Responses

Post: (Sarah Tevlin)

Florida’s natural beauty is a major economic boon. According to an article by Kim Slowey published through Construction Dive, millions of tourists visit the state each year to visit our beaches and springs, generating billions of dollars in revenue for the state. These waterbodies are also a major draw for people looking to move (Slowey, 2017). Combined, Florida’s natural beauty and the lucrative business it brings in has resulted in rapid population growth within the state. However, the very resources drawing people in are being degraded by the additional pressures the increase creates (Slowey, 2017).

Most of Florida receives water from one of two underground systems – the Biscayne and Floridian Aquifers. Because of this, natural systems are in direct competition for water with agriculture and urban uses such as irrigation and drinking water (Slowey, 2017). As more people move into the state, groundwater withdrawal increases, and Florida’s waterbodies suffer. Spring quality decreases, the water level in rivers lowers, and the overall health – and beauty – of waterbodies becomes reduced.  In Tampa-St. Petersburg, groundwater has been reduced enough to cause saltwater intrusion of the aquifer and create house-swallowing sinkholes on the surface (Slowey, 2017).

This article reports that the main problem comes from the fact that utility companies aren’t charged for water use on a per gallon basis. Since this keeps the price of water low for the new subdivisions that have been developed to accommodate Florida’s growing population, developers and owners have no incentive to implement water conserving practices in their neighborhoods (Slowey, 2017). Although voluntary sustainable development programs such as LEED have become more popular, legally, commercial interests still supersede environmental ones. Unfortunately, it would take a strong drop in tourism to convince lawmakers to implement and enforce water conservation laws (Slowey, 2017).

Although I was aware of the water problems our growing population creates, I find it really concerning that the only solutions this article poses as feasible are (1) voluntary or (2) the environment becomes so degraded that Florida's economy is damaged. Unfortunately, I cannot think of many other solutions unless a grassroots movement can pressure lawmakers into changing laws before the water crisis becomes that bad.