The proposed increased withdrawals for Nestlé Water’s Ginnie Springs permit is not sustainable.

Nestlé Waters buys water from Seven Springs.

To be clear, the permit for water use at Ginnie Springs is held by Seven Springs, a local Florida business. They have the right to use and sell the permitted amount of water to NWNA or to anyone else. For over 20 years, Seven Springs has made the withdrawals and is responsible to maintain the wells and ensure that their withdrawals don’t go beyond the permitted amount. Nestlé Water’s purchase of spring water from Seven Springs will always remain within the level of their water use permit, which was granted by the SWRMD. Using water beyond the permitted amount would be cause for action by the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD), which can include fines or possible revocation of Seven Springs’ water use permit.

Ginnie Springs is a healthy spring.

Ginnie Springs is comprised of a large spring complex generating many millions of gallons of water daily. The springshed feeding the Ginnie Springs complex is estimated to be 33.5 square miles (21,000 acres) in size.

The maximum amount of water withdrawals allowed by the permit held by Seven Springs is 1.152 million gallons a day. While this sounds like a big number, it represents less than one quarter of one percent (0.22%) of the permitted groundwater in the Suwannee River Water Management District.

Water use in the lower Santa Fe River basin, where Ginnie Springs is located, is regulated by the Suwanee River Water Management District (SRWMD). The SRWMD is tasked with managing the regional balance between water withdrawal and aquifer water levels. It conducts water quality and quantity monitoring, research, regulation, land acquisition and management, and flood protection.

Water stewardship is a top priority for Seven Springs and Nestlé Waters.

Nestlé Waters is working with Seven Springs to implement a robust sustainability management process that will help ensure the long-term sustainability of Ginnie Springs.

Learn more facts about Nestlé Waters North in Florida.