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LARGER VERSION

Lorraine Mayer

South Florida Water Management District

South Florida Management District

Lorraine A. Mayers, Senior P/R Outreach Specialist

Water has been on the minds of South Floridians for the past several years.  One would have to live under a rock not to know about the drought, the height the water level in Lake Okeechobee, and the lowering of the water level by the Army Corps of Engineeers.

Our speaker today gave us a lot of good information and dispelled some rumors.  The main rumor is that SFWMD controls the lake level of Lake Okeechobee.  NOT!!!  Lorraine made the point perfectly clear that that was in the sole province of the Corps of Engineers - SFWMD has nothing to do with that.  So any criticism for a "drought" in the future due to lake levels should be directed at the Corps! 

We were told that actually the lake is not the primary source of drinking water for South Florida.  Subsurface water, such as the Biscayne Aquifer, is the primary source, and near the coast the concern is that if the aquifer gets depleted it will be subject to sale water intrusion.

SFWMD is involved with surface water control, but there are actually three levels of authority - local homeowners' associations, then local municipalities and finally SFWMD which controls the major drainage canals like the Hillsboro and C-14 canals in the Coral Springs and Parkland area.  These canals are used to pump water out to the ocean when South Florida is threatened by flood conditions.  Water is never back pumped into the Everglades as with all the pollutants such would do severe damage to the ecosystem there.

For mor info check out the SFWMD web site:

SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

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