The Florida Council of 100 created a task force to study water management issues and problems in Florida. The task force has conducted research, examined Florida’s statutes, surveyed our members and key state and local water management players to obtain feedback about Florida’s water management structure, examined other state’s water management structures, such as California, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Texas, and conducted interviews with water experts around the state.
We have analyzed the history of water management in Florida since 1972 and visited each of the five water management districts and met with each Executive Director. From this research and analysis, the task force has concluded that Florida needs to refocus its management of water supply efforts to sustain our envi-ronment and meet forecasted population growth demands. Ninety-eight percent of our survey respondents think Florida is facing long-term water supply/distribution challenges.
This document outlines our conclusions and recommendations. It is organized around several key facts:
- The environment must be protected in all supply planning, science and governance decisions.
- Unlike water stressed states like Arizona and California, Florida receives an abundance of rainfall, averaging 54 inches per year.
- Fresh water demands will increase from 7.2 bgd to 9.1 bgd by 2020.
- Management of Florida’s water resources is decentralized to five water management districts, with general supervisory oversight by the DEP.
- Districts prepare regional water supply plans for areas of concern; the plans provide a list of possible water projects and costs, but leave vast uncertainty in time-phasing and funding.
- Cooperative efforts among environmentalists, users, and capital providers have been proven effective in many areas.
