Niagara Bottling is a step closer to being able to pump more water from the Floridan aquifer.
The Saint Johns River Water Management District wants to approve the bottler's request to increase its take to 910,000 gallons a day. If it's granted, the permit would nearly double Niagara's take for the next twenty years.
The water management district says the water would come from the lower aquifer, which would mitigate the environmental impact. But Peggy Cox, who serves on the Lake County Water Authority's board of trustees, doesn't agree.
"I think they have some ground to deny or at least postpone this kind of consumptive use permit until we get a better handle on what the future for water supply is in this Central Florida district", said Cox. Cox says Niagara's request coincides with a region-wide effort to gauge how much water Central Florida has- and how much it needs.
A recent report concluded demand for water will exceed what the aquifer can provide by 2035. The water district's governing board will vote on Niagara's request in January.