Droughts and floods... South Florida sees it all! We get powerful
thunderstorms, tropical waves, and hurricanes that can drop over
a foot of water on us in a single day! We also have droughts that
can last years.

How do these two extremes affect our lives? Whether its water
restrictions, water pollution or water conservation, learn all about
it on the seventh edition of Down to Earth!

Water in South Florida – a land of extremes
The Balancing Act
Down to Earth – Breakdown
How bad can it get?

Water in South Florida - a land of extremes     

We drink it. Use it stay clean and healthy. To cook dinner. To make crops grow and our landscaping lush. Turn on the faucet and there it is – fresh, clean water.

Our lives depend on water. We want and need a clean and ample supply of it all the time. But today we are faced with a dilemma that has been brewing for some time - a limit to our water supply. The very nature of our water supply requires that each of us become aware of the protection and conservation of this most important resource.

It may seem odd that South Florida would have to worry about “not enough” water. After all, we get about 5 feet of rain on any given year! Some places in the country would take a decade to see that much water. Summertime in South Florida means rain – and lots of it. So how is it possible that we could run out of water?

Try a drought!

The Sunshine State often lives up to its name – sometimes to the extreme. Droughts are often as common as overly rainy years here.

South Florida is a land of extremes – flash floods can dump over a foot of rain in a single day while droughts can last for years. But how does this unpredictable weather affect our water supply?

To find the answer, we need to look to the guys who know water down here – the South Florida Water Management District.
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The Balancing Act     

Water Managers keep a close eye on the flow of fresh water through South Florida. The water management district is charged with the complicated task of making sure there’s enough water to feed the needs of a growing urban and agricultural community … and the water needs of the Everglades. They are always trying to maintain
that balance between too little & too much water. Too much water in South Florida can cause floods, drown crops, and even damage the health of our environment.

The cities & towns of South Florida are built on top of a unique groundwater formation called the Biscayne Aquifer, a huge slab of limestone rock that is really good at absorbing & releasing water…and this is what provides all of the fresh water for South Florida
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Down to Earth – Breakdown     

Have you ever wondered why a drought can still be in effect even when it’s raining? Well it all depends on how much rain falls and how fast.

Let’s assume that the aquifer is like a sponge, absorbing rainwater. Now, now when it rains a lot, too quickly…it’s like pouring water very quickly.

See how the water spills over. This is why we get our floods. The aquifer just doesn’t have enough time to absorb the water.

Now, if it rains a small amount over a long period of time, the sponge is able to soak up more water… And basically this is
how the Aquifer refills with water.

But where it rains is also very important. We need the rain over the water conservation areas in the eastern Everglades and
especially over Lake Okeechobee and in the Kissimmee Valley, which flows into Lake Okeechobee.

Low rainfall can also result in another problem – contamination of our freshwater wells and lakes and canals with salt water from the ocean.

Here’s how it works.
Take for example 2 linemen in a football game…

The offensive lineman represents saltwater and the defensive lineman represents freshwater. Both are continuously head-to-head in the play. When we have enough rainfall and we don’t draw too much water from
the aquifer the defensive lineman (freshwater) holds his own against the force of the offensive lineman (saltwater).

But when we have insufficient rainfall, the freshwater is weakened & saltwater overpowers it. Pushes it back - our drinking water becomes contaminated with saltwater. In order to make that water drinkable
again, we would have to build very expensive treatment plants that remove the salt from the water, known as desalinization.

Besides having to fight to push back the sea, keeping the Aquifer pollution-free is imperative if we are to continue to have a safe supply
of drinking water. One line of defense is to check up on businesses that use chemicals that could contaminate our groundwater. Another
line of defense is a network of groundwater monitoring wells. Many of these wells are located near our water supply pumps in order to
detect pollution before its drawn into our drinking water.

The best way to keep our water supply safe is to prevent pollution by properly using and disposing of chemicals, pesticides, and paints
and by trying to find less toxic alternatives to the products you use.

To learn where to take these chemicals, check out information on the Miami-Dade Solid Waste Management (Home Chemical Collection
Center) or DERM’s list of (environmentally friendly alternatives).

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How bad can it get?  

So, what happens if we run out of water? Are there alternatives that we could turn to, or would we all have to shower with bottled water?

Doomsday scenarios aren’t completely without merit, and some people are already looking at water shortages elsewhere as a sign of things to come…

If you think it is not possible to run out of water, think again! Our neighbors on Florida’s West coast are already experiencing extreme water shortages. So much so that they are seeing sinkholes and
severe water restrictions.

Recent news suggests that we may be stressing our water supply to its limits already

We are constantly battling with nature to make sure that we receive enough rain every year, but we are also battling with ourselves. Did you know that we push billions of gallons of fresh water out to sea every year so that our cities can stay dry, even though demand for water is increasing to quench the growing thirst of our cities?

Now let’s explore the other extreme of water in South Florida – FLOODS!

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