South Florida Water Managers Call For Conservation
March 10, 2011 As below-average rainfall causes water levels across Central and South Florida to continue declining, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board took action to protect regional water supplies. A water shortage warning approved by the Governing Board encourages residents and businesses throughout the District’s 16-county region to voluntarily reduce water use. Under a separate water shortage order, specific permitted water users in the L-8 Basin of Palm Beach County are required to reduce withdrawals by 15%.
“With water levels falling and the peak of the dry season yet to come, we must take every prudent precaution,” said Tommy Strowd, SFWMD Deputy Executive Director of Operations and Maintenance. “Today’s actions are a step toward safeguarding the regional water supply against the effects of an already record-setting dry season. We are asking South Florida’s residents and businesses to do their part to help the region cope with extreme dry conditions by reducing their water use,” as they have done in the past.
The Governing Board action follows the driest October-to-February period since District recordkeeping began 80 years ago.
To protect water resources, conservation measures now in place involving business use include:
- Because of significantly low water levels in the L-8 Canal, a 15% reduction in water withdrawals is in place for permitted water users, such as agriculture, improvement districts and water suppliers, within the L-8 Basin — which includes central and eastern Palm Beach County.
- A water shortage warning issued in November for the Lake Okeechobee Service Area, Lake Istokpoga and Indian Prairie Basin remains in place. The warning calls for permitted water users — mostly agricultural users — to reduce water use through voluntary limits.
The SFWMD will continue to monitor water levels to determine if additional steps need to be taken in the coming weeks.
For more information, visit http://www.sfwmd.gov.
Source: South Florida Water Management District