In the past month,
nearly double the normal rainfall dumped on
Some
So this is a
drought?
Some people in
''Droughts are
slow-simmering water emergencies, not sudden flares like floods or
hurricanes,'' said Carol Ann Wehle, executive
director of the South Florida Water Management District. ``But they can be just
as dangerous, because they impact our drinking-water supplies, the environment
and our regional economy.''
Aside from the
Biscayne Aquifer, water levels in every other source the region taps have declined
dramatically -- lakes, rivers, canals, other aquifers and the
• Taps could soon run dry in Pahokee, on the eastern rim
of
• In Miami-Dade, Broward and
• Farmers, who lost more than a half-billion dollars in
the 2000-01 drought, are again watching sugar-cane stalks and other crops
wither in the Everglades Agricultural Area after new restrictions slashed water
supplies in half. In canals off
• In the
The effects have
been compounded by sprawling development and by hurricane concerns that led to
water management agencies lowering
Weather in the
coming months and over the next year, of course, will determine whether this
drought proves as damaging as the most severe ones in the 1950s, 1970s and
2000-01.
But water managers
are especially worried because of what they call an unprecedented condition:
Almost all of
''We've always had
some place we can turn for a backup,'' said district Deputy Executive Director
Chip Merriam. ``This time we don't.''
Outside of
Miami-Dade and parts of south Broward, the rest of the region has received half
as much rain as usual since January, including critical northern areas that
recharge the whole system -- the
Because the area's
water supply depends primarily on rain, that's a serious problem. There is no disputing water gauges across the region. The deficit
is deep, trending toward a record-buster in the month left before the rains are
supposed to arrive.
Nearly two-thirds
of 36 groundwater sites across
Even the
relatively bountiful groundwater under Miami-Dade and coastal Broward has had
some engineering help. Water managers have urged utilities to hold groundwater
artificially high in key coastal areas to block salty seawater from pushing
inland and tainting drinking wells.
Along Broward's
coast, U.S. Geological Survey readings went from very dry to very wet in a
week. If it lasts, that stash of groundwater could help the southeast area weather
the drought with fewer problems. But the plumbing doesn't allow water managers
to pump it to parched northern areas, and if it did, there is not enough to
help out much.
Still, Scott Prinos, a supervisory hydrologist for the survey, can see
why some people might be puzzled over dire water warnings and use restrictions.
''If I were living
in Miami-Dade, it would be hard for me to understand why I have to worry about
it,'' he said.