📣OUT NOW: The Suwannee River was just listed #10 in American Rivers' #MostEndangeredRivers of 2026 report.

Suwannee River, Florida | John Moran

Restore the Suwannee River to Protect Florida’s Heritage!

The Suwannee River meanders from its headwaters in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia south through Florida, eventually emptying into the Gulf. It is free flowing for all of its nearly 250 miles and drains a watershed of more than 11,000 square miles. The Suwannee River is designated as an Outstanding Florida Water, and seven springs that supply fresh groundwater to the Suwannee are designated Outstanding Florida Springs (OFS). These designations mean that the Suwannee River and its OFS have the highest levels of protection in Florida.

Ongoing monitoring and research on the health of the river and its springs indicate substantial harm to the natural balance of the river including excessive levels of pollution that not only create problematic algae blooms but also increase the risks of cancer and birth defects. This polluted water is also creating low dissolved oxygen that suffocates fish and other aquatic organisms. Finally, the springs feeding this river system are going dry due to excessive and unsustainable groundwater withdrawals.

Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection can reverse the downward spiral this river system is facing.

Join us in calling on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to provide much needed funding to restore Florida's natural heritage and reverse the decline of Florida's world-class springs and rivers.

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Dear Secretary Lambert,

The Suwannee River is a treasure of Florida and the southern United States. It is one of the few free flowing rivers for its entire course to the sea, running nearly 250 miles and draining a watershed of more than 11,000 square miles. The land along it supports hundreds of communities and a diverse set of industries that reflect the history and future of Florida. They all depend on a healthy and thriving river system for their own success.

The river is fed by more than 300 freshwater springs, delivering groundwater from the Floridian Aquifer as the primary source of the river’s flow. There are seven springs along the Suwannee River that have been designated by the state of Florida as Outstanding Florida Springs due to their importance to the ecosystem. The Suwannee River is an Outstanding Florida Water giving it a level of protection that balances the ecological and human demands on it.

The Suwannee River suffers from the impacts of excessive pollution. Ongoing monitoring and research indicates substantial impairments from excessive levels of nitrate pollution that not only create problematic algae blooms but also increase the risks of cancer and birth defects. This excessive pollution also is creating low dissolved oxygen that suffocates fish and other aquatic organisms. In addition, excessive groundwater withdrawals have caused springs within this river system to go dry robbing Florida of some of its natural wonders and heritage.

The biggest source of pollution in the Suwannee River Basin is from farm fertilizers. Livestock waste is the next largest polluter. Recent research has shown that dairy farms near the river system add 2.1 million pounds of nitrogen pollution per year. Poorly maintained and managed septic and sewer systems in communities on the Suwannee and its tributaries are regularly failing, dumping raw sewage into the river. These levels of pollution are more than 14 times higher  than the limit of .35 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen pollution that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection set for healthy springs. These pollution problems are exacerbated by groundwater pumping, pushing this river system to its limit.

Now is the time to act.

The Springs and Watershed Restoration Program in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection can help to restore the river and the springs that feed it. Sufficient funding must be provided to the natural resources of North Florida during the 2027-2028 budget season by providing $250 million for Springs and Aquifer restoration.

Additionally, the Suwannee River Basin Management Action Plan must be enforced by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to comply with the state’s nitrogen pollution load reduction target. This includes holding the responsible entities for nitrogen pollution accountable. A solution for the excessive dairy farms in the watershed must be brought forth including state cost share in modern waste treatment or state support for the renewal of the dairy buyout and relocation program.

The state can no longer turn a blind eye to the pollution going into the waters of the state.

Thank you for considering these comments,

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