Victory for Wekiwa & Rock Springs: FOWR and FSC Reach Settlement with FDEP
Friends of the Wekiva River is thrilled to share some big news for our springs! After nine months of intense litigation, FOWR and our partners at the Florida Springs Council (FSC) have reached a significant settlement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to better protect and restore Wekiwa and Rock Springs, along with seven outstanding springs on the Suwannee River.
FSC challenged FDEP’s 2025 Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs), the state’s cleanup plans for these springs, arguing they didn’t meet legal requirements. FOWR joined FSC as a co-litigant in the challenge to the Wekiwa & Rock Springs plan.
What the settlement does:
Addresses agricultural and septic tank pollution, the two largest pollution sources in Florida
Strengthens the current BMAPs
Provides at least 16 new water quality monitoring stations
Requires FDEP to begin compliance assistance and enforcement actions
What it means for the Wekiva:
Septic tanks are the largest pollution source in the Wekiwa & Rock Springs basin, and the settlement takes them on directly. The current BMAP requires nitrogen-reducing septic systems only on lots of one acre or more within the Priority Focus Area. Under the settlement, FDEP has committed to evaluating whether to expand that requirement to all lots throughout the entire springshed. FDEP also agreed to take enforcement action against any entity that fails to meet its nitrogen load allocation, adding real accountability to the plan.
This win was a team effort. Our thanks go to FSC; their legal team, Doug MacLaughlin and Matt Farmer; the attorneys and law students at Stetson College of Law’s Jacobs Law Clinic; agricultural expert Dr. George Hochmuth; and FSC board members Bob Palmer and Mike Cliburn. We also appreciate the FDEP attorneys and staff who worked toward this win-win outcome.
Victories like this are only possible with the support of our members and donors. To read the full settlement details, click here. Please consider supporting both FOWR and the Florida Springs Council as the work to protect our springs continues!
