Heritage - Water

Management IconWater is the lifeblood of the Nature Coast. From springs and spring fed rivers, to black water rivers, to the vast coastal marshes and estuaries water is the key ingredient that makes this amazing place possible. Some of Florida's premier rivers (Withlacoochee, Suwannee, Wakulla, Crystal, Weeki Wachee, etc.) flow through the Nature Coast as they gently meander to the Gulf of Mexico. These rivers, the freshwater from springs and from rainfall, reach the Gulf of Mexico and then form some of the most productive coastal estuaries anywhere in the United States.

You can't separate the inland water features like the Green Swamp from the Nature Coast. All are interconnected and interdependent. The Nature Coast region, although impacted to an extent by water withdrawals and drought, is still relatively healthy when it comes to water. read how you can help preserve our waters

Water Quantity

The danger lurking along the next bend of the river are massive plans to “harvest” water from the Nature Coast region to support the continued expansion of the Tampa Bay area and Orlando. And within the Nature Coast, developments like The Villages continue to demand ever increasing amounts of water. We must take a stand, right here and right now, that rivers like the Withlacoochee River and the Suwannee River are off limits in terms of massive water supply plans. These rivers are essential for wildlife, area residents, and our coastal fisheries.

We have already seen wetlands and rivers (Weeki Wachee, etc.) in the southern Nature Coast negatively impacted by regional water withdrawals and overpumping. We have to draw a line and say no more.

Water Quality

Increasing development, agricultural runoff, and poorly planned and maintained landfills all are part of a range of threats to water quality in the Nature Coast. In many ways the region has good to high water quality in our lakes, rivers, wetlands, and estuaries. Increasingly though even seemingly pristine springfed rivers like the Weeki Wachee or the Rainbow River are seeing shocking increases in nutrient pollution and pollutants like fecal matter. Over use of nutrients/fertilizers for yards and agriculture is polluting every spring in the Nature Coast. Careless agricultural practices continue to pollute the Suwannee River. This pollution is both dangerous for people and wildlife in the rivers and springs, and then reaches our coastal estuaries causing algal blooms that threaten industries like the clam aquaculture operations in Cedar Key.

The solution to this problem is effective enforcement of the Clean Water Act by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and local and regional fertilize and septic tank ordinances that clean up our water bodies.

Resources

  • Resource One
  • Resource Two [PDF]
  • Resource Three (fourth paragraph down)
Zamora Grassy Island Florida is home to a fragile network of swamps, marshes, bogs, and nearly 700 springs. The health and beauty of these waters depend on our efforts to protect them.