Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
During the regular meeting of the Madison Rotary Club on Wednesday, July 26, the club heard from representatives of the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD). Troy Roberts, Communication and Outreach Manager for the District spoke on the various aspects of the district and the work they do in order to help ensure an adequate water supply for the north central Florida region.
The SRWMD covers all, or part of, 15 counties in north central Florida. One thing that sets this region apart from any other area is the number of natural springs, such as Blue Spring, in Madison County. “We have more springs than any other area in the United States, with more than 450,” said Roberts. “Although [the SRWMD] doesn’t deal directly with tourism, we understand that these springs do attract a lot of visitors. We do all we can to protect those springs.”
Roberts said that, at the moment, the region’s water supply is pretty good. However, the SRWMD doesn’t merely look at the current water supply. “We are working 20-30 years ahead to ensure the water supply,” added Roberts. One way this is accomplished is by helping farmers with practices that will make more efficient use of water. This includes helping them utilize soil moisture probes to accurately determine the moisture level of the soil, which can help avoid unnecessary watering.
The Madison Rotary Club meets each Wednesday, at 12 p.m., at the Villa Maria Social Hall of the St. Vincent dePaul Catholic Church, located on Orange Avenue, across from Beggs Funeral Home, in Madison. Taking the Rotary motto, “service above self” to heart, the local Rotarians have supported many local service projects, ranging from providing books to local elementary schools to area disaster relief, and more.