Future growth makes water conservation vital: Editorial

Floridians got some encouraging environmental news recently. Over the past decade, we pumped less water out of the ground even as the state's population grew by nearly 3 million. Conservation was cited as one of several factors that afforded relief to our stressed water resources, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Before toasting such success with a glass of our finest drawn from deep in the Floridan Aquifer, however, we should delve into the future of Florida's drinking water supply. Here the outlook becomes more sobering.

While the study proves personal conservation works, other factors cited for the decline in consumption include rainfall, strong water-use regulation and slowing economic conditions (for the period 2000-2010). In a related national report, water use was down overall with much of the savings credited to improvements in agricultural irrigation and industrial use. Individual consumers have little or no control over those factors.

The issue is of obvious importance to Floridians. Earlier this month voters overwhelmingly adopted a constitutional amendment that will oblige lawmakers to spend a significant amount of money on land and water conservation. Such projects should help protect the state's water supply, but it will be money wasted if not spent wisely. The reason: A fresh onslaught of population and development growth is almost certainly headed our way, and aggressive water demand will follow.

That conclusion is reached by another recent study, this one particularly relevant to Central Florida. Population growth in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Polk and southern Lake counties will soar by nearly 50 percent during the next two decades, according to the Central Florida Water Initiative's 2014 report. The result: Total water demand will grow at such a rate "that fresh groundwater resources alone cannot meet future water demands . . . without resulting in unacceptable impacts to water resources and related natural systems," the report states.

It's a plausible scenario that Central Floridians would be wise to prepare for. While nearly every respondent to a 2014 University of Florida poll ranked clean drinking water as one of the most important issues facing the state, support for conservation measures grew squishy if they entailed personal sacrifice. While 90 percent of those polled said they run their washing machine only when full, only 29 percent said they would time their showers to save water. Nearly half admitted to letting the faucet run continuously at least some of the time when washing dishes.

Each of us will need to be better stewards of the finite and irreplaceable resource that is Florida's water supply. We will need to demand that our government officials stiffen their resolve to stop wasteful water use and reckless development. Otherwise, recent gains in conservation become an excuse for inaction.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opini...114-story.html


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