|
|
| |
|
Best veiw with
Firefox 3
|
|
|
Everglades Water Not Available
In an attempt to keep Florida from turning into a desert of toxic waste,
state officials are finally stopping expansion around the Everglades and
development that does not have alternate water sources.
 |
State: No More Water from Everglades
4 April 2007 - nbc6.net
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The tap on the fragile
Everglades ecosystem has been clamped as officials warn cities across
South Florida to find other ways to quench the thirst of a growing
population, the state announced Tuesday.
The new Regional Water Availability Rule prevents water users from
tapping the River of Grass for any new or additional water supplies
and means utilities will now be forced to develop alternative means of
production, according to the South Florida Water Management District.
It is the first time in history that Everglades water has been deemed
off-limits.
South Florida water suppliers in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and
Monroe counties currently depend on an estimated 500 million gallons
each day from the Everglades.
"The water that is being withdrawn today, that's it, we're capped
off," district director Carol Wehle said Tuesday. "It sends a message
to the utilities that if you want to grow, there are many sources of
water that you can access that are environmentally sustainable."
Under the new rule, existing water supply permits will not be revoked,
but new permits for Everglades water to meet the needs of population
growth won't be approved. The rule also provides a grace period to
prevent water shortages but only if water suppliers can show they are
actively developing alternative techniques.
Wehle said utilities would have to begin reusing water on a larger
scale and may have to look at desalination techniques.
"The good news for southeast Florida, unlike, say, Las Vegas, is there
is an incredible amount of water available to continue to serve future
growth. It's just not going to be the Everglades," Wehle said.
The state is currently in the midst of a 30-year, $10.5 billion
effort to restore the Everglades, the largest such wetlands
restoration project in the world.
Curt Levine, head of the political committee for the Sierra Club's
Florida chapter, called the rule "a wake-up call to local governments"
to contain urban sprawl and better prepare for growth.
"Water is not infinite anymore," Levine said.
Miami-Dade County took a proactive step and agreed last year not to
seek additional water permits that would draw from the Everglades,
said Doug Yoder, deputy director of the county's wastewater
department.
"What this rule does is formalize the system for everyone in South
Florida so all the utilities are on the same level playing field of
planning for future water supply demands," Yoder said.
He said the county was considering $2 billion worth of projects over
the next 20 years to create alternative water supplies.
"People will need to adjust to the idea that water rates and
wastewater rates are definitely going to go up," Yoder said, adding
that Miami-Dade plans to cut back on consumption through conservation
measures and to enhance reuse of wastewater.
Meanwhile, Florida is experiencing one of the driest spells on record
with the situation only expected to get worse.
"We have never experienced such a rapid depletion of our water supply
as we have this year," Wehle said.
The district last month instituted water restrictions for much of
South Florida that were intended to cut use by at least 15 percent.
But with the drought continuing, district officials are seeking more
cutbacks when its board meets April 12, hoping to achieve a 30 percent
use reduction in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, and up to 45 percent
elsewhere. |
|
|
The
The
Labors in the Spirits of
Science
Living on the Lost Planet 
