A wake-up call to local leaders: Lee property should be protected, not developed

Post author:flspringsinst
Post published:June 2, 2022
Post category:Uncategorized
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By Robert Knight. The Gainesville Sun, May 10, 2022 Our local springs are both polluted with excess nitrogen and depleted due to excessive groundwater withdrawals. So why would city and county commissioners, elected to ensure a healthy future in Alachua County, support more development that will make a bad springs problem worse? The ongoing discussion of the development of the Lee property on Parker Road is the spark that has ignited this criticism of the county/city leadership status quo.…

Bottled Spring Water and Corporate Responsibility

Post author:flspringsinst
Post published:October 21, 2019
Post category:Bob Knight Bottled Water Drinking Water Education Op-ed
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Nestle’s recent move into the Florida Springs Heartland (i) of Gilchrist County to bottle water from Ginnie Springs warrants full historical disclosure. In 2002 Coca Cola purchased the High Springs water bottling facility, originally built in 1998 and operated by AquaPenn Springwater Company owned by the Groupe DANONE (ii). This facility received ‘spring water” via a water use permit held by Seven Springs Water Company. Groundwater is extracted from the Floridan Aquifer (iii) through two conventional wells…

The Ocklawaha’s Lost Springs

Post author:flspringsinst
Post published:October 21, 2019
Post category:Bob Knight Education Op-ed
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One or more Florida legislators, yet unnamed, have the enviable opportunity to undo the tragic mistake of a previous generation and be lauded as Florida Springs Champions. With bipartisan support in the house and senate appropriations committees, these champions are uniquely positioned to convince the 2020 legislature and Governor DeSantis to do what no other legislature/governor in the past 50 years has been willing or able to do – restore the 20 Lost Springs of the Ocklawaha…

No Time to Cry for Dying Springs

Post author:flspringsinst
Post published:September 30, 2019
Post category:Bob Knight Education Events Op-ed Springs Outings
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Saturday, September 7th, the Florida Springs Institute (FSI) and Kings of the Springs (KOTS) environmental non-profits came together to host a Springs Outing on the Chassahowitzka River in southern Citrus County. Chassahowitzka springs are christened with names like Seven Sisters, Crab Creek, Potter, the Crack, Betteejay, and more. The “Chaz”, as regulars and locals call it, is a little-known but locally popular hangout on hot summer days. With its rope swings, wildlife, and swim-through caves it’s no…

Not One Drop More

Post author:flspringsinst
Post published:August 27, 2019
Post category:Bob Knight Drinking Water Op-ed
Post comments:3 Comments

A spring without flow is a stagnant (synonyms: still, motionless, immobile, inert, lifeless, dead, standing, slack, static, stationary, etc.) sinkhole. It is not completely dead but looks and stinks like it is dead. For all intents and purposes, a non- flowing spring has none of the qualities that make Florida’s springs so inspiring, sacred and alive. It is not in the public’s best interest to dry up any of Florida’s artesian springs. Healthy springs support a vast…