Residents asked to weigh in on how Florida springs are regulated

Time is running out for the public to weigh in on how Florida springs are regulated.

By tomorrow, October 3, residents must send in their comments regarding thirty springs, including Ichetucknee and Rainbow Springs.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protections, also known as the FDEP, requested feedback after environmentalists blasted its lax regulations at a meeting last month.

John Jopling is the president of the non-profit Ichetucknee Alliance. He said, “The bottom line is they've done nothing."

A 2016 law required the FDEP to regulate groundwater withdrawal at select springs. Eight years later, according to Central Florida Public Media, no new rules have been issued.

Jopling says he's frustrated by the FDEP's lack of regulation toward springs.

"They're Florida's Grand Canyon or redwood forest,” he said, “[the] largest concentration on Earth.”

Public comments can be submitted by email.