To report an issue affecting the health of the St. Johns River, click here or call 630-CITY (630-2489).

The St. Johns River defines Jacksonville's history, our culture, our economy, our character, and ultimately, our future.

 

Today, the river faces significant challenges. Our residents have already witnessed a harmful algal bloom that choked segments of the river, requiring the state health department to issue warnings that the river was unhealthy for humans.

 

Meanwhile, more than 51 of Duval County's 152 river tributaries have bacteria levels so elevated that they are deemed unsafe for fishing and swimming.

 

That's why Mayor John Peyton, along with partners who will invest in the river's future health, announced The River Accord, a 10-year, $700 million program to begin restoring the health of the Lower St. Johns River Basin.

 

The City of Jacksonville, the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), the JEA, the Water Sewer Expansion Authority (WSEA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection are members of the Accord. Together, these partners will commit $700 million to reduce the amount of nitrogen discharged into the river by:

 

• closing wastewater treatment plants
• improving other wastewater treatment plants and building pipelines necessary to reuse treated wastewater for irrigation of lawns, parks, and golf courses
• eliminating failing septic tanks; and
• capturing and treating stormwater before it enters the river.

JEA will contribute $200 million toward the Accord; the SJRWMD, up to $150 million; the city, $150 million; and the remaining $200 million will be sought from various federal and state sources. Their investments will be the largest in the Lower St. Johns River Basin's history.

 

The River

 

The St. Johns begins in south central Florida, 310 miles from Jacksonville in Brevard County.  It is similar in many respects to Florida's most noted ecosystem, the Everglades. While the Everglades ecosystem begins as a river, grows into Lake Okeechobee and eventually becomes the famous river of grass, the St. Johns is the opposite. It flows north starting as a river of grass, becomes a series of lakes and ultimately a river.  It is home to 174 species of birds and more than 180 species of freshwater and saltwater fish. It has supported human populations and cultures for more than 9,000 years.

 

The river is divided geographically into three regions: the upper basin, or the headwaters, the middle basin and the lower basin, which runs from Putnam County through Jacksonville to the Atlantic Ocean. The lower basin is sometimes called the St. Johns estuary because of the influence of its vast tidal range. It encompasses 2,750 square miles and today supports a population of more than two million people.

 

In Duval County, the river supports more than 19,000 jobs with an annual economic business impact of $2.2 billion. Property along the river accounts for more than $1.3 billion of the county's tax rolls.

 

The Plan

 

The River Accord has four major components: improving water quality, tracking the river's sedimentation, improving access, and program accountability.

 

Improving Water Quality

 

Restoring the river's health is the key component. This restoration will be accomplished by reducing or eliminating harmful agents that are released into the river on a daily basis.

 

For example, high levels of nitrogen can contribute to the unhealthy summer algal blooms that the river occasionally experiences. For more on this, visit the "Nitrogen Reduction" page on this site.

 

But the reduction of nitrogen entering the river is not the only critical water quality issue. The amount of fecal coliform bacteria leaching into the city's tributaries must also be eliminated. A growing body of evidence suggests that failing septic tanks may be the primary source of the bacteria. For more on this, visit the "Septic Tanks" page on this site.

 

Tracking Sedimentation

 

The river and its tributaries have been filling with silt at an alarming rate during the past two decades. Millions of dollars are regularly spent to dredge the channel to Jacksonville's seaport. On astronomical tides, some of the river's tributaries are completely dry. The River Accord, in partnership with the University of North Florida (UNF) Environmental Center, has proposed a program that will deploy monitors to track the amount of silt in the water. The monitors will radio the data in "real time" so it can be analyzed daily and be utilized to enforce existing regulations regarding siltation.

 

Improving Access

 

Past studies have shown that while Jacksonville is truly a River City, there are inadequate opportunities for residents to enjoy the river and its tributaries.  To address these needs, The River Accord, along with its Preservation Project partners, is proposing:

 

• Opening the Pelotes Island Nature Preserve on Clapboard Creek to the public on weekends.
• Spending $1.3 million to improve Huguenot Memorial Park, one of the city's busiest parks.
• Improving Cedar Point Preserve on the Northside, including a new boat ramp, visitor center, trails, and an overlook at Machaba Balu, The Nature Conservancy's 9,000-acre preserve.
• Partnering with private businesses and non-profits to keep marinas open and available to the public.
• Improving city-owned Palms Fish Camp on Heckscher Drive.
• Sponsoring an expansion of the Pumpkin Hill Creek Florida Forever project, which, if approved, will allow the State of Florida to acquire critical pieces of land for water quality and improved access to the river's tributaries.
• Funding improvements to Reddie Point Preserve in Arlington including a fishing pier and dock that will allow boaters to tie up and tour the property.
• Opening a river taxi service that will run from Ft. Caroline National Memorial on the St. Johns River to Sister's Creek Marina to Kingsley Plantation.
• Opening a second river taxi that will run from Ft. Caroline to Palms Fish Camp to Pelotes Island.
• Making improvements in Julington-Durbin Creeks Preserve in Mandarin, including parking, trails, an overlook and a restroom.

 

Program Accountability

 

To ensure that the program meets its goals, The River Accord will create a steering committee composed of representatives from the partnership. They will meet quarterly and produce written annual reports to the mayor, Jacksonville City Council and the governing boards of the JEA, SJRWMD and WSEA.

 

In addition, the partners will collaborate with UNF and Jacksonville University to publish an annual State of the River report.  It will track data considered essential to evaluating the river's health and engaging the community in its future.