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A rancher finally wins consent to pump more water. But he says it's not enough.
By BRADY DENNIS
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 1, 2001
ZEPHYRHILLS -- Thonotosassa rancher Robert Thomas recently won the approval he has long sought to pump more water from his Two Rivers Ranch to Zephyrhills Spring Water Co.
But it came at a price.
For one, the 30,000 extra gallons a day approved by the Southwest Florida Water Management District is far less than a request Thomas already had pending.
In that request, he had asked for a 10-year permit that would allow him to draw up to 1.15-million gallons per day from the springs. But under Swiftmud rules, no one can have two requests pending at the same time.
So Thomas had to drop the larger plea for more water in favor of the smaller one. It wasn't an easy decision, but Thomas said he had to do something immediately to satisfy the growing demand for bottled water.
"It helps us meet the demand customers have," Thomas said. "But it's just a bandage. It's a stopgap measure. By no means is this a final solution."
Thomas' current permit, which expires in 2004, allows him to pump 301,000 gallons a day from the springs. For years, he has been battling with little luck for permission to pump many times that amount.
He even has taken the issue to court after Swiftmud denied a January 2000 request to pump nearly 2-million additional gallons from the springs. A Lakeland appeals court this year upheld a ruling against the increase.
Even Thomas' recently approved 30,000-gallon increase came with strings attached.
First, he must replace every gallon he takes out of the springs with an equal amount of water from a source outside the Hillsborough River basin.
The replacement water also must be of equal quality to what is withdrawn. And the pumping can't start until Swiftmud staff has all the information on what water will replace the amount taken out.
So why not just use water from elsewhere to send straight to Zephyrhills?
Company officials say it has to do with truth in advertising. They advertise their product as coming from a natural spring. So that's why it must come from Thomas' ranch.
Thomas said he is still trying to secure a source for the new water. He expects that to happen in coming weeks.
And before long, he expects to file another request with Swiftmud for additional water.
"We're working on that," Thomas said. "We still need quite a lot more water than we were allocated. The demand for our product is going to constantly increase."