Where did all the water go?

[riverkeepered]

Yesterday, the Riverkeeper, Neil Armingeon, attended a meeting in Orlando that was organized by the St. Johns River Water Management District to receive proposals for water withdrawal projects in Central Florida. 

From where do you ask will the water come from - the St. Johns River, of course.  The District has determined that they cannot guarantee a sustainable source of groundwater after 2013, so counties and cities must begin pursuing alternative water sources.  The District has also determined that 150 million gallons of water can be safely sucked out of the river each and every day, and they will provide $45 million dollars in funding to help these thirsty counties and local governments to do so. 

Neil described the scene as a feeding frenzy with a room full of consultants, attorneys, and at least a dozen District staffers all there to divy up the water and grab the cash without a mention of the ecological impact on the St. Johns.  However, the SJRWMD has previously said that their models demonstrate that this will have little if any adverse impact on the river. 

So, let me get this straight.  The District has so poorly managed one of the largest sources of drinking water on the plant, the Floridan Aquifer, and now they want us to trust them that they won't mismanage the withdrawal of water from the river, as well.   What if they have miscalculated?  It will be too late then.  Once the spigot is turned on and people become dependent on the water, it ain't going to be easy to turn it off.  In other words, once we head down that road, there is no turning back. 

Another concern, and this can be substantiated from past history and previous promises, is that this is just the tip of the iceberg.  Once we have distributed the 150 million gal/day and have further depleted our groundwater supply, folks will begin looking to the river for more H2O.   

To understand why this is a concern just think about how salty the river has been in the lower section this year because of the drought conditions.  People have reported jelly fish in Drs. Lake.  Barnacles are growing on docks in Palatka.  If you take water out of the river, that means less freshwater flowing towards its mouth.  JaxPort is moving forward with dredging the river to 45 feet.  That means more saltwater entering the river.  We continue to deplete groundwater and that means less flow from the springs that provide 20-30% of the river's flow.   If climate change is in fact occuring and seas are rising, this would push even more saltwater into our river.  Compound all of this with drought conditions and we could be on our way to completely changing the chemistry and ecological conditions of the St. Johns River.

More studies, caution, and conservation efforts are needed before we continue down this road.   We have a few commercials that tell us to water only twice a week, but we haven't really pushed and mandated conservation. No one has the right to waste and abuse a precious comodity that is a public resource, and no agency has a right to mismanaged that resource and violate their responsibility to the public whom they represent. 

[gatorback]

Hey, we're going to have plenty of water when those polar caps melt but who cares about that right Mr. Bush?  But I guess that will all be salt water.  I was appalled a few years back when the St. Johns River Water Management Distinct authorized some ridiculous amount of water to be taken out of the aquifer as an experiment to see what happens.  What ever did they find out about that and where did the water go? 

[riverkeepered]

I am not really sure what you are referring to.  Do you have any more info. about this?

Your reply made we think about another "alternative water supply" practice that the water mgmt. district is supporting, as well.  The District would allow surface water or treated wastewater to be injected into the aquifer for storage, so that it could be pumped back out when needed.   Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) is already used in some places in Florida and would also be a critical component of Everglades restoration.   There are concerns about the water migrating and contaminating groundwater or disrupting the hydrology of the aquifer system.

This is just another example of rolling the dice with our natural resources.  We have got to get serious about mandating the conservation of water before we start playing around with Mother Nature.   Considering the fact that up to 70% of the potable water that we use during the summer is for watering lawns, we need to address this problem before we turn our attention to water withdrawal, ASR, or other similar short-sighted schemes. 

[riverkeepered]

The Florida Times-Union

July 24, 2007

Central Florida shouldn't take water from St. Johns


By RON LITTLEPAGE
The Times-Union

Lovers of the St. Johns River be warned.

The St. Johns River Water Management District is gung-ho about plans to take perhaps as much as 150 million gallons a day out of the river to quench the thirst of Central Florida where growth continues out of control.

And it's not just the St. Johns. Millions of gallons could also come out of the Ocklawaha, a major tributary of the St. Johns.

And it's not just water for Central Florida. South Florida and Southwest Florida are bellying up to the bar as well in a behind-the-scenes ploy to get around the public outcry that came when a similar idea was proposed a couple of years ago.

A major problem is no one knows for sure what sucking that much water out of the St. Johns and Ocklawaha would do to the health of the rivers.

It's easy to tell the water management district is serious about proceeding. Why else would it pay the law firm of Fowler White Boggs Banker about $1 million to facilitate planning sessions for the projects?

One such meeting was held in Orlando last week where about 40 entities expressed interest in staking out claims on water from the St. Johns and the Ocklawaha.

The St. Johns Riverkeeper, Neil Armingeon, attended the meeting and described the atmosphere as being "like dogs fighting over a hunk of meat."

When he asked about challenging the projects, Armingeon said he was told, "Hey, dude. It's a done deal."

Well, it shouldn't be a done deal.

When communities spend perhaps as much as $300 million on a plant to treat the river water to make it potable, do you really believe the water management district is going to say, sorry, it turns out we were wrong and the health of the river is being adversely affected, so stop using the water?

And there's no satisfactory answer as to what will happen to the effluent from the plants. When you remove the dirty stuff from the river water, where does it go? Back into the river in concentrated form?

"This is madness," Armingeon said.

The water management district insists withdrawing the water will be safe. I know scientists who disagree.

One big question is how taking that much fresh water out of the St. Johns would affect the river's salinity levels and ecology.

Gov. Charlie Crist has been presenting himself lately as an environmentalist.

I applaud him on his efforts to cut greenhouse gases.

He also needs to make it clear to the boards of the state's water management districts that their mission is not only water supply.

It's also protecting the health of the state's waterways.

He has a perfect opportunity to drive that point home.

The board of the St. Johns River Water Management District has nine members. The terms of three of those members have expired. Crist needs to appoint people who get it.

One thing didn't come up at the Orlando meeting where hands were wrung over finding alternative water supplies to meet the needs of burgeoning development.

Half of the water being taken from the aquifer is being used for irrigation.

Institute strict conservation programs and leave the St. Johns and Ocklawaha alone.

ron.littlepage@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4284

[gatorback]

The only information I have is that an article in the Flrorida Times Union said the St. Johns River Water Management District was going to withdraw a large amount of water from the aquifer as an experiment.  It was years ago probably in the 90's.

[riverkeepered]

The St. Johns River Water Management District is now saying that this water withdrawal scheme is not a "done deal", despite the fact that they are having utilities and counties line up and submit proposals.

I'm not buying it.  However, these plans to take water from the river could be delayed if enough people got fired up and demanded that the SJRWMD apply some pressure to the brakes.  We also have to seriously embrace conservation, so that we don't suck our aquifer dry and are forced to look for alternative water sources like the river.

Take into consideration that approximately 50% of all our potable water is sprayed on our lawns.  When we have not had much rain, that amount can be as high as 70%.  Each of us who resides within the watershed of the St. Johns River uses about 150 gallons of water each and every day.  This weekend, maybe think twice about whether or not you really need to water the grass.  Need a new toilet, faucet, or water heater?  Think about buying a water conservation model that will significantly reduce your water consumption and save you money in the long run.   

If we don't get real serious real fast about conservation, we may be drinking a refreshing glass of St. Johns River water sooner than we thought. 

[riverkeepered]

The Florida Times-Union

September 5, 2007

Thirsty Central Florida has plans for St. Johns

By DAVID HUNT,
The Times-Union

Imagine the Empire State Building flooded nearly to its trademark lightning rod.


That's about how much water the St. Johns River could lose each day under plans to quench a thirsty Central Florida.

Utility managers are considering taking up to 262 million gallons daily from the St. Johns and a tributary, the Ocklawaha River, to support a groundwater network not expected to handle population growth beyond 2013.

Video: RETURN OF THE GREEN MONSTER: See a series of video reports about the St. Johns River by the River Keeper

The idea has led to much debate over environmental and development issues from Orlando, where the water is most needed, to Jacksonville, where the water's loss could be most noticeable.

"It really is quite a domino effect. It's not like you're just pulling an amount of water out or turning a faucet off a little bit," said Quinton White, a Jacksonville University biologist and the school's arts and sciences dean. "This is another example of man trying to harness nature. I don't think we've ever successfully done that."

White said he sees the drawdown blending more of the Atlantic Ocean's saltwater into the river's already salty lower basin, killing off freshwater plants and species. He also said the change in flow could create sediment deposits big enough that dredging will be more frequently necessary to make way for Jacksonville's cargo traffic.

Planning the drawdown are dozens of Central Florida utility managers and the St. Johns River Water Management District, a regulatory agency charged with finding a compromise between development and environmental needs.

The water management district is projecting a 4.9 percent reduction in flow, which officials say should not have significant impacts on salt levels and sea life. Printed agency research shows the drawdown likely would increase the river's habitat for pink shrimp while shrinking the amount of space for blue crabs.

Five conceptual plans are under discussion. If any moves forward, construction could begin by 2009. Projected construction costs range between $800 million and $1.2 billion, with state tax dollars funding as much as $500 million, said agency Water Supply Management Director Barbara Vergara.

While financial issues have become part of the debate, opponents claim the water management district is meddling with Mother Nature and could be sacrificing one of Jacksonville's most precious resources. Agency officials say some of the concerns have been alarmist.

"People get images in their minds of what it looks like out west with the Colorado River stopping in California or the Rio Grande not running to the Gulf of Mexico," said James Gross, an agency senior project manager. "We're talking about reducing the discharge of the St. Johns River to the ocean by 4 percent. We're not talking about permitting out every drop of water."

Even at 262 million gallons each day, enough water to fill nearly 400 Olympic-size swimming pools, it may not be long until the region thirsts again. Vergara said the St. Johns River Water Management District has anticipated this and has been working on plans to desalinate ocean water for the past seven years.

The idea to treat river water has been developing since the mid-1990s, when planners were examining ways to get more drinking water for growing St. Johns County. Vergara said drawing from the river was considered too complicated a solution in that case because of the salt levels in the river's northern sections.

In Central Florida drawing from the river is a much more sound idea, she said, because the north-flowing freshwater pushes away south-flowing saltwater. Although not as expensive as desalination, treating river water will be more costly than what utilities are used to, she added.

Vergara said utilities generally spend about $1 processing 1,000 gallons of groundwater. Processing 1,000 gallons of river water likely will cost between $3.50 and $4.50.

Consumers will see that higher production cost in their water bills, which may promote conservation. That's an issue the water management district already stresses in its "Think Two" campaign and Water Star Homes program.

James Orth, director of the environmental group St. Johns Riverkeeper, said he thinks the water management district should push harder on conservation before tapping the river.

"We haven't gone out and attacked people's use of water. It's almost immoral in my opinion," he said. "The thing that frightens me is once it's done, it's done. People become accustomed to this and, if we realize we're wrong, you can't just shut people's water off."

Neil Armingeon, who serves as Orth's chief river watchdog, said he doesn't believe the water management district has given enough thought to potential damage to the river. He said his group is seeking a third-party environmental assessment and may take the debate into a courtroom.

"We're still in that, 'What can you do legally,' phase," Armingeon said. "We don't know, but there's a coalition of groups forming."

Opposition to the plan is not limited to environmentalists. The Marion County commissioners took a stand last month by telling the water management district they felt pumping the Ocklawaha River would be more harmful than it was worth. However, the commission has no governing power over the water management district.

Orth said he questions whether the drawdown will compromise the mission of Mayor John Peyton's River Accord, a $742 million cleanup plan launched last year.

Peyton spokeswoman Susie Wiles said the mayor has monitored the planning process but hasn't taken a stance.

"We've got a lot of questions, but none that nobody else doesn't have," she said.

david.hunt@jacksonville.com,

This IS the future of the St. Johns River.  Learn more by watching this Channel 4 news story - http://www.news4jax.com/news/14052024/detail.html or by going to the Riverkeeper Blog at
http://stjohnsriverkeeper.blogspot.com/

Then, get involved.

[Ocklawaha]

Tale of a Lost River and Dead Sea

So where does the water go? Look at this little story from a place that is nearly paradise lost. California's step-child, Eastern California. This region is marked by the Owens valley, which was carved between the White Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. This is the back door to Yosemite, Sequoia and a host of other National Parks and forests. Fed by an alpine snow pack, the Owens River, bubbles out of the mountains at Convict Lake, at elevations that really do take your breath away.

 
This image shows the green valley of the Owens River, once one of the leading rivers of the West. Many early cowboy movies were shot in the nearby Alabama Hills, affording a location with eternal sunshine, cool temperatures and lots of water.


Here is the headwaters of the system, pristine, preserved and alpine, this place is colder then a Witches tits in a brass bra, and the snow pack can last all year, ever feeding the beautiful river.  


The Owens, was once the primary watering river in California, countless thousands of acres of ranch and farmland lined it's banks. Fishermen, still trek to it's upper reaches, and ghost towns dominate the lower Owens, where it fed the inland sea known as Owens Lake.  


The evil genius of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, under the leadership of  Mr. Mulholland, decided this sparsely populated paradise was the perfect place to "stick the hose" and pump the water off to distant LA. Water wars raged with explosions at the construction sites and even today, destruction of DWP property. With LA's massive population, they bought up the willing sellers early in the 1900's. Those that didn't willingly sell, were starved out, the water was re-routed into the Los Angeles Aqueduct.  


Olancha, is just one location on the West shore of the old Owens Lake. Once a popular resort and small inland port, it sits in the pass as one moves from Southern into Eastern California. Today, it is a sleepy arid place, the railroad, and the Lake, are now history.  


Further out on the plain, was the busy port of Swansea, steamboats tied up at the wharfs and from about 1869 until well into the 20Th century, great loads of Lead, and Silver made their way across the waters to the Olancha railhead. Keeler, another of my favorite places, is barely still hanging on. The great ore buckets that moved down from Cerro Gordo on a cable tram, hang in the air, silent. The mill still works a little ore, the railroad is gone, the lake is dry.


Once a lake more akin to an inland sea, today's hardy trekkers can drive out on the sands of Owens Lake and find the bones of great ships. The climate has changed here as well, your lips dry and chap, your nose bleeds, and the sun bakes everything into dust.


The pretty white sand is hardly what you think, Talc and Borax come from this area, and the dust is unbelievable. This once green and fertile plain, looks more like Mar's, then images from the Cartwright cowboys. Yet treasure might still be found by the hardy, who go in search, not of today, but of Yesterdays California.

Please dear God, don't let us follow in their footsteps. As a defender of the Ocklawaha, and a friend of the St. Johns, I may find myself and my friends tossing their lot in with the spirits of the Owens River wars. Fight on Riverkeeper!

Ocklawaha

[riverkeepered]

http://www.ocala.com/article/20070913/OPINION/209130339/1008/OPINION

Article published Sep 13, 2007

OUR OPINION
Forced to follow the law - finally

Here's the $500 million question: Just how much water could be pumped each day from the Ocklawaha River to Orlando and its Central Florida neighbors without destroying the waterway's ecosystem? A) 30 million gallons B) 50 million gallons or C) 100 million gallons.

The answer is . . . nobody knows. That's right, even though each of those rather large figures has been floated at some point by people seemingly in the know, no one really knows for sure how much water can be taken from the Ocklawaha before permanently harming the river and its fragile watershed, which incudes Silver Springs.

Nonetheless, the St. Johns River Water Management District is aggressively pressing ahead with its $500 million plan to solve greater Orlando's water crisis by building a pumping plant and a 136-mile pipeline tapping the Ocklawaha. In its zeal to help foster more growth in greater Orlando by refreshing its dwindling water supply with Ocklawaha water - that is, Marion County water - the water district has failed to answer the most basic of questions: Is such a big investment worth the eventual return?

That question can only be answered by establishing the river's "minimum flows and levels," or MFLs. MFLs require complex scientific analysis to determine just how low the river can be drawn down before environmental havoc occurs. After all, a river's or lake's watershed is home to untold varieties of plants, animals and geological formations, all dependent on a certain level of water flow to remain healthy and vibrant. St. Johns says it is preparing to measure the Ocklawaha's MFLs, presumably between 2008 and 2010, but that is only because it is being, at long last, forced to do so due to the pump-and-pipe proposal.

St. Johns' failure to have already established the Ocklawaha's MFLs is one more example of how Florida's water managers have engaged in mismanagement over the years. Establishing MFLs for Florida's aquifers, rivers and lakes was a well-known part of the Florida Water Resources Act of 1972, the legislation that formed the state's five water management districts and most of the law regulating water disbursement today.

Shamefully, however, the water districts, including St. Johns, have extensively ignored the MFLs requirement, law or not. The reason is simple, says former state senator Nancy Argenziano, who amended the water law twice during her tenure in the Legislature - in 1996 and 2005 - to try and expedite establishing MFLs statewide.

"They've moved very slowly," Argenziano told us. "If you establish MFLs, then you have to actually adhere to them."

And that could constrain water managers and the politicians in Tallahassee. What if the MFLs come up insufficient to allow, say, the Ocklawaha River being used as a source of drinking water for a major economic and political center like Orlando? What if a lack of water forced the state to get serious about desalination, or worse, force the curtailment of new development?

Once again, the water issue isn't being driven by what's best for Florida's environment. It's about money and political clout.

The dereliction shown by St. Johns and the other four water management districts by not establishing MFLs for the state's major rivers and lakes is inexplicable. The need for MFLs has been acknowledged by scientists since the get-go. Yet, they've been ignored by those charged with protecting our water.

It is not just the Ocklawaha, either. No MFLs have been established for Silver Springs or Rainbow Springs. We can't think of two more environmentally important and, yes, threatened Florida waters, and yet, those empowered to manage these irreplaceably resources have been unable to find the will to do what was legally mandated 35 years ago.

It is no wonder St. Johns' proposed solutions to the region's growing water shortage are met with such skepticism, indeed cynicism by local government and the citizenry alike. Establishing minimum flows and levels of Florida's major waterways is as old and fundamental as Florida's water law itself. Yet, here we are, preparing to raid a sensitive and increasingly stressed river - at a cost of $500 million - and our water managers can't even tell us how much water, if any, can be safely taken with doing irreparable environmental harm.

Before the taxpayers let St. Johns proceeds with spending $500 million of our money, we should expect the most basic of answers.

This editorial was published recently in the Ocala Star-Banner and demonstrates how politics are driving this water withdrawal effort.  The water withdrawal issue encompasses much more than concerns over the impacts to the St. Johns River or Ocklawaha.   This is about how we grow as a state.  Are we going to continue to deplete our precious resources and grow unsustainably?  We are at the crossroads, and have to decide whether or not we are going to choose a new course or continue down the same old road that requires us to put up our critical natural resources for sacrificial consideration. 

[riverkeepered]

I recognize that the purpose of a discussion forum is to actually have a dialogue and not simply continue the thread with your own observations and comments, but this issue of water withdrawal from the river is too important to let this thread fade off into obscurity. 

I must say that I am bit dismayed at the lack of attention that the water withdrawal issue has garnered on Metro Jax, considering the importance of the issue and the serious consequences that could result from the proposals to pull millions of gallons of water from our river.  I know that this forum was created to primarily focus on urban issues, but the St. Johns River is the heart and soul of our downtown and one of its major attractions and economic assets.  As the donor community for these proposed projects in Central Florida, we have nothing to gain and everything to potentially lose if unintended consequences cause harm to the St. Johns River. 

As I have mentioned before, this is about much more than just taking water from the St. Johns.  This is about the future of our water supply and the future of our state.  Do we continue to deplete and expoit our limited natural resources or do we choose a path that focuses on conservation and more sustainable building and planning practices?  Urban infill and revitalization would obviously be a part of the latter option.  I hope that we in NE FL will learn from the mistakes of Atlanta and Central Florida and will choose to be a leader in creating sustainable communities.   

If you are concerned, I would certainly like to hear what folks have to say about this issue.  If you would like to learn more about this issue, check out the Riverkeeper website where there is a factsheet and a letter that can be sent to the Governor and the Governing Board of the St. Johns River Water Management District by simply filling in your name and address and hitting the submit button.  The Riverkeeper blog also has info. and updates on the issue and links to articles that have appearing in various news publications around the state.

http://www.stjohnsriverkeeper.org/thirstthreatens.asp
http://stjohnsriverkeeper.blogspot.com/

Metro Jax members are obviously informed and engaged community leaders and activists.  I hope you will all take the time to learn more about this issue and get involved.  Your help and leadership could be vital to helping determine the future of our St. Johns River.

[jbm32206]

Thanks for the links....as this is an extremely important issue and it does need to stay in the limelight until something is done about preserving our water source.

[Ocklawaha]

Okay, so I really do have a bright yellow sticker that reads "DEFENDERS OF THE OCKLAWAHA!" The question is, DO YOU? Check us out...

http://www.fladefenders.org/index2.html

Defenders of TheOcklawaha

[Jason]

So what other options do these cities and regions have?  Are desalinization plants workable that far inland?

[lindab]

In 2003 The Florida Water Coalition, a non-profit org. of environmental, health and public interest groups, wrote the following statement. It was made as a response to a proposal to send water from the Suwanee River to south Florida. I think it is still a good response today.
http://www.floridawatercongress.org/summaries/summary_FWC.htm

Policy Action Plan to Protect Florida’s Water from the Impact of Growth

1.Prohibit inter-basin transfers of water supply or transfer of permits
Continues Florida’s policy of local sources first and treating water as a public resource, not a
privately owned commodity.

2.Limit guarantees of water for new growth so that development abides by the
sustainable limits of local sources.
Puts local communities in charge of managing their water supplies and growth while using
conservation and reclaimed water.

3.Make the Governor and Cabinet the ultimate decision-makers on water resource
and use conflicts.
Eliminates the need for a new state water board and allows citizens a fair process for
appealing decisions.

4.Prohibit state subsidies for water supply for new growth.
Puts the burden of financing expensive new water supply plans on the utilities which can use
their rate-base for long-term financing.

5.Protect water resources for the benefit of natural systems and fish and wildlife.
Redirects water managers to prioritize protecting and restoring the environment upon which
fish and wildlife and nature-based recreation depend.

6.Equalize budget limits for the water management districts.
Amends the Florida Constitution to remove Northwest Florida Water Management District’s
revenue limits in the Florida Constitution.

7.Boards of the Water Management Districts Should Avoid Personal Benefits and
Favors.
Increases citizen faith in responsive and fair government.

8.Put Florida’s Nature Based Economy on Par with the Growth Economy.
Economic growth through development is not superior to nature based economies.

9.Clean Water must be the highest priority in permit decisions and planning.
Updates Environmental Resource Permits to meet the current challenges of protecting
waterways from all development related pollution.

10.Investment in Protecting, Restoring and Cleaning Up Florida’s Water Should
Precede Growth Subsidies.
Reprioritizes spending to the multi-billion backlog of clean up and protection needs.[/li][/list]

[Jason]

Al of those sound like great ideas to me and they don't sound like too much of a strain on city budgets.


Add to that...

11.  Heavily restrict low density sprawling suburban development