Audubon continues to vigorously support the South Florida Water Management District’s proposal to make two day-a-week landscape irrigation permanent.  Reduction of landscape irrigation will help protect our freshwater resources for essential purposes such as drinking water and protecting wildlife habitat.  Please see the Sun-Sentinel’s article regarding landscape irrigation and Audubon’s advocacy on behalf of the Everglades.

Water Use Limits Still 'Temporary' After 2 Years

Industry, governments fight year-round rules

By Andy Reid at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"Temporary" turned into two years and counting for South Florida watering restrictions.

Landscape irrigation limits that in the past were imposed as drought-driven emergency actions have remained in place since March 2007.

During that time, the South Florida Water Management District has proposed making the limits permanent, twice-a-week watering restrictions. That would match year-round irrigation rules long in place for southwestern, central and northeastern Florida.

But South Florida cities and counties that make money selling water, as well as the water-dependent landscaping industry, continue to succeed in delaying approval of permanent, year-round watering rules.

Even as the district warns of water shortages, the agency keeps delaying final approval of permanent watering restrictions to try to work out a compromise.

In recent months, the district has even considered watering down its irrigation rules. That potentially could allow communities to return to three-day-a-week restrictions and eventually shift to twice a week.

Enough is enough, according to Audubon of Florida, which supports twice-a- week watering restrictions as a way to conserve South Florida's strained water supply.

Environmental groups like Audubon want to limit the withdrawal of water from the Everglades and other wetlands for South Florida drinking water supplies. Landscape irrigation already claims about half of South Florida's public water supply.

"The excessive use of water for landscaping irrigation is not something we should tolerate," said Jacquie Weisblum of Audubon. "Water for landscaping is the least of our concerns when it comes to our freshwater resources."

Utilities counter that twice-a-week limits go too far, driving up costs for water users and threatening to create water quality concerns.

The drop in water sales from lingering watering restrictions prompted many city and county utilities to impose surcharges on customers or raise rates to compensate for lost revenue they were counting on to cover the costs of water plants and pipelines.

Also, utilities need to keep water flowing through pipes to maintain water pressure and avoid stagnation that can lead to water quality concerns.

Limited storage capabilities mean water that could be used for landscaping and soaks back into the ground instead ends up getting "flushed" through water lines and out to sea.

"The pipes were designed for higher flows," said Randy Brown, Pompano Beach utilities director and chairman of the Southeast Florida Utility Council. "We are wasting the water. … There is no place to put it."

Working out a year-round rule that utilities accept would allow the district to avoid a potential legal challenge. "We are trying to build a broad consensus," district spokesman Gabe Margasak said.

Miami-Dade County this year decided not to wait for the water management district to take action and imposed its own year-round, twice-a-week watering rule. Cities and counties can impose watering rules that are more restrictive than regional standards.

A long-term solution to South Florida's water supply needs would be building more reservoirs and other water storage.

The system of canals and levees that protects development and agriculture on former Everglades land from flooding doesn't have enough storage capability to hold water for times of need. As a result, South Florida dumps about 1.7 billion gallons of water out to sea on a typical summer rainy day.

Utilities have called for building more reservoirs to help stretch supplies. They argue that conservation requires having more places to hold water.

Audubon supports building reservoirs, but contends that conservation through year-round watering rules is a logical start.

"This needs to be about protecting the water resource," Weisblum said.

Most of South Florida remains under the "temporary" twice-a-week watering restrictions.

Year-round watering rules are once again on the agenda for the monthly meeting of the district's appointed board on Thursday. Once again, the decision is expected to be delayed.