Water rules eased, but aren't ended

Some restrictions may become all year in South Florida.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published July 12, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH - Water managers loosened restrictions Wednesday on water use throughout parts of South Florida after heavy coastal rains brought much-needed relief.

Residents in Lake Worth, Lantana, Hallandale and Dania Beach remain under the most severe restrictions, with irrigation allowed only once a week, because of the danger of saltwater intrusion into the cities' coastal wells. If that happens, the wells could be rendered useless for a decade, the South Florida Water Management District said.

And farmers and residents around Lake Okeechobee got no relief from restrictions that are intended to cut back use by up to 50 percent in that region.

Okeechobee, the heart of the Everglades and a backup drinking water source for millions of South Florida residents, has been hitting a record low almost weekly. Its main artery, the Kissimmee River, hasn't flowed south in more than eight months, depriving the lake of 50 percent of its water.

Water managers say the Kissimmee River basin needs about 5 feet of rain just to catch up after an 18-month dry spell. Officials estimate that 50 percent of the drinking water produced in South Florida is used to water lawns and gardens.

Water restrictions were eased along the lower eastern coast because of above-average rainfall there. The district, which manages 2,000 miles of canals, has no way to pump water back into Lake Okeechobee, so if the excess water from recent rains isn't used now, it will be pumped into the ocean for flood control.

Along with Wednesday's decision to loosen restrictions in some areas, the district board also is considering imposing year-round restrictions to prepare for future droughts.

"With conditions in the Lake Okeechobee watershed so radically different from conditions along the coast, the district is still in a severe regional water shortage," said district board chairman Eric Buermann. "Even with modified water restrictions in some areas, we must still practice wise water use and conservation."

[Last modified July 12, 2007, 00:28:40]