South Florida Everglades Restoration Project

Lake Okeechobee is at the north of the Everglades region and it continues into the Florida Bay and the southern peninsula of the state. The Everglades region is the only of its kind in the U.S. It is composed of freshwater marshes, wetland tree islands, and mangrove swamps among others. There is a lot of biodiversity in the area, and plants and animals there have adapted to low nutrient levels that were present before human activity changed the nutrient levels in the area. Minor changes in the ecosystem are devastating to different species living there. There are 56 plant and animal species living there that are on the endangered species list. The Restoration Project is an urgent attempt to bring the Everglades region back to its former self. After a series of hurricanes hit the area and massive flooding ensued, the everglades region was drained with canals diverting its water into the Gulf and the Atlantic. In the 80's after serious droughts that resulted in the major drying up of the area has resulted in the "Save our Everglades" campaign.

There has also been a major problem with the water table levels due to the drying up the Everglades, and is a concern because it is the main source of groundwater for the east coast. Also there has been major problem with algae blooms, a huge one occurring in 1986 due to nutrient overload in the area which led to legislation controlling water quality and an act which required a 40% reduction in phosphorus dumping into Lake Okeechobee. Today it receives 1.5 tons of phosphorus a day from fertilizer runoff and raw waste from dairy farms. The area contains 10-20 times the normal levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. This causes problems for native vegetative species as those that thrive in these over fertile conditions take over. There is an Everglades Restoration Project that will restore and clean the Everglades as well and the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project.

 Reference:

http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/maidment/grad/dugger/GLADES/glades.html

Runoff Water

How important is the Earth's runoff water? Even though we don't hear much about it, it's all around us.

When rain or snow falls onto the earth, it starts moving down the soil. A portion of the water seeps into the ground to replenish Earth's groundwater.

The other portion of it flows downhill as runoff. Runoff is extremely important in that not only does it keep rivers and lakes full of water, but it also changes the landscape by erosion. Flowing water is so powerful that it can move boulders and carve out canyons like the Grand Canyon. During storms, is when we get most of our runoff water. This water flows into rivers and streams.

Some meteorological factors affecting runoff are for instance, type of precipitation, rain, snow, sleet, rainfall, intensity, amount, and duration. Some physical characteristics affecting runoff are land use, vegetation, soil type, drainage area, basin shapes, elevation, slope, topography, drainage network patterns, and ponds.

Moreover, in storm runoff and water quality the majority of storm water is absorbed by the soil, which is called infiltration. This water is stored as ground water and slowly discharges into the streams. In these conditions flooding is less significant because some of the runoff from a storm is absorbed by the soil.

As watersheds develop by our urban cities, much of the natural soil is turned into impervious surface. These man made surfaces reduces the area where water can be absorbed by infiltration. Thus more runoff water occurs and now human made drainage systems, curbs, and ditches carry most of the water directly to the streams. Simply put, developed watersheds carry the runoff water more quickly to the streams, resulting in an increasing of the likelihood that more floods will occur. 

How do we take care of this problem? Well we use drainage ditches that carry off the storm water runoff to storage ponds and these often hold off and collect sediments in order to keep it going out to streams.

Also runoff from farms and even your own yard carry extra nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus into streams, lakes, and groundwater drinking water. All the excess nutrients can degrade our water quality we use for drinking, swimming, and fishing.

Runoff water is an important factor for us and we can make changes in our habits to keep our water safe. We can do this by limiting the pesticides in our yards. Also, by not dumping paint, used motor oil, and insecticides into the ground or into storm drains. To limit flooding we can limit the times we water our yards and cover piles of dirt or mulch being used in landscaping projects. All these precautions can prevent extra sediments in our groundwater. If we take all of these measures, we will have cleaner drinking water and ultimately a heather society.

References:

http://water.epa.gov/action/weatherchannel/stormwater.cfm
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/runoff.html
http://www.baysoundings.com/spring04/lid.html
http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=34598

Water Depletion

   Moving to Florida, the land surrounded by water, one would believe that fresh water is plentiful.  Water depletion, or as some have come to call it: “The Water Crisis”, affects us all directly or indirectly. The Floridian Aquifer is one of the most productive aquifers in the world. As Florida grows in population more and more fresh water is needed. With the droughts that have gripped the nation and urban sprawl moving into sensitive aquifer recharge zones.  Depletion of the aquifer has been felt in the south of the state the most.  Around the state of Florida sink holes are big issues. One reason that sink holes occur is the fluctuation of the aquifer’s water level. In the cold months farmers attempt to minimize crop loss by pumping large amounts of water out of the aquifer to keep plants and fruits from freezing. In turn the large amount of water pumped in a fast amount of time depletes the surrounding aquifer’s supply and a sink hole develops.

   The state of Florida has recognized the importance of our aquifers due to fresh drinking water. In 2010 the state passed the Florida’s Growth Management Act and the Water Protection and Sustainability Program. With the passage of these bills the state’s five water districts will be preparing for the future in terms of water usage and aquifer sustainability.  As residents of Florida we can all pitch in and do our part to help with the ever growing need to be “water wise”.   You can visit the Environmental Protection Agencies website on water sense at: http://www.epa.gov/watersense/ for tips on how to be water wise in and out of your home. We must remember that water is the life of our communities, state, country and world.

   Growing up in the West Texas where lakes are few and rivers run dry with the heat of the summer it is about as far from Florida’s usual summer time rain showers as one can get. Water from your well is more than a drink, it is your livelihood. Farmers use it for irrigating crops, raising livestock, and people need it for survival.  I took a trip to my home town of Muleshoe, Texas over the 4^th of July holiday and I spoke to a few childhood friends that have now taken over family farms. In their eye there is not much to celebrate. With the drought that has much of the state praying for rain the water under their feet from the once massive Ogallala Aquifer is receding. Now the new generations of farmers know what the old timers once feared.       

   The balance between recharge and discharge is at an imbalance. The massive amount of water that is taken out of the Ogallala aquifer from year to year has increased over time. We must think of aquifers as bank accounts, we must make deposits along with the withdrawals.  Many farmers in Bailey County have had to resort to dry land farming. This reduces the amount of crops that one can grow and also dramatically lowers the yield. The reliance of rain fall is a game of chance that calls one’s prosperity and livelihood into play. Changes in the way that crops are irrigated have helped. At one time large aqueduct systems dug out of the ground flooded the fields. It was great for the crops but not for water sustainability. A method most commonly used today is center pivot irrigation systems with use of drip sprinklers. Many advances in irrigation are coming along due to the depletion of water sources. With water conservation, the right planning of crops, and improvements in irrigation, we as a nation can feed ourselves and the world.

 References:

http://pelotes.jea.com/animalfact/naturesafety/aquifers.htm

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-103-03/

http://www.ozh2o.com/h2use.html

http://geology.com/usgs/high-plains-aquifer.shtml

http://www.waterinfo.org/ground-water-depletion

Water Pollution In Florida

Water pollution is a huge problem in Florida, partly because it is so populated. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA, realizes that water pollution is a problem in Florida and they are taking steps to correct the problem. They realize that green slime is coating some of our waters, so they have decided to enforce new regulations, but they will not take effect until early 2012 because of the costs. Rivers and lakes in Florida are being polluted and it is causing fish and other species to die. The types of pollution they are trying to eliminate comes from treated sewage, stormwater runoff, agricultural drainage, and industrial discharges that affect our streams, lakes, rivers and springs. Although it will cost millions of dollars to make the changes, you cannot put a price on clean water.

Sewage and industrial waste are not the only pollutants. Fertilizers and pesticides, waste from pets, household garbage, and oil from automobiles are also pollutants that severely affect our drinking water, our plants and animals, and our swimming areas. The good thing is that we have control over these pollutants and we can do things to limit them. For example, we can limit the amount of fertilizer or pesticide we use and try to use it when rain is not expected. This will keep it from washing off the lawn and into ground waters. It is also helpful to wash cars in the grass so the runoff will stay in the ground and not wash into bodies of water in the area. If people also pick up animal waste from their pets and use biodegradable products that decompose instead of polluting the earth, we could make a big difference in the pollution levels in Florida.

We still need help because of the pollution from businesses and farms that we cannot control, and this is the area where the government is stepping in. Although Governor Rick Scott would like Florida to set its own water pollution standards, a bill passed the House that lowers the standards for how much pollution goes into Florida waters. The current standards were enacted in 1968, and many people are worried about lowering them because it will impact our water. Currently, there are five classes of water and they are based on how the water is used. There are limits on how much pollution can be dumped into the waterways to keep the levels in a given body of water from degrading to a lower class because it would change how that water could be used. However, with the new standards experts are worried that the water-quality will decline tremendously. The bill is headed for the Senate, but it will be awhile before it is considered.

References:
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-11-15/news/os-epa-pollution-rules-florida-20101115_1_pollution-rules-water-pollution-limits-regional-epa-administrator
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npstbx/files/protectflwater.pdf
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/proposal-eases-limits-on-pollution-in-florida-waterways/1167210

Fresh Water Sources in Florida



Source: wec.ufl.edu



  Living in Florida, we have many concerns. One of which may not be as obvious as you would think. Yes, we are surrounded by water and have rain almost every day during the summer months. But, our supply of fresh water is rather limited. This is mostly due to our large population causing a greater demand for more water. Floridian's demand for fresh water is about 8 billion gallons of water per day. The three main sources of fresh water come from ground water, springs, and reclaimed water. If you live in a rural area, you may get your water supply from a well that is drilled several feet into the ground or from a nearby pond. In urban areas, our water comes from water treatment plants.

  One of the largest sources for fresh water in Florida is aquifers. They provide almost all of our drinking water. The Floridan Aquifer is the largest aquifer in the state, supplying the northern part of the state, most of the inland areas, and the majority of the western part of the state. Surficial aquifers are generally less than one hundred feet deep and are often contaminated by saltwater and other pollutants. Surficial aquifers (there are a few different ones) mainly run along the eastern and southern shorelines of Florida.



Source: waterindustry.org



  In the Tampa Bay area, we have a desalination plant that purifies saltwater from the ocean to provide our area with about twenty-five million gallons of drinking water per day, which is only about ten percent of what we use. It uses reverse osmosis to seperate the saltwater from the freshwater. Reverse osmosis is a process that forcefully pushes saltwater through a filter with holes small enough to remove the salt, resulting in freshwater.



Source: isikora.umwblogs.org


   The Florida wetlands and Everglades also account for a large amount of the state's freshwater. 90% of the state's wetland area is actually freshwater. The water found in these places, however, is mostly used for animal and plant habitat. We do not use the water found here as our fresh water supply.      






  We need to find ways to preserve our supply of fresh water in Florida. Luckily, the state government has been focusing on this for years. State legislature has put the Florida's Growth Management Act in place to develop a procedure for projecting our water supply. The Water Protection and Sustainability Program has also been put in place to certify the state is evaluating area needs for water and ensuring those needs are being met. 

References:
Miller, G. Tyler, Scott Spoolman, and Daniel D. Chiras. Environmental Science. 12th ed. Mason: Cengage  Learning, 2008. Print.
http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/aquifers.html
http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/drinking.html
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1342/
www.dca.state.fl.us/fdcp/DCP/WaterSupplyPlanning/index.cfm
www.tampabaywater.org/facilities/desalination_plant/index.aspx