Post by jonsdigs on Dec 21, 2006 22:52:17 GMT -5
Officials emphasize need to conserve water
Hernando Today
By TONY MARRERO
Published: Dec 20, 2006
BROOKSVILLE — Hernando County is getting drier by the day and so, too, is the aquifer.
During the season when daily thunderstorms drench the earth, it’s hard to imagine that water is a finite resource. Then a parched reminder comes in the form of drought and the drumbeat of conservation begins in earnest.
The drum is sounding again, with an additional concern: Hernando County residents are using several more million gallons each month than what is allowed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
The wet season wasn’t so wet this year, and now the area is facing a rainfall deficit of up to 17 inches below normal average rainfall, according to the water management district commonly known as Swiftmud.
That takes a heavy toll on the Floridan Aquifer that is already being tapped to supply water to much of the thirsty Tampa Bay region, including Hernando County, said Swiftmud spokesman Michael Molligan.
“When you take more water out of the aquifer than what’s going in, you run the risk of problems,” Molligan said.
The district covers an area from Charlotte County to the south to portions of Levy and Marion counties to the north.
As of last week, the average aquifer level in the district’s northern region, which includes Hernando County, was about 8 inches below the historic normal range, Molligan said.
Compare that figure to last year, when the level was at 3.4 feet.
Lakes in the northern region are an average of 2.28 feet below historic normal range.
Swiftmud’s governing board last week gave its executive director power to declare a water shortage if conditions warrant it before the board’s next meeting on Jan. 30. That could trigger watering restrictions tighter than the current two-day-per-week limit, which already is among the strictest in the state.
The goal is to limit the risk of complications that come from a stressed aquifer such as the drawdown of lakes and wetlands, Molligan said.
When wetlands dry up, the vegetation dies off, inhibiting the natural filtering capacity that prevents pollution and other sediment from reaching the aquifer.
Drier lakes and wetlands also mean the loss of habitat for wildlife.
A layer of salty groundwater underlies the fresh groundwater in the Floridan Aquifer. When the fresh groundwater is pumped out at too high a rate, the salty groundwater could get drawn up and, mix with fresh water, rendering it undrinkable.
Spring flows are affected as well. So far, the springs that are the source of the Weekiwachee River are in the normal range, Molligan said.
A stressed aquifer also increases the frequency of sinkhole development. When heavy withdrawals from groundwater remove water from underground caverns, sinkholes are more likely to form.
The news that Hernando County is pumping more than its fair share adds to the sense of urgency that Alys Brockway, the county’s water conservation manager, tries to convey every day.
The average Florida resident uses 103 gallons of water each day, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
Every day, more than four billion gallons of groundwater are consumed in the state to satisfy the demands of agriculture, industry, power plants, development, and municipal and public water supplies.
Brockway said that one of the most important messages she sends has to do with outdoor irrigation — the quest for healthy grass is one of the biggest draws on the water supply.
Brockway said she finds many people are not educated about wise water use, especially the ability to reduce irrigation during the cooler winter months when grass and other plants go dormant.
Watering just once a week could be often enough to keep grass alive and healthy, she said.
“From about November to Valentines Day, cut back,” Brockway said.
Article
Hernando Today
By TONY MARRERO
Published: Dec 20, 2006
BROOKSVILLE — Hernando County is getting drier by the day and so, too, is the aquifer.
During the season when daily thunderstorms drench the earth, it’s hard to imagine that water is a finite resource. Then a parched reminder comes in the form of drought and the drumbeat of conservation begins in earnest.
The drum is sounding again, with an additional concern: Hernando County residents are using several more million gallons each month than what is allowed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
The wet season wasn’t so wet this year, and now the area is facing a rainfall deficit of up to 17 inches below normal average rainfall, according to the water management district commonly known as Swiftmud.
That takes a heavy toll on the Floridan Aquifer that is already being tapped to supply water to much of the thirsty Tampa Bay region, including Hernando County, said Swiftmud spokesman Michael Molligan.
“When you take more water out of the aquifer than what’s going in, you run the risk of problems,” Molligan said.
The district covers an area from Charlotte County to the south to portions of Levy and Marion counties to the north.
As of last week, the average aquifer level in the district’s northern region, which includes Hernando County, was about 8 inches below the historic normal range, Molligan said.
Compare that figure to last year, when the level was at 3.4 feet.
Lakes in the northern region are an average of 2.28 feet below historic normal range.
Swiftmud’s governing board last week gave its executive director power to declare a water shortage if conditions warrant it before the board’s next meeting on Jan. 30. That could trigger watering restrictions tighter than the current two-day-per-week limit, which already is among the strictest in the state.
The goal is to limit the risk of complications that come from a stressed aquifer such as the drawdown of lakes and wetlands, Molligan said.
When wetlands dry up, the vegetation dies off, inhibiting the natural filtering capacity that prevents pollution and other sediment from reaching the aquifer.
Drier lakes and wetlands also mean the loss of habitat for wildlife.
A layer of salty groundwater underlies the fresh groundwater in the Floridan Aquifer. When the fresh groundwater is pumped out at too high a rate, the salty groundwater could get drawn up and, mix with fresh water, rendering it undrinkable.
Spring flows are affected as well. So far, the springs that are the source of the Weekiwachee River are in the normal range, Molligan said.
A stressed aquifer also increases the frequency of sinkhole development. When heavy withdrawals from groundwater remove water from underground caverns, sinkholes are more likely to form.
The news that Hernando County is pumping more than its fair share adds to the sense of urgency that Alys Brockway, the county’s water conservation manager, tries to convey every day.
The average Florida resident uses 103 gallons of water each day, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
Every day, more than four billion gallons of groundwater are consumed in the state to satisfy the demands of agriculture, industry, power plants, development, and municipal and public water supplies.
Brockway said that one of the most important messages she sends has to do with outdoor irrigation — the quest for healthy grass is one of the biggest draws on the water supply.
Brockway said she finds many people are not educated about wise water use, especially the ability to reduce irrigation during the cooler winter months when grass and other plants go dormant.
Watering just once a week could be often enough to keep grass alive and healthy, she said.
“From about November to Valentines Day, cut back,” Brockway said.
Article