Send a letter and make your voice heard

Letters to our elected officials are one important way that to make our voices heard. WAR has met with town, county, state and local officials who are mostly in agreement that our lower river deserves to be restored. This project will require funding, likely by way of a congressional appropriation. Now it's up to individual citizens and residents like us to help create momentum to get a restoration project underway to restore our river's historic flow. Your letter might look like the sample that follows. You can download it, customize it, and find your representatives' names and addresses below.

[Your name]

[Your address]

[Date]

Dear [Representative, Senator, Councilman, etc.] [Representative's last name],

The citizens of [insert name of your town] urgently request your attention and action to correct the problems created on the Lower Withlacoochee River when the failed Cross Florida Barge Canal was abandoned. In the 55 years since the Lower Withlacoochee River was cut off from historical maximum flows by 75%, the health of the Lower Withlacoochee River has deteriorated, and it continues to do so today.

The citizens and residents of this area depend on this designated Outstanding Florida Waterway for much of our livelihood. Having a healthy river provides jobs and economic opportunity as well as recreational opportunities. In its current condition we are not maximizing the value this water body can provide for the local communities, for the county, and for the State of Florida. In addition, reduced flow impacts the river channel, making it smaller over time and less able to handle flood waters from storm surge in severe weather.

We are requesting that as our representative you work to commit the State of Florida, the Federal Government, and the Army Corps of Engineers to correct these problems, by fixing the situation at the Inglis Dam and Inglis Bypass Spillway to allow peak historical flows to be returned to the Lower River.

The Withlacoochee is a designated Outstanding Water Way and deserves to be maintained as such. “Water is Life” and without the needed repairs and restoration, the river system will fail and our communities will be destroyed by salt water intrusion and increased flood risk.