LIVE OAK, FLA., June 26, 2018 – The next time you wash your hands or flush a toilet in one of Lake City’s public restrooms you’ll be saving water and money, thanks to a recent water conservation project with the Suwannee River Water Management District (District) and City of Lake City.
“Water conservation is a community effort and every drop saved helps to improve the health of our springs, lakes and rivers,” said Hugh Thomas, executive director for the District.
Almost 600,000 gallons of water per year will be saved because of the project; which upgraded 104 faucets and 57 toilets to low-flow appliances in all the City of Lake City’s public restrooms.
The project, completed in partnership with the District and Florida Department of Environmental Protection, was funded as part of the SPRINGS grant program for just under $100,000. Although low-flow faucets and toilets are not new technologies, the cost to retrofit is often a limiting factor for communities throughout the District. Grant funding makes these projects possible.
“The economy of Lake City is directly tied to our springs and we always want to take advantage of every opportunity to improve our water resources. Replacing faucets and toilets might not seem like a glamorous, high-tech project, but it’s important to undertake every opportunity to conserve water thus saving tax payer dollars”, said Stephen Roberts, director of safety/risk management with the City of Lake City.
In additional to water savings, the city expects to see a decrease in utility costs, which will benefit local tax payers.
Lake City also recently completed another SPRINGS grant project that converted a wastewater spray field into treatment wetlands. A much larger effort, the wetland project is recharging 1,190,000 gallons of water per day to the aquifer, which brings the Ichetucknee River 25 percent closer to achieving its minimum flow level. This project is also reducing nitrogen loads by 77,000 pounds per year and created 120 acres of wetlands.
“It is important that as water users and stewards, we continue to look for innovative ways to conserve water and create a conservation ethic in our communities” said Thomas. “This effort is another step in the right direction.”
Developing quality, impactful projects is a partnership effort. If you have a project in mind, please submit it to the District’s Project Portal found at www.mysuwanneeriver.com.
The mission of the Suwannee River Water Management District is to protect and manage water resources using science-based solutions to support natural systems and the needs of the public. The District holds true to the belief of water for nature, water for people. Headquartered in Live Oak, Florida, the District serves 15 surrounding north-central Florida counties.
For more information about the District, visit www.mysuwanneeriver.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter, search @SRWMD.
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