Audubon of Florida applauds the South Florida Water Management District for heightening awareness of water conservation through the 2011-2012 dry season.
After a record breaking 2010- 2011 dry season, rains from the fourth wettest October on record brought Lake Okeechobee’s water levels above the water shortage line. The Governing Board decided unanimously to lift the water restrictions across the District. After lifting restrictions, the Board acknowledged that forecasts still predict a drier than normal dry season under La Nina conditions and that Lake Okeechobee was still below average lake levels. The Governing Board voted in a 5-4 decision to declare a water shortage warning across the District.
A water shortage warning places the SFWMD’s 16 counties on heightened alert for the potential of a water shortage and encourages heightened vigilance and voluntary water conservation efforts. It also means that the SFWMD is on the cusp of going back into water restrictions if needed.
Governing Board members discussed the need to avoid repeating the harm that impacted the environment and economy during the 2011 dry season. This year, endangered Everglade Snail Kite nesting suffered at the end of the dry season likely due to low water levels. Cities such as West Palm Beach were within weeks of running out of water supplies. If there had been larger water restrictions earlier in the dry season, hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money may have been saved by avoiding the need for temporary forward pumps at end of the dry season to supply some users’ water.
Broward Governing Board member Glenn Waldman championed the need for heightened awareness of a possible water shortage by making the motion for a water shortage warning, which was seconded by Miami-Dade member Sandy Batchelor.
Audubon looks forward to working with the SFWMD through the upcoming dry season to encourage voluntary water conservation. Additionally, we strongly urge the SFWMD to institute adequate water restrictions proactively if needed to protect our treasured environment and economy.
To the left, EAA crops irrigated with water pumped out of Lake Okeechobee in May, a time when Everglade Snail Kites had abandoned babies in the nests and fled the Lake due to low water. The Hoover Dike is in the background. Photo by Dr. Paul Gray.
