Citrus County targets aquifer recharge zones for conservation as development threatens water supply

Citrus County targets aquifer recharge zones for conservation as development threatens water supplyA consultant’s "Green Print" study highlighted a critical misalignment between the county's high-priority aquifer recharge areas and its current conservation portfolio, prompting the Board of County Commissioners to prioritize water resource protection over recreation or agriculture in future land acquisition.

North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) reported that "aquifer recharge" was ranked as the top priority by 44% of subject matter experts and unanimously by the County Commission.

Mapping analysis revealed that the county's highest quality recharge zones are currently located in "opportunity areas" for development rather than existing conservation lands.

NFLT Director Ramesh Buch warned that failing to protect these zones leads to higher water treatment costs as utilities are forced to treat lower-quality water.

Commissioner Jeff Kinnard criticized the regional water authority structure, citing concerns over water export to southern counties as a driver for local resource protection.

Citrus County officials are moving to realign the county’s land conservation priorities to focus explicitly on securing future water supplies, following a presentation that exposed a disconnect between current protected lands and critical aquifer recharge zones. Ramesh Buch, Director of Conservation Acquisitions for the North Florida Land Trust (NFLT), presented the initial findings of a "Green Print" conservation planning study to the Board of County Commissioners. The study, designed to guide future land acquisition and potential referendum language, aggregated input from 41 subject matter experts and the commissioners themselves. Buch reported that "water issues" were the top concern for nearly 50% of stakeholders, with "aquifer recharge" receiving the highest specific priority vote at 44%. Crucially, Buch presented GIS mapping data showing that the county’s highest priority recharge areas—depicted as "dark blue" zones on the project maps—do not overlap with existing conservation lands. Instead, these hydrologically sensitive areas are largely located in sectors designated for urban development. Buch noted that protecting these lands is arguably an infrastructure investment. "The quality that goes into the ground has a lot to do with how much it costs to take it out of the ground and then treat it and deliver it to folks," Buch told the Board. The commissioners’ own polling data, presented during the meeting, showed a unanimous consensus: all voting members ranked "drinking water resources" as their number one priority for conservation, placing it above wildlife corridors, agriculture, and recreation. Chair Diana Finegan, who was absent for the initial polling, confirmed during the meeting that drinking water was also her top priority. Commissioner Janet Barek expressed concern over the mapping data, noting that proposed development projects are currently sited directly atop the high-recharge zones. "By doing our development where the dark blue is... that is a positive for our county as opposed to our conservation lands [which] don't have the water under it," Barek observed sarcastically, emphasizing that the county must shift its strategy to keep green spaces where the water resources are located. The push for local water security was reinforced by concerns regarding regional water management. Commissioner Jeff Kinnard utilized the discussion to critique the regional water authority, arguing that Citrus County is underrepresented. He cited past data suggesting that 70% of Tampa Bay Water’s supply is drawn from neighboring Hernando County, expressing fear that Citrus County’s aquifer could be similarly targeted. While Tampa Bay Water has reduced groundwater pumping across its 11 northern wellfields since 2003—cutting rates from 160 million to under 90 million gallons per day to restore dried-out lakes and wetlands—Kinnard remained focused on the structural risks of exportation. "They need to either own them all as Tampa Bay Water does, or they need to own none of them," Kinnard said regarding water production facilities in the region. The NFLT will proceed to community workshops in February to validate these priorities with the public before finalizing the Green Print, which could serve as the foundation for a future ballot referendum to fund the acquisition of these critical water resource lands.