TALLAHASSEE, Florida — The Florida Springs Council is asking a court to order the state to adopt stricter rules to prevent the overuse of underground aquifers.
The council said in a complaint filed in Hernando County that the state Department of Environmental Protection has not issued the springs rules despite clear direction from the Legislature in 2016.
Changes to S.B. 552 directed DEP to adopt uniform rules for issuing water use permits to prevent pumping that is harmful to waterways, including springs. The bill also directed DEP to adopt uniform definition of “harmful” overpumping, the lawsuit said.
“Nearly nine years have elapsed since the State Legislature mandated that FDEP adopt the Springs Harm Rules to help Florida’s ailing springs,” the complaint said. “FDEP’s failure to do so has eroded the public’s faith in its government and damaged Florida’s springs as water-use permits continue to be issued without the benefit of a backstop rule protective of Florida’s outstanding springs.”
