ABSTRACT

The 310-mile length of the St. Johns River makes it the longest stream entirely within Florida and the longest north-flowing river in the United States. The St. Johns is one of only 14 rivers designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an American Heritage river, and in 2008 it was named by the American Rivers organization as one of the “ten most endangered rivers” in the United States. Water supply recently became the biggest issue for the St. Johns River Water Management District. Fragile water resources in St. Johns are already stressed from overwithdrawals, but water utilities nonetheless are projecting huge increases in the demand for water in this fragile region.