Three alternative water (AWS) projects in North Florida recently received more than $5.7 million in funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

According to a Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) release sent on Wednesday, the three projects are part of an effort to reduce water use from the Floridan Aquifer while developing region-specific water sources that will offer an alternative to traditional ground and surface water sources. The diversified water supplies help reduce dependence on fresh groundwater sources. Alternate water sources, such as saltwater or brackish water, reclaimed or recycled water, or stormwater, make communities less susceptible to the effects of drought.

The SRWMD Governing Board accepted the project funding requests in 2024 and sent them to the FDEP for approval.

“Maximizing the use of alternative water sources is vital to ensuring smart, sustainable growth in North Florida. We appreciate that our Governor, Legislature, and FDEP help advance projects like these to strengthen Florida’s water resources to continue to meet the growing demands of our residents,” said Hugh Thomas, executive director of the SRWMD, in the press release. 

The three projects are: 

• Santa Fe Basin Land Acquisition and Recharge – SRWMD – $3 million – This land acquisition project would provide storage and recharge for the MFLs of the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers through the diversion of excess water flows. 
• Groundwater Augmentation through surficial features – SRWMD – $500,000 – This project will provide recharge to the Upper Floridan Aquifer to benefit the MFLs across the District, with priority focus on the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers and regional water supply planning areas. This includes, but is not limited to, debris removal from karst features, enhanced capacity of surface water features, and management of stormwater and other high flow events. 
• Groundwater Recharge Wetland Project – Gainesville Regional Utilities – $2.2 million – GRU is constructing a groundwater recharge wetland that will provide recharge and reduce total nitrogen levels and help to achieve the MFL recovery and prevention requirements for the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers and priority springs.