Central Florida gains approval to drain the St. Johns to water lawns

[Ocklawaha]

Every property should have two meters - one for consumption, one for irrigation.  The irrigation meter would be "smart" in that it would charge a much higher rate when it isn't OK to irrigate.  Like 10 times higher.  Something would have to be done to keep green grass fetishists from running a hose from their bathtub, but I'm sure this could be figured out, too.

Hey I think your onto something Charles! Finally a use for all those parking meters we need to remove from the downtown. A little mechanical tweeking and deposit .75 cents per minute to open the water valve outside.

I can't help but think of the Aral Sea, and the great plan to divert the river water for aggriculture. This was done by the Soviet State after visiting lush irragated US farms. So bend over Lake Monroe, Lake Jessup, Lake Harney... Your number is up in Orlando!



OCKLAWAHA

[mtraininjax]

Every property should have two meters - one for consumption, one for irrigation.

Charles - You should really go talk with JEA first. Did you know the cost of the irrigation meter is close to $1,000 for a 3/4" meter? That is just to BUY the meter for your property, of course you need someone who can install it for you. Even if the meter sits idle, it still costs you each month.

Tampa is under water restrictions to the point that they have water police who come and inspect properties. Neighbors calling in on neighbors. Fun times. Jail time included for some offenses.

Graham on the board is spineless wuss, I have yet to hear back from him, although I emailed him the day after his spineless decision. His leadership is akin to that of Peyton.

[JeffreyS]

We should all have to use rain barrels to water our lawns.  We use reclaimed water in my neighborhood but that I am told is not viable in existing neighborhoods.

[riverkeepered]

Ironically, on the same day the SJRWMD Board was voting to approve the Seminole County permit to withdraw water from the St. Johns, Distract staff were also defending their support of a permit for Niagara water bottling plant in an administrative hearing.  Lake County and Groveland do not want the California-based bottler to set up shop in their community and pump water out the aquifer to bottle and sell outside of Florida.  However, the District staff recommended approval of the permit, so Groveland was forced to file for an administrative hearing.

Here is an interested quote from , Dwight Jenkins, a SJRWMD consumptive-use policy-development coordinator,  who testified at the hearing.  This is from an article that was in the Orlando Sentinel:

"Everything that keeps Florida's economy going is fueled by consumptive-use permits."

Jenkins said the district's ability to review and grant water permits enables economic growth and new businesses to come into the Sunshine State.

The testimony came during the fourth day of an administrative hearing in Orlando into Groveland's challenge of Niagara's request to tap the aquifer for 176 million gallons a year near the south Lake County city, bottle the water and sell it.

I guess that just about sums up our water policy in this state.

[reednavy]

Hold up, wasn't Niagara the stuff used to make women in the mood, like Viagra for men?!

[stjr]

Ironically, on the same day the SJRWMD Board was voting to approve the Seminole County permit to withdraw water from the St. Johns, Distract staff were also defending their support of a permit for Niagara water bottling plant in an administrative hearing.  Lake County and Groveland do not want the California-based bottler to set up shop in their community and pump water out the aquifer to bottle and sell outside of Florida.  However, the District staff recommended approval of the permit, so Groveland was forced to file for an administrative hearing.

Here is an interested quote from , Dwight Jenkins, a SJRWMD consumptive-use policy-development coordinator,  who testified at the hearing.  This is from an article that was in the Orlando Sentinel:

"Everything that keeps Florida's economy going is fueled by consumptive-use permits."

Jenkins said the district's ability to review and grant water permits enables economic growth and new businesses to come into the Sunshine State.

The testimony came during the fourth day of an administrative hearing in Orlando into Groveland's challenge of Niagara's request to tap the aquifer for 176 million gallons a year near the south Lake County city, bottle the water and sell it.

I guess that just about sums up our water policy in this state.

It's just like the defenders of oil that believe it's for everything and forever, whatever the consequences to sustain such ends.  They act like it's a limitless resource as long as they can get their grubby hands on it.  If it becomes too precious, they don't worry because they figure they can afford it still, even at a higher prices.  And, the environment be damned if it means some form of sacrifice to those possessing the selfish and wanton desire to live like kings and queens for all the days of our lives.  It's the everyday person who will suffer.  "Let them eat cake" she said.  And the people responded, "off with her head"!  So it may be someday, that we common folk throw the bums out that put us in these holes.

[tashi]

I wish we could elect the SJRWMD Governing board, so they would look out for the tax payers interest, instead of being selected by the Governor. I think that would be ideal. I really don't think many of the Governing board understand protecting the river.

SJRWMD says that 50 to 60% of our water goes to water lawns!

If people would change their mind about how they have to have a green lawn and go with Florida drought tolerant native plants and Bahia grass (or native ground cover) this would be a great! I know that people have to have their St. Augustine grass (which is the worst because it requires more chemicals and mowing).

We all need to conserve and do what we can to save our precious water.

The SJRWMD also has a program called FLORIDA WATER STAR which is trying to get homes certified for water  conservation and efficiency. I encourage anyone to look at the criteria, it might give you ideas on how to save water in the home. They have an excellent resources section (on the Water Star page) - here is the link
http://www.floridawaterstar.com/resources.html

Change the old toilet out too, the old ones use 3 to 6 gallons per flush, the new ones are 1.5 gallons or lower.

[David]

All we need to do is reverse the flow of the St. Johns River from North to South. That way, we'd be taking THEIR water.

Then we could say "take that, O-town"

[riverkeepered]

The problem is that programs like Water Star are voluntary, and effective water conservation programs don't qualify for funding support from the SJRWMD like water withdrawal projects and desal plants do.  The District has directed communities to the river by forcing them to select an "alternative water supply" source (AWS) and by promising help with funding.  There is an article in yesterday's Deland paper that reports that Volusia has reluctantly selected the river as their AWS source at the behest of the District, despite interest from some county commissioners to instead pursue water conservation measures.   Instead of spending billions on expensive water withdrawal facilities and infrastructure, our tax dollars need to be redirected to proven and cost-effective water conservation programs.  We must begin to use water much more efficiently before we move on to the next source of water. 

[riverkeepered]

If you are upset with the SJRWMD Governing Board for granting a permit to Seminole County to begin withdrawing water from the river, well you may not have to worry about Board decisions in the future.  A bill is currently sitting on the Governor's desk, SB 2080, that would give the executive directors of each of the water management districts the power to issue the permits without involvement from the Board. 

This bill would essentially put the future of our water resources in the hands of five people, the five executive directors of the Water Management Districts.  While I have been a critic of many of the decisions of the Board, this would consolidate power in the hands of a few people who are not elected or appointed and not acccountable to the people.  This would also eliminate the opportunity for citizens to address the Board in a public forum before each vote, would make it easier for developers and utilities to influence the decision-making process, and would make it easier to keep these critical issues and decisions out of the public eye.   Governor Crist needs to veto this bad bill.

[stjr]

It's unbelievable that with all the issues facing our state, "our" legislators can find time to make bad situations worse by turning over every stone looking for ways to remove public input and aid developers who continue to rape the land and the taxpayers.  Why o' why do voters vote these people into office?  If they only understood the full consequences of their votes.  And, how can these elected officials so easily turn their backs on the people they are supposed to represent.  Shameful!

Since Crist is now running for the Senate, maybe he'll stake out one of his famous populist stands and veto this.

[riverkeepered]

June 08, 2009

District water plan drawing opposition

By DINAH VOYLES PULVER
Environmental Writer
The Volusia County Council has agreed to have its attorneys look into challenging the St. Johns River Water Management District's most recent water supply plan.

At issue is the county's inclusion on a list of utilities that could partner on a proposal to pull water from the lower Ocklawaha River to supplement fresh groundwater supplies. Volusia County officials seemed surprised at last week's meeting to find the county water utility and several Volusia cities on the list.

Local utilities have expressed no interest in participating on an Ocklawaha River facility, particularly because they say it would cost so much to pump water from a Putnam County location.

"We don't think it makes a lot of sense," Jamie Seaman, an attorney for the county, said during Thursday's council meeting.

However, Volusia utilities are not new to the list. The Water Authority of Volusia was listed as a potential partner in the Ocklawaha project on the original plan approved in 2005.

The latest amended plan, a 177-page document, was approved by the district's governing board at its May 12 meeting. In this version, the district added local utilities to the list separately, rather than lumping them together as the water authority, because it didn't appear the authority would be involved in any alternative water supply projects, said Barbara Vergara, director of water supply management.

Vergara said the district sent several Volusia County officials notice of the plan and a public meeting on April 6 to discuss it. Notices of the April meeting were widely distributed to the public through news releases.

No Volusia County officials provided any written comments, Vergara said.

The Utilities Commission for the city of New Smyrna Beach was on its toes, attending the April meeting and sending a letter to the district on April 8 asking to be removed from the list of potential partners for an Ocklawaha plant.

Richard Dembinsky, the commission's senior civil engineer, also disputed several other points in the supply plan.

New Smyrna Beach and the county have similar concerns, saying the district isn't cooperating as fully as it should with local governments. The district, for example, refused to take New Smyrna off the list for the Ocklawaha plant.

The debate between the district and area utilities over future groundwater use has become increasingly contentious.

Volusia officials dispute numbers the district uses to project future shortfalls in fresh groundwater supplies and also question computer modeling done to determine future water levels in Blue Spring, which will control the amount of groundwater that utilities in West Volusia are allowed to pump.

Seaman said the latest water plan might represent an "entry point" for the county to start challenging decisions district officials have "been making that we've been questioning for quite some time."

dinah.pulver@news-jrnl.com

This is really interesting.  Volusia County is actually pushing back and potentially going to challenge the St. Johns River Water Management District.  The District has been forcing communities to make water supply decisions and take actions that they don't necessarily agree with or want to do.  I hope Volusia's actions will help to call into question the policies and priorities of the District and encourage other communities to also stand up to the District and refuse to be bullied and influenced by the promise of funding for costly water supply projects that could harm our river and may not even be necessary.

[riverkeepered]

Well, it looks like the concerns of the public and several county and city governments is starting to sink in with the St. Johns River Water Management District.  This past week, the SJRWMD Governing Board announced a new commitment to water conservation and a hold on funding for future water withdrawal projects until the 3-year impact study is completed late next year. 

While this is progress, we also have to remain cautious in our appraisal until we see more action and can determine whether  this decision is based primarily on the current economic situation or a true commitment to conservation. 

You can read more about this change of heart from the District at http://www.riverhugger.com/2009/07/water-management-district-changes-tune.html.

There is also a great editorial in today's Gainesville Sun - http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090719/OPINION01/907179932/1017?Title=Editorial-Finally-listening

[fsu813]

amen!

[Dog Walker]

What the Board of the St. John's Water Management District says and does makes no difference anymore.  Governor Crist signed the idiot bill pushed by the developers that puts all decisions about consumptive use permits into the hands of the Director of the District ALONE!

The Board is now no more than a bunch of tweety birds singing in their cage.   Things were bad before and are going to get much worse.  There will be NO public input or comment anymore.