged the board to demand immediate state agency review and to compile testing after videos and site visits showed what attendees described as steady discharge from Trulieve/TrueLeaf’s retention pond onto private property and into Lloyd Creek.
“From what I saw today was a water flowing creek off of Trulieve’s property onto this person's property, steady flow,” one commissioner said, summarizing field visits and public submissions. Multiple residents said simple on‑site test kits and posted laboratory results showed elevated nutrient levels; a resident who posted testing noted about 14.5 units (reported as total nitrogen) on a sample made public during the meeting.
Residents and landowners described the problem as ongoing for multiple years, raising concerns about groundwater and the county aquifer. A representative for the Floyd Trust, whose property was described as receiving runoff, recounted repeated meetings with Trulieve engineers and the water‑management district going back to 2021; he said the water management district opened a complaint and that TrueLeaf proposed fixes with extensions and equipment lead times but that problems have recurred.
Commissioners and staff agreed the board should press state agencies for explanation and testing, and asked staff to collect well test results and map both groundwater and surface‑water impacts along Lloyd Creek. The board directed counsel and county staff to draft a letter to the Suwannee River Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection outlining the observed issues and requesting prompt inspections and data on permitted discharges. Commissioners also requested that staff assemble a citizen‑coordinated repository for well samples and other evidence to support agency review.
Trulieve representatives have said the retention pond is separate from building process water and that some remediation steps — sand‑filter replacement, a reuse system and intermittent pond drawdown — have been performed; county staff reported Trulieve told them recent tests of facility discharge went “clean.” But residents and several commissioners said informal testing and visible flows indicate the problem persists and that deeper independent testing and mapping are needed.
Board members asked staff to invite the Suwannee River Water Management District and DEP to an upcoming meeting, and to work with the county delegation to press for rapid, transparent testing. The commission did not make a regulatory determination at the meeting but established next steps to document and escalate the issue.
The county will collect resident well test results and seek an agency inspection; staff said they will draft the letter for review by commissioners before sending.
