Black Creek water project to help aquifer and local lakes given the green light

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Water to the rescue.

The Black Creek water resource development project is set to begin phase one of an approved contract. The project aims to increase recharge water to the upper Floridian aquifer in northeast Florida.

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On July 12, 2022, the St. Johns River Water Management District approved a plan that will begin by constructing a water pump station between Penney Farms and Camp Blanding off State Road 16 in Clay County.

While the primary goal of the project is to increase recharge to the Upper Floridan aquifer, it will also improve water levels in Brooklyn and Geneva lakes.

“The Black Creek project is a result of years of collaboration between the district, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, local governments, utilities, and other interested stakeholders like the Save Our Lake Organizations,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Mike Register in a recent press release. “The benefits of this project are far reaching and speak directly to the district’s mission of ensuring adequate water supply for future generations in Florida.”

The plan calls for water from Black Creek to be pumped through a 17-mile pipeline. This will eventually discharge into a passive treatment system aimed at removing color and minor nutrients.

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The water will then flow into Alligator Creek and Lake Brooklyn. Final recharge to the aquifer will occur through the lake bottom.

Depending on the water level in Black Creek, up to 10 million gallons of water per day can be diverted. This will depend on a sufficient flow of water to protect the natural resources within Black Creek.

Funding for the project was provided in the St. Johns River and Keystone Heights Lake Region Projects legislative appropriations. This totaled more than $48 million, of which $43.4 million was put aside to the Black Creek project. Clay County Utility Authority, Gainesville Regional Utilities, St. Johns County Utilities, and JEA contributed an additional $19.2 million.

The Black Creek basin covers almost 2/3 of Clay County.