Stop swamp water from being pipe lined into Weeki Wachee
Stop swamp water from being pipe lined into Weeki Wachee
The Issue
George Foster quoted 2023. “I'm here to tell you that the river has been destroyed.” People getting off on the side of the river is not the issue at hand right now. A drainage pipe has been found on Weeki Wachee spring, draining red/brown swamp water into its usually crystal clear waters. I find this to be absolutely disgusting and threatening to our nature preservation.
“While many drainage systems were developed by F.S. Ch. 298 districts, which have both the authority and funding to acquire rights-of-way for drains and to maintain them, many other drainage systems were constructed out of necessity on a less formal or ad hoc basis simply because they were mutually beneficial (Floridabar.org). I do not see this case to be mutually beneficial AT ALL.
It may not be illegal to drain water into a public spring with legal permission under the statutes listed above, but in this case it should be! The aquatic life of the springs are not suited for the murky swamp water being mixed into it. This could be detrimental to the springs ecosystem if kept up.
I grew up visiting Florida, this spring specifically. It is why I fell in love with Florida and why I moved here. I recently visited the springs and noticed the water was extremely murky and gross, which I have never seen before. I have been at the springs multiple times when it has been raining, and I have never seen it look or smell this disgusting.
The land owner responsible needs to be stopped and held accountable for tampering with our beautiful spring. There are plenty of other ways to prevent flooding on the land that do not involve draining mud water into our sacred springs.
I was getting my information from a man on TikTok (riverdaddy_) who lives on the spring. He has been trying to bring attention to this issue. His account got banned after this petition got attention. He found the pipeline and documented the murky water flowing out of it into the spring. No one should be silenced for trying to preserve nature!
1,399
The Issue
George Foster quoted 2023. “I'm here to tell you that the river has been destroyed.” People getting off on the side of the river is not the issue at hand right now. A drainage pipe has been found on Weeki Wachee spring, draining red/brown swamp water into its usually crystal clear waters. I find this to be absolutely disgusting and threatening to our nature preservation.
“While many drainage systems were developed by F.S. Ch. 298 districts, which have both the authority and funding to acquire rights-of-way for drains and to maintain them, many other drainage systems were constructed out of necessity on a less formal or ad hoc basis simply because they were mutually beneficial (Floridabar.org). I do not see this case to be mutually beneficial AT ALL.
It may not be illegal to drain water into a public spring with legal permission under the statutes listed above, but in this case it should be! The aquatic life of the springs are not suited for the murky swamp water being mixed into it. This could be detrimental to the springs ecosystem if kept up.
I grew up visiting Florida, this spring specifically. It is why I fell in love with Florida and why I moved here. I recently visited the springs and noticed the water was extremely murky and gross, which I have never seen before. I have been at the springs multiple times when it has been raining, and I have never seen it look or smell this disgusting.
The land owner responsible needs to be stopped and held accountable for tampering with our beautiful spring. There are plenty of other ways to prevent flooding on the land that do not involve draining mud water into our sacred springs.
I was getting my information from a man on TikTok (riverdaddy_) who lives on the spring. He has been trying to bring attention to this issue. His account got banned after this petition got attention. He found the pipeline and documented the murky water flowing out of it into the spring. No one should be silenced for trying to preserve nature!
1,399
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition created on September 24, 2024