Water: Smart Use of a Limited Resource

Permit us to make a prediction — an educated guess: One of the greatest environmental issues you will face in your lifetime will have to do with the availability of clean, fresh water for humans and other animals. And as you may know, Florida has been struggling with the use of the state’s limited fresh water supplies — from both surface runoff and underground aquifers — ever since canal-building, water diversion and the draining of the state’s wetlands began more than a century ago.

Thinking Big

So who gets Florida’s limited pure, fresh water supply? Here are the stakeholders:

• The growing human population of South Florida, now approaching 8 million people.

• The Everglades ecosystem and its wildlife such as the American alligator and the wood stork.

• The agricultural industry and other business interests.

That is where the South Florida Water Management District’s (SFWMD) conservation program enters the picture. In their own words,

“To balance diverse needs, the South Florida Water Management District focuses on managing and protecting these [freshwater] resources.”