A line on a graph depicting the level of our aquifer drops continuously down, down, and down over the years.  DEP employs their best management practices to lessen the nitrates load in our rivers and over the years the levels increase instead of drop.  The flow from our springs and rivers lessen each year which allows green algae to increase where it did not grow  before.  The flows in most rivers in our region of North Florida are down about 30 per cent from historic flows, and these continue to decrease because our water districts continue to allow more and more pumping.  Our manatees die because we don’t provide water clean enough for them to live in it.

So our water is in a crisis, it is NOT just fine.   It is bad and getting worse.

Our DEP spokespeople and our water district managers habitually greenwash the problem because they are not doing their jobs and to admit that would probably get them fired.  The water policies for those agencies are made not from within but from without by lobbyists representing the industries which abuse and pollute our water.  In essence, the abusers write our water laws.

As long as our water agencies tell the citizens that Florida’s water is “just fine,”  it will be very difficult to get it fixed.  We live in a world of frustration.

I will forever remember in Tallahassee our respected lawmaker explaining his support of a harmful water bill.  He said “I’m going to vote for this because I can’t believe our DEP would allow our waters to be harmed.”

He may have been that stupid, but I suspect he knew better.

Read the original disingenuous article here at this link in 12News.

Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum

One city known for its bottled water, Zephyrhills, is growing so fast that in order to make sure it has enough fresh water for everyone it’s putting a pause on all new development for a year.

The regional water supply plan looks 20 years out. According to South Florida Water Management District Water Supply Planning Section Leader, Tom Colios, the plan takes population, agricultural and industrial growth into account along with looking at power generation demands.

“Development of alternative water supply is important to reduce the stress of existing traditional water sources,” said Colios.

The district says it also has alternative water supplies available, like aquifers and recycling water. But they also designate a certain amount of water for each area.

“Water supply plan kind of looks big picture but we do develop a per capita use rate for each utility service area and the population contained within those service areas,” said Colios.

There are things everyone can do to help conserve water, like installing more efficient appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. But Colios also says everyone should be more conscious about their usage.

“Wait for the dishwasher to be full before you run out. Do a full load of laundry, not a partial load, and take shorter showers,” said Colios.

The district says the number one water waste for households is through landscape irrigation.

Each city has ordinances to reduce the amount of water usage to a couple of times a week if needed.