Audubon Florida Everglades Policy Associate Jane Graham reports from the 2012 Land Grant and Sea Grant National Water Conference where she presented about the implementation of Minimum Flows and Levels - an especially important topic here in Florida. Enjoy Jane's report!

Last week I attended and presented at the 2012 Land Grant and Sea Grant National Water Conference in Portland,Oregon. It was a great opportunity to learn about innovations to conserve and clean water in different areas throughout the United States.

In the water availability session, I gave a presentation on the implementation of Minimum Flows and Levels, which are Florida laws that aim to protect water bodies from significant harm. While laws to protect Lake Okeechobee, Florida Bay, and other water bodies look good on paper, meaningful implementation of plans to prevent harm and recover these areas from harm has been lacking. Audubon continues to advocate for better and more meaningful implementation of these rules, especially for Lake Okeechobee.

Click here for a link to my powerpoint presentation.

There were a variety of presentations and posters on water conservation techniques and best management practices (BMPs) at the conference. I learned that there are types of grass that only need to be watered once every 50 days (and perhaps less in rainy environments)- a dramatic improvement when comparing this water demand to the current rules in South Florida for two days a week landscape irrigation. There were also presentations on a variety of water saving techniques, such as rain gardens to recycle car wash water and reduce pollutants in runoff.

Click here to see Audubon Florida's Top Ten Water Conservation Tips.

It was inspiring to learn about the various partnerships between universities, farmers, nonprofits, and municipalities to better manage water throughout the nation. BMP Challenge based in Wisconsin is a non-profit that partners with farmers to help implement BMPs to improve water quality and water storage throughout the United States.

It was a great opportunity and offered a fresh perspective to speak with people who work on similar water quality and quantity issues to Audubon Florida.