Recently, an elite business group made known its intentions to convince the Legislature and Gov. Bush to radically alter Florida water law so that limited drinking water supplies in Central and South Florida don't impede future growth and development there. A different perspective, which puts people and the environment first, is the preferred approach if we want to maintain the environment and quality of life now and in the future. Here's why.
Since the 1970s, state water policy has prohibited moving water from one area to another with canals or pipelines. Then as now, the correct and fundamental concept is that our climate, geology and landscapes have limited water budgets. When you move that water outside those natural limitations, the result is damage not only to the area from where the water is taken, but receiving areas become artificial, unsustainable places where water is manipulated for the benefit of a few. This practice means that the donor area sacrifices future opportunities to make choices regarding economic development, recreation, environmental quality, and eventually, low-cost drinkable water. In effect, these areas subsidize growth and development in areas that have grown beyond their means. Rather than pay their fair share to provide water, they ask you to pay in the false name of economic growth and prosperity.
Since 2001, the Florida Water Coalition has been meeting to sound the alarm that our waters are at risk, and to provide thoughtful, reasoned ways to deal with existing water issues while making sure that clean, plentiful water is appropriately available for environmental, agricultural and development needs. The key is re-establishing this relationship, and ending current process that makes this balance "work" by taking water from the environment that sustains us all. FWC is an alliance of the state's leading environmental, public health and public interest groups, formed to educate citizens and decision-makers on water policy, analyze and evaluate changes to water law, and to speak out and mobilize the public voice necessary to protect our shared water resources that are under threat.
FWC has three primary goals: (1) water must be clean and safe; (2) waters and submerged public lands must not be privatized or misused; and (3) water management must protect natural systems. Several ideas proposed by the Council of 100 threaten these very goals.
We certainly agree that water has to be clean and safe - the difference is the council believes it can find "excess" water in the north so those further south can be spared the expense and delay of finding other sources. Cleaning up their own water, making their own water, using local sources first, and real water conservation measures are not part of the Council of 100's equation. Why not? Because it's cheaper to take it from other parts of Florida to address the approaching crisis. We think the crisis is already here, and our environment is the most immediate resource threatened, and it will get much worse if ideas like this are allowed to go forward.
We see a fundamental conflict with this whole approach. Under the guise of using "public" water supplies, the council proposes a statewide water commission that could route water from water-rich areas to water-poor ones - your water just became "ours." In other words, although there has never been any thought of sharing the jobs and economic prosperity of Central and South Florida with the north, we now want to "share" your water because that is in the state's best interest. In reality it's special interest thinking at its worst. It would also get around any pesky water management district that thought, as the law requires, that water sources are meant to be maintained and protected for the benefit of its region. We have all seen what happens when too much water is taken from our rivers and aquifers. Another objectionable council idea is to use publicly owned state lands to supply water. Somehow it forgets that one of the very important reasons the public buys land is to protect the water recharge areas and sources it contains. This bad idea would mean that the public buys land so we can "help" developers provide the water not available anywhere else. Does anyone think this is a good idea other than those who benefit financially?
We have a different idea. Let's put water resource protection, and environmental protection overall, on the same level of importance as new growth and economic development. Your voice can provide the political will and support that will be called on more than ever to stop bad ideas for finding water before it's too late. We ask that you let your elected officials know that what the Council of 100 proposes is not workable. Instead, the message must be that the only way Florida can have a sustainable future is to use its water resources wisely for the benefit of all.
- Charles Pattison is the executive director of 1000 Friends of Florida, a member organization of the Florida Water Coalition.
