Water wars in Florida

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According to the Natural Resources Defense Council's recent study, Florida is one of 14 states predicted to face "high risk" water shortages by the year 2050. [1] The state's water is primarily drawn from the Floridan Aquifer as well as from the St. Johns River, the Suwannee River, and the Ocklawaha River. Florida's regional water conflicts stem primarily from the fact that the majority of the fresh water supply is found in the rural north, while the bulk of the population, and therefore water consumption, resides in the south. Metropolitan municipalities in central and south Florida have neared their aquifer extraction limit of 650 million US gallons (2,500,000 m3) per day, leading to the search for new, extra-regional sources. [2]

Contents

North-South water conflict

Background

In 2003, a committee predominantly composed of real estate developers was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to solve Florida's water disparity. Members were selected from the lobby group Council of 100 and in a 2003 report proposed "a system that enables water distribution from water-rich areas to water-poor areas," or the transfer of water through pipelines from the state's northern regions to its more developed and drier southern cities. The Suwannee river region was declared by committee member Lee Arnold to be "sitting in the Saudi Arabia of water." [3] Representatives, citizens, and groups, such as the Florida Wildlife Federation, across the state argued that Governor Bush curb development in the south as opposed to further contributing to the water imbalance and restricting municipal water use even more. Half the state's fresh water is consumed by South Florida, which includes Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County as well as the majority of the state's agricultural land, golf courses, and swimming pools. Legally, water in Florida is owned by the state, with five water management districts overseeing its regional use and distribution. State law allows the transfer of water from one region to another, but it stipulates this action as a region's last resort. [2]

Resolution

The council's report offered an incentive for northern regions to transfer water south, suggesting that excess supply may be sold for profit. However, Floridians responded with slogans such as "Our water is not for sale!" Ultimately, more than 30 of the state's counties passed resolutions against the proposal, citing various concerns including overpopulation, uncontrolled development, sink holes, spring depletion, and salinization of groundwater supplies. As a result of the public's negative reaction towards the water-transfer proposal, Governor Bush rejected the Council's report. Instead, millions of dollars have been allocated to water development projects. The South Florida Water Management District plans to restore parts of the Everglades to ensure a continual water supply for its region. [3]

Tampa Bay conflict

The Tampa Bay water war is a conflict between Hillsborough County, Pasco County, Pinellas County, New Port Richey, St. Petersburg, and Tampa that has been going on since the 1970s over water supply. The Southwest Florida Water Management District is another key player. Created in 1961, it is a district in charge of 10,000 square miles (26,000 km2) over 16 counties; it has the responsibility to meet the water needs of all water users while additionally handling water resources efficiently. [4] The West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority was created to handle the water efficiently. [5]

History

By the early 1990s, the Tampa Bay area had failed to effectively collaborate on sharing their water resources. Eleven regional groundwater facilities serve nearly 90% of the water demand for the Tampa Bay Area. By legislative acts, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties were required to work together collectively on a regional water system that would be more effective for using their water in a more environmentally safe and productive way. [6] The group that was formed is West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority. Conflict arose over pumping rights as seen with Pinellas County continuing to purchase wells in Pasco County, and therefore using water before Pasco County inhabitants used their County's water. This also displayed the issue that water was owned traditionally by the land owners and permission was needed to use ground and surface water from the areas. Landowners were having major problems with the new sharing of sources and caused new litigation problems. [7] A solution was made in 1991 when Pasco County was awarded the right to use their water first while allowing Pinellas County unlimited access to two well fields. Pinellas County continued to cause conflict by refusing to fund alternative water sources and prevented the development of such innovations. This caused further litigation between West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority and Southwest Florida Water Management District from 1994 to 1998 that resulted in zero progress for development in alternatives. The current Tampa Bay Water company cites in its history that the main reason behind zero development within the WCRWSA was that its members were unequally in control of water facilities, thus causing no unification on who was developing alternatives. [8] [ failed verification ]

With the combined problems of property impacts cited by homeowners, Pinellas County funded a campaign to advertise that the water scarcity issues were from drought not overpumping of aquifers, which was suspected of them. The solution to these litigation battles was the Florida Legislature demanding restructuring of the institutions at play and West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority became Tampa Bay Water by the Northern Tampa Bay New Water Supply and Ground Water Withdrawal Reduction Agreement in 1997. They would receive funding from the Southwest Florida Water Management District in order to research and develop new water sourcing alternatives. [7]

Tampa Bay Today

The regions today are receiving water from three sources: ground water, desalinated seawater and river water. The three sources from the configuration plan made in 1998 were supposed to meet the Tampa Bay's needs until 2012. [8] Their water sources include Alafia River, Hillsborough River, Tampa Bypass Canal, and Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant. Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant was originally issued for building in 1997, but after many delays in construction as well as performance failures, it was not fully functioning until 2007. [9] It is currently providing 25 million US gallons (95,000 m3) a day.[ citation needed ]

Future Plans

Tampa Bay Water has put together plans that are being explored from 2009 to 2013. Here is a list of some of the plans for the future:[ citation needed ]

Current conflicts

Although the counties are now successfully united under Tampa Bay Water, within the last year there have still been reported water shortages. The region's water supplies have dipped dangerously low and newer stricter precautions have been forced onto citizens for using water. [10] Even with the plans for future water sources, it seems that with the growing population in the region and increasingly dry seasons, water scarcity is still a pressing issue. [11]

Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint water war

Background

Map of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint watershed Apalachicola watershed.png
Map of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint watershed

The three rivers involved are part of the ACF River Basin which stretches from northern Georgia down to Eastern Alabama and the Florida panhandle. The Chattahoochee River is fed mostly from surface water and has its origins in Georgia near Atlanta. It flows southwesterly crossing over the Alabama border and then merging with the Flint River near the Florida border to form the Apalachicola River. The Flint River also has its origins near Atlanta and heads southward but is fed by groundwater and has a lower flow than the Chattahoochee. The water from the Flint river is used mostly for agricultural purposes, while the water from the Chattahoochee is used mostly for municipal purposes. Florida depends on the freshwater of the Apalachicola River to mix with the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico in Apalachicola Bay. The $70 million oyster industry in Florida is concentrated in Apalachicola Bay and is very sensitive to salinity levels in the bay. [12]

Conflict

The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint water war originated in the 1980s over a water rights dispute between Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. In 1986, Georgia suffered from a drought that lowered the levels of the Chattahoochee River and Lake Lanier to dangerously low levels, so low that the dam was not able to produce enough electricity for nearby Atlanta. As a result, in 1989, the United States Army Corps of Engineers proposed a 50% increase in water withdrawal from the river to provide fresh water to Atlanta's growing population. Out of fear that the river would not be able to maintain such use, Alabama filed a suit against the Army Corps of Engineers in 1990 because they had not assessed the environmental effects of this proposal. Both Alabama and Florida were concerned about the proposal's effect on water quantity and quality downstream. Both states believed the flow would slow to a point that would damage their ability to provide hydroelectricity and maintain growth. They also believed freshwater withdrawal would increase the flow from pollution from upstream, which was a serious problem for Florida especially because of the oyster industry. [12] By the end of the year, Florida had joined the suit, and the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint water war became a tri-state conflict. In order to stay the suit, the federal government proposed the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Comprehensive Water Resources Study to analyze fully the effects of the proposed withdrawal and to assess the needs of the basin as a whole. Although the Army Corps of Engineers originally claimed they had enough information initially, it took an additional eight years to complete the study. [13]

Resolution Attempts

In 1992, the three states decided to remove the dispute from the legal courtroom until the Army Corps of Engineers study was completed. In the meantime, water withdrawal levels were frozen and any changes had to be approved by all three states. When the study was completed in 1997, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida created a bill called the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Compact, which was introduced to each state legislature and to the United States Congress. The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint compact allowed each state to review the Army Corps of Engineers study and then come to an agreement about water allocation by December 31, 1998. The bill was ratified by all three state legislatures and by the U.S. Congress later that year. Because of the gubernatorial elections in all three states in 1998, they decided to extend the deadline to December 31, 1999, and because of an issue with the Alabamian governor, the deadline was extended yet again to May 1, 2000. At this point, Florida was becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress and with the fact that Georgia would simply not agree to any minimum flow restrictions. The deadline was extended once more to August 1, 2000. [12]

Between 1999 and 2003, the deadline was extended 14 times, at which point, Florida dropped out of the negotiations because Georgia refused to compromise. [3] In 2003, the Army Corps of Engineers gave Georgia the rights to a quarter of the water in Lake Lanier for drinking water, and Alabama and Florida objected. After a series of lawsuits between 2003 and 2008 and record drought in 2007, Georgia's rights to the water in Lake Lanier were denied, stating that the change required congressional approval. [14] After several attempts at appeal, it seems Georgia has lost the fight for water rights, but a negotiation has yet to be made. The three states have until 2012 to make a final compromise. [15]

Related Research Articles

Apalachicola, Florida City in Florida, United States

Apalachicola is a city and the county seat of Franklin County, Florida, United States, on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,231 at the 2010 census.

Chattahoochee River River in Georgia, United States

The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers and emptying from Florida into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. The Chattahoochee River is about 430 miles (690 km) long. The Chattahoochee, Flint, and Apalachicola rivers together make up the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin. The Chattahoochee makes up the largest part of the ACF's drainage basin.

ACF River Basin Drainage basin of the Apalachicola River in the southeastern United States

The ACF River Basin is the drainage basin, or watershed, of the Apalachicola River, Chattahoochee River, and Flint River, in the Southeastern United States.

Apalachicola River 180 km (112mi) river in Florida, USA

The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 160 mi (180 km) long in the state of Florida. The river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, drains an area of approximately 19,500 square miles (50,500 km2) into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its farthest head waters in northeast Georgia is approximately 500 miles (800 km). Its name comes from the Apalachicola people, who used to live along the river. It is the largest river in Florida.

Tampa Bay area Region in Florida, United States

The Tampa Bay area is a major populated area surrounding Tampa Bay on the west coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the eighteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with an estimated population of over three million.

Wiregrass (region)

The Wiregrass region or Wiregrass country is an area of the Southern United States encompassing parts of southern Georgia, southeastern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. The region is named for the native Aristida stricta, commonly known as wiregrass due to its texture.

Lake Lanier Reservoir in Georgia, United States

Lake Lanier is a reservoir in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee River. The lake encompasses 38,000 acres (150 km2) or 59 square miles (150 km2) of water, and 692 miles (1,114 km) of shoreline at normal level, a "full pool" of 1,071 feet (326 m) above mean sea level and the exact shoreline varies by resolution according to the coastline paradox. Named for Confederate Army poet Sidney Lanier, it was built and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and water supplies. Its construction destroyed more than 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) of farmland and displaced more than 250 families, 15 businesses, and relocated 20 cemeteries along with their corpses in the process.

The Weeden Island Cultures are a group of related archaeological cultures that existed during the Late Woodland period of the North American Southeast. The name for this group of cultures was derived from the Weedon Island site in Old Tampa Bay in Pinellas County.

Apalachicola Bay

Apalachicola Bay is an estuary and lagoon located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The Apalachicola Bay system also includes St. George Sound, St. Vincent Sound and East Bay, covering an area of about 208 square miles (540 km2). Four islands, St. Vincent Island to the west, Cape St. George Island and St. George Island to the south, and Dog Island to the east, separate the system from the Gulf of Mexico. Water exchange occurs through Indian Pass, West Pass, East Pass and the Duer Channel. The lagoon has been designated as a National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Apalachicola River is the largest source of freshwater to the estuary. Combined with the Chattahoochee River, Flint River, and Ochlockonee River they drain a watershed of over 20,000 square miles (50,000 km2) at a rate of 19,599 cubic feet per second according to the United States Geological Survey in 2002.

Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) -- formerly known as Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR) -- is an environmental advocacy organization with 10,000 members dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River Basin. CRK was modeled after New York’s Hudson Riverkeeper and was the 11th licensed program in the international Waterkeeper Alliance. In 2012, the organization officially changed its name to simply Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK), dropping the "Upper" to better reflect its stewardship over the entire river basin.

CSS <i>Chattahoochee</i> Confederate States Navy gunboat

CSS Chattahoochee was a twin-screw steam powered gunboat built at Saffold, Georgia; she was christened for the river upon which she was built. The gunboat entered Confederate States Navy service in February 1863.

Southwest Florida Water Management District One of five regional agencies directed by Florida state law to protect and preserve water resources

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, is one of five regional agencies directed by Florida state law to protect and preserve water resources. Established in 1961 the agency operates and maintains several large properties and flood protection projects, sometimes with other agencies. The District's responsibilities have expanded to include managing water supply and protecting water quality and the natural systems — rivers, lakes, wetlands and associated uplands.The District's stated mission is to protect water resources, minimize flood risks and ensure the public’s water needs are met.

Lake Seminole

Lake Seminole is a reservoir located in the southwest corner of Georgia along its border with Florida, maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Chattahoochee and Flint rivers join in the lake, before flowing from the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam, which impounds the lake, as the Apalachicola River. The lake contains 37,500 acres (152 km2) of water, and has a shoreline of 376 mi (605 km). The fish in Lake Seminole include largemouth bass, crappie, chain pickerel, catfish, striped bass and other species. American alligators, snakes and various waterfowl are also present in the lake, which is known for its goose hunting.

The Apalachicola were a group of Native Americans related to the Muscogee people. They spoke a Muskogean language related to Hitchiti. They lived along the Apalachicola River in present-day Florida. Their name derives probably from Hitchiti Apalachicoli or Muskogee Apalachicolo, signifying apparently "People of the other side", with reference probably to the Apalachicola River or some nearby stream.

Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, or TBARTA, is a regional transportation agency of the U.S. state of Florida which was created on July 1, 2007. The purpose of the agency is "to plan, develop, finance, construct, own, purchase, operate, maintain, relocate, equip, repair, and manage multimodal systems in Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties." The agency coordinates its efforts with the Florida Department of Transportation to improve transportation in the Tampa Bay Area.

Tampa Bay Water (TBW) is a regional wholesale drinking water utility that serves customers in the Tampa Bay, Florida region. The agency is a special district of the state created by inter-local agreement among six member governments. A nine-member board of directors composed of two elected commissioners from each member county and one elected representative from each member city oversees the policy decisions of the agency. The member governments that make up the board of directors are: The cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg, Florida, and Tampa, and Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and Pinellas County. These member governments provide water to over 2.5 million citizens.

Tri-state water dispute Water use conflict in the southeastern United States

The tri-state water dispute is a 21st-century water-use conflict among the US states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida over flows in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin and the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has regulated water flow for the entire Chattahoochee River, from Lake Lanier in Forsyth County, Georgia, to Alabama and Florida.

War over Water usually means Water conflict. It may also refer to the following:

Halloween darter Species of fish

The Halloween darter is a small freshwater fish native to North America. It is found in Georgia and Alabama in the drainage basin of the Apalachicola River, specifically in the Flint River system and the Chattahoochee River system. It prefers shallow, fast-flowing areas with gravel bottoms in small and medium-sized rivers. It was first described in 2008, having not previously been distinguished from the blackbanded darter (P. nigrofasciata), which occurs in the same watershed. The color is somewhat variable, being generally blackish dorsally, with some individuals having indistinct saddle-like barring. Males have orange and dark lateral striping while females have dark stripes and a yellowish-green belly. At a maximum standard length of 101 mm (4 in), males are slightly larger than females, and both sexes develop distinctive orange barring on the edge of the first dorsal fin during the breeding season.

Florida v. Georgia, 585 U.S. ___ (2018), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in an original jurisdiction case. It involves a long-running dispute over waters within the ACF River Basin, running from the north Georgia mountains through metro Atlanta to the Florida panhandle, which is managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Waters in the area have been stressed by the population growth of Atlanta over previous decades. The immediate case stemmed from droughts in 2011 and 2012 that caused economic damage to Florida due to lower water flows from the ACF River Basin into the panhandle, impacting its seafood production; Florida sought relief to have more water allocated towards them from the ACF by placing a water allocation cap on Georgia. The Supreme Court assigned a special master to review Florida's complaint, but ultimately found in 2016 that Florida had not fully demonstrated the need for more allocation. Florida challenged this determination to the Supreme Court. On June 27, 2018, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that the special master had not properly considered Florida's argument and remanded the case to be reheard and reviewed.

References

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  4. "District History". Southwest Florida Water Management District. 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
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  9. American Water, Fact Sheet: Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant (PDF), Desal Response Group, archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 201
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  13. Leitman, Steven (2005). "Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin". In Scholz, John T.; Stiftel, Bruce (eds.). Adaptive Governance and Water Conflict: New Institutions for Collaborative Planning. Washington, D.C.: Resources for the Future. ISBN   978-1933115184.
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