Group Aims To Seize River's Watershed Moment

This point in history is an important one for the Withlacoochee River, environmentalists say.

The 157-mile river, which weaves through eight counties on its way from the Green Swamp in Polk County north to the Gulf of Mexico in Levy, is among the Florida rivers least damaged by man's actions, said Joe Murphy, director of the Gulf Restoration Network and the conservation chair of Hernando Audubon.

"The impact on this river is real, and it's pronounced, but it's not so heavy that that the river is beyond saving," said Murphy, who now lives in Ridge Manor and frequently paddles the Withlacoochee in his kayak. "We have a unique moment in time to preserve as much of it as we can, as it is."

The Withlacoochee River Alliance aims to seize that moment. The alliance, which just formed and had its first meeting in Nobleton Wednesday, will be a coalition of several environmental groups, community organizations and individuals from throughout the river's 2,100 square-mile watershed who have that common goal, Murphy said.

While other major Florida rivers have such an advocacy group, the Withlacoochee does not, said Nick Williams, executive director for Florida Defenders of the Environment. Florida Defenders is taking a lead role in organizing the alliance.

The alliance will bring together the efforts of many groups addressing challenges - or in some cases, waging an all-out fight - along their respective stretch of the river, said Williams, who lives in Williston. The group will meet once a quarter, but there will be much electronic correspondence throughout the year as members the challenges in their areas, Williams said.

The focus of any river group is typically twofold: preserving water quality, and protecting water levels and flows threatened by thirsty development.

One of the most troubling potential threats to the Withlacoochee is explosive growth in smaller communities, Williams said.

"So what you're looking at is municipalities small in size that do not have the expertise and the staff to properly plan for and address this extremely rapid growth," Williams said.

That will make vigilance on the part of alliance members that much more crucial, he said.

Among the other challenges:

•Activists in are fighting a proposed landfill about a mile southeast of Dade City. Activists worry that the runoff from the dump will contaminate not only the Withlacoochee, but also the Hillsborough River and the Green Swamp.

•In Levy County, near the mouth of the river, a group called the Withlacoochee Area Residents is proposing a plan to reengineer a section of the existing Florida Barge Canal that crosses the river. The plan to build a dam there would go a long way to increase flow in that section of the river, which would fight saltwater intrusion from the Gulf, said Dan Hilliard, director of the group.

•And in Marion County, it's critical that activists are successful in efforts to cut down on the amount of nitrates that collect in the spring-fed Rainbow River, which flows into the Withlacoochee.

In Hernando County, the river flows mostly through public preservation land, which helps reduce water quality concerns, said Murphy, of Hernando Audubon.

The biggest threat here is overdevelopment and increased withdrawal from the aquifer, he said. The Withlacoochee has always been a "flashy" river, prone to flood or recede during the rainy and dry seasons. In dry times, the aquifer helps the river recharge. When development reduces the aquifer level, the river loses that benefit.

Charles Lee, director of advocacy for Audubon Florida, points out that in more than 80 years of record keeping, the Withlacoochee has completely disappeared in several areas only twice: in 2001 and 2007.

There is a growing consensus that "is indicative of a river that's challenged in terms of water supply," said Lee, who lives on the river in Sumter County. Lee said there are at least six chapters in the Withlacoochee basin that will take part in the alliance.

The alliance plans to be vocal as Hernando County considers proposals for projects in the planned development district around the State Road 50/I-75 junction, Murphy said.

And the group must prepare for what many feel is the inevitably of an attempt from neighboring areas to use the Withlacoochee to slake the thirst of overdevelopment.

The group also will try to work closely with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which will be setting minimum flow levels for the Withlacoochee in the next three years. Those levels will be used to determine how much development the river can tolerate.

The alliance plans to focus on an education campaign to "tell the story of the river," Murphy said. The Withlacoochee, in a way, is a good symbol for the Nature Coast as a whole.

"In this part of Florida," he said, "we just have to have the grace and wisdom not to repeat the mistakes made in other parts of the state."

To take part

To find out more about the Withlacoochee River Alliance, call Joe Murphy, conservation chair of Hernando Audubon, at 583-0870; or Nick Williams, executive director of Florida Defenders of the Environment, at 352-378-8465.