For the Present, For the Future, For Florida
How We Use Our Water Resources Really Matters
Water to the left of us.
Water to the right, here I am
Stuck in a dry spell with you.
With apologies to this 1972 hit song, we offer a slight revision of its famous lyrics to make a point. In Broward County, with the Atlantic Ocean to our east, the Everglades to our west, the Biscayne Aquifer beneath our feet and fresh water canals crisscrossing our neighborhoods and streets, who’d have thought we could ever run short of water?
But we do.
Broward County isn’t average. It’s the second most populous county in Florida and with a population of 1.75 million people it is also the 18th largest in the country. And, we expect to keep growing, to more than 2.2 million by 2030.
The Biscayne Aquifer currently provides most of Broward County’s water and it is recharged almost entirely by rainfall. Rainfall is captured within the Everglades and by our canals, and eventually seeps into the ground where it helps to recharge our water supplies. And, since we receive nearly 60 inches of rainfall a year, on average, we have enjoyed a high quality, abundant, and relatively low-cost water supply.
But when it is not raining, during the dry season and drought, canal recharge is limited, saltwater threatens our drinking water wells, and the Everglades is unable to support our water demands. As a result, we experience water shortages, increases in water rates, and an increased need for new water supplies. We have also learned the value of conservation.
During the 2007 to 2010 drought, our regional water usage plummeted to an average 134 gallons per person per day, a 10 percent reduction due to conservation. During the next 20 years, a 10 percent reduction in water demands would save our community 30 million gallons per day in water supply. Savings can be easily doubled in households that upgrade older toilets to high efficiency toilets or install other water-conserving plumbing fixtures and appliances.
Simply put. Water conservation pays. It protects our water supplies, limits water shortages, avoids capital expenditures, and saves you money.
Conservation is critical to making supplies last and to meeting future demands, in the most cost-effective way.
Our efforts will ensure a high quality of life tied to economic and environmental vitality – today, tomorrow, and in the future.