Helping Our Rivers
Helping Our Rivers
By Doug Alderson
Excerpt from Florida’s Rivers: A Celebration of Over 40 of the Sunshine State’s Dynamic Waterways by Doug Alderson, published by Pineapple Press in 2021
“If we are all students in this great shared learning process of life, then perhaps we can see the river as a great lesson in ecology, as a metaphor for learning how the integration of each natural part affects the whole.” —Bill Belleville, River of Lakes
“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” —Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732
“There is sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed.” —Mohandas K. Gandhi
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” —Rachel Carson
People who live along or frequently visit a river often develop a personal relationship that is familial. But instead of thinking of the river as a child growing up or as an elder eventually passing from this earthly existence, the river spans innumerable generations. It is more like a living ancestor that will transcend any lifetime. We simply experience it for just a short time in the geologic sense. Perhaps that is part of the attraction. In some ways, we are no different than the current generation of fish, birds, alligators, manatees and otters that frequent a river, the main difference being that our species has the power to destroy. That is why we need river advocates.
In 1966, the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association (now Hudson Riverkeeper) was formed to address massive industrial pollution along the Hudson River. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., became its Chief Prosecuting Attorney in 1984, adding a brighter spotlight to the movement. The group’s success eventually spawned similar groups and in 1999, the Waterkeeper Alliance was established as an umbrella organization for 275 Waterkeeper organizations and affiliates on six continents. In Florida, more than a dozen Riverkeeper groups are allied by Waterkeepers Florida. These groups usually consist of a small paid staff and a “riverkeeper” to advocate for river protection and restoration, although some are completely run by volunteers.
Another national river group, the American Rivers Conservation Council (now American Rivers) was established in 1973 to fight unnecessary damming of the country’s last wild and scenic rivers.
Springs protection is also central to healthy Florida rivers. One group, the Howard T. Odom Florida Springs Institute, focuses on restoring and protecting springs throughout the state. The group’s executive director, Bob Knight, advocates for steps that include restoring spring flows to levels that protect their ecological health by placing a protective cap on groundwater pumping and charging a fee for groundwater withdrawals; restoring springs and aquifer water quality by regulating all fertilizer use in Florida and charging a fee for use; and reducing the use of septic tanks to treat human waste.
The idea of these groups is that every river system, including their associated springs, needs a champion or champions because rivers cannot lobby or vote, they cannot write letters, sign petitions or sue in court. They can only inspire. And so it is up to us.
A recent trend is for rivers to be provided the same legal rights as humans. It began in 2017 in New Zealand when the Maori iwi tribe won a 140-year legal battle to recognize the Whanganui River as an ancestor with legal status as a living entity. The idea is to treat the river as an “indivisible whole, instead of the traditional model for the last 100 years of treating it from a perspective of ownership and management,” said lead iwi negotiator Gerrard Albert, quoted in The Guardian. This was followed by a similar ruling for India’s Ganges and its main tributary, the Yamuna. The Ganges is considered sacred by more than one billion Indians, but it has suffered from massive pollution. However, the ruling was overruled by a higher court since a practical way to implement legal protections was unclear.
Also in 2017, the Constitutional Court in Columbia granted legal personhood to the Rio Atrato, a river that flows through the territories of 91 different indigenous communities. Fourteen legal guardians from communities impacted by mining and pollution were appointed to an Atrato Guardians Commission. It was considered a good first step in protecting and restoring the river and changing our viewpoint from being in the center of nature, in control, to being part of the whole.
In Florida, the 2020 Florida Legislature outlawed the granting of legal rights to rivers in an attempt to thwart initial moves to grant personhood rights to the Santa Fe and other rivers. That doesn’t prevent people from placing rivers in higher regard, however, and for pushing for greater protections.
Some of the challenges:
• About 50% of Florida’s potable water is used for irrigation
• About 1 billion gallons of freshwater is pumped each day from the Floridan Aquifer
• Florida has over 1000 springs, the largest concentration in the world, but about 80% of those are considered impaired, diminishing their beauty and economic value.
Ways to Help Florida’s Rivers
Support protection of river corridors and springsheds
Protect open land that recharges our aquifer
Minimize urban sprawl
Support stronger enforcement of pollution standards
Prevent pollution at its source
Adopt a stronger state fertilizer ordinance
Upgrade wastewater utilities
Replace or upgrade septic tanks in key areas
Control water consumption & adopt user fees
Join a river cleanup effort!
Practice xeriscaping and Florida Friendly landscaping
Require Florida Friendly landscaping for new development
Wean ourselves from bottled water & throwaway plastics
Reduce water demand through conservation efforts
Elect political leaders who truly care and educate them!
Florida’s Rivers Need Our Help! Please support these groups:
Waterkeepers Florida and specific riverkeeper groups
Florida Springs Alliance
Florida Conservation Coalition
Sierra Club Florida Chapter and local groups
Audubon Florida and local chapters
Florida Wildlife Federation
Florida Conservation Voters
Current Problems
The Nature Conservancy
Trust for Public Lands
FL Wildlife Corridor Coalition
Environment Florida: Clean Water Network
1000 Friends of Florida
Paddle Florida
Florida Paddling Trails Association
Many local/regional conservation groups!
Janice Hindson, Executive Director