Florida Water Pollution: The Three Crises Destroying Our Springs, Rivers & Aquifer
Every one of these threats is the result of a political decision. They can be reversed by political will — and that starts with a public that understands what is happening.
FWC Herbicide Spraying Is Poisoning Florida's Waterways
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is conducting widespread herbicide treatment programs across Florida's lakes, rivers, and springs — purportedly to control invasive aquatic vegetation like hydrilla and water hyacinth.
But the chemicals used — including endothall, fluridone, and triclopyr — do not discriminate. They kill native plants that fish and wildlife depend on for food and habitat, disrupting entire aquatic food webs and leaving ecosystems vulnerable to further invasive colonization.
The downstream effects on wildlife, recreational tourism, and public health are significant and largely undocumented by the agencies responsible for the spraying. We are fighting for:
- ✓Independent scientific review of herbicide treatment programs
- ✓Transparent public reporting of chemicals used, quantities, and waterways affected
- ✓Exploration of biological and mechanical alternatives to chemical treatment
- ✓Mandatory environmental impact assessments before new treatment programs begin
Why This Matters
Overdevelopment Is Draining Florida's Underground Water
The Floridan Aquifer System — one of the most productive aquifers in the world — is the underground reservoir that feeds Florida's springs, rivers, wetlands, and drinking water supplies. It is being depleted at an alarming rate.
Decades of unchecked residential and agricultural development have resulted in over-pumping of groundwater far beyond the aquifer's natural recharge rate. As water levels drop, springs slow to a trickle, rivers shrink, and wetlands vanish — along with the ecosystems that depend on them.
Water management districts are issuing new consumptive use permits for large-scale agriculture and development projects while simultaneously reporting declining water levels. This disconnect between permitting and reality must end. We are pushing for:
- ✓Moratoriums on new high-volume consumptive use permits in over-stressed basins
- ✓Mandatory minimum flow levels for springs and rivers, enforced by law
- ✓Impact fees for development that demonstrably reduces aquifer recharge
- ✓Public access to real-time aquifer level data for all monitoring wells
Why This Matters
Commissioners Are Authorizing Sewage Into Florida's Rivers
Across Florida, local county commissioners are authorizing the injection and dumping of treated — and in some cases inadequately treated — sewage effluent into rivers, wetlands, and aquifer recharge zones.
This practice introduces excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) that fuel toxic algae blooms, deplete oxygen in the water, and create dead zones that kill fish, manatees, and other aquatic life. It also contaminates drinking water aquifers with pharmaceutical compounds, pathogens, and microplastics that standard treatment does not remove.
These decisions are made behind closed doors with little public scrutiny. Residents living downstream are rarely notified, and the cumulative effect across the state is catastrophic. We are demanding:
- ✓Full public disclosure of all sewage disposal permits issued by Florida counties
- ✓Independent water quality testing downstream of all effluent discharge points
- ✓Prohibition on aquifer injection of sewage effluent without multi-stage treatment
- ✓Commissioner voting records on sewage disposal permits made publicly searchable
Why This Matters
These Problems Have Solutions
But solutions require money, lawyers, and organized voters. Help us fund the fight.
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