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County exceeding water limit

By ASJYLYN LODER
Published December 20, 2006

Hernando County residents pump nearly 2-million gallons of water a day that they are not entitled to, county and regional officials said Tuesday.

The violation could mean fines for the county's utility.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, better known as Swiftmud, establishes caps on groundwater use to protect the region's water supply from hazards like saltwater intrusion. Violating the caps is against the law.

Western Hernando County, which includes most of the county utility's customers, has been violating its 21-million gallon daily cap since March, said Jesse Goodwin, interim director of Hernando County's Utility Department. On some days, use spiked to nearly 30-million gallons, he said.

Average daily use neared 23-million gallons this year, said Rebecca Courier, Swiftmud spokeswoman.

This is the first time the county has violated its cap in the 25 years he has worked for the utility, Goodwin said.

County Administrator Gary Kuhl urged residents to control water use.

"This isn't something the county government is doing," said Kuhl, a former executive director of Swiftmud. "It's not like we can turn a different valve."

Irrigation - particularly lawn watering - is the biggest culprit, Kuhl said. Scant rainfall during the normal rainy season contributed to the overpumping.

Courier did not know if other counties were suffering similar problems due to lower than normal rainfall.

Swiftmud first notified the county of the violations on June 2, and gave the county 30 days to fix the problem, according to a Nov. 21 letter Swiftmud sent the county. But the violations continued.

Goodwin and Kuhl met with Swiftmud officials early this month. Kuhl described the relationship so far as "cooperative."

"They weren't really interested in punishing us," Goodwin said. "They were more interested in seeing what we're going to do about it."

Courier declined to speculate on possible fines.

The west Hernando service area, where the violations persist, includes 58,400 of the utility's 62,000 customers, basically every user west of Brooksville. Brooksville Utility Department is not over its cap, Goodwin said.

Hernando County's Utility Department divides the west Hernando service area into two sections, each with its own cap, set by Swiftmud permits, Goodwin said. Eastern Hernando has a separately permitted cap, and remains in compliance.

Numbers used in this story represent the combined totals for the two western permit areas.

Violations are calculated based on a daily average, not on a single day's use, Goodwin said.

The county applied for an increase in its west Hernando cap to a combined 25-million gallons a day. The county has until Jan. 3 to respond to Swiftmud's questions about the application. Goodwin said the application is close to completion and he expects Swiftmud to grant the increase in the first three months of 2007.

Still, that leaves the county very little room for growth, especially in dry times, Goodwin said. October use topped 24-million gallons a day, he pointed out.

"It's important for the public to know they've got to help us on this," Kuhl said.

It's a community problem that requires a community solution, he explained.

Residents must follow the twice-weekly restrictions that forbid watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Goodwin said he's working to step up enforcement, including fines against residents who violate the restrictions.

Asjylyn Loder can be reached at aloder@sptimes.com or 352754-6127.

What's going on?

Hernando County residents are using 2-million gallons a day of water they're not entitled to.

Why does that matter? Hernando County Utilities Department faces possible fines from Swiftmud. More importantly, the caps are established to prevent overpumping of the region's water supply, which can lead to hazards like saltwater intrusion.

Where? The overuse is in Hernando County, west of Brooksville.

How can I help? Water restrictions limit county residents to twice-weekly lawn watering, based on address, between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. Violators can be fined. To find out when you're allowed to water, call the county Utilities Department at (352) 754-4103.

[Last modified December 20, 2006, 02:26:00]