A landmark study released Tuesday reaffirms that hundreds of millions
of gallons could be pumped daily from the St. Johns River to ease
stress on groundwater supplies — without significantly harming the
environment.
The research culminates decades of concerns and debate over how much
water utilities should be allowed to pull from the river to deal with
Central Florida's growing population.
St. Johns River Water Management District officials called the
four-year study "the most comprehensive and scientifically rigorous
analysis" of the river ever conducted. More than 80 technical staff and
consultants studied impacts to the river's fish, plankton, bottom
organisms, wetlands, submerged plants and other wildlife. The district
governs Indian River County water.
The study's results will drive how much water ultimately gets drawn
from the river, holding the future growth of Cocoa, Titusville,
Melbourne, Orange County and much of the rest of Central Florida in the
balance. District officials have warned Central Florida communities for
years they would stop allowing additional groundwater withdrawals in
2013 to protect existing groundwater supplies and wetland habitats.
"The amount of water that may ultimately be withdrawn will depend on
the proposed location, design and timing of proposed withdrawals, as
well as the numerous permitting criteria considered when permit
applications are submitted," stated Hal Wilkening, director of the
district's division of water resources, in a release.
The district's governing board released the final report on the study Tuesday during its meeting in Palatka.
The district had the National Academy of Sciences review the project
as it unfolded over the past four years. The National Research Council,
the academies' operating arm, completed its peer review in December,
concluding that most of the district's methods were solid.
But the district's projections failed to take into account what the
ecological impact would be if Central Florida suffered consecutive years
of a severe drought, as has happened within the past decade, according
to NRC.
The NRC reviewed the data as part of the larger $3.5 million study.
The goal was to explore the impact of drawing up to 262 million gallons a
day from the St. Johns and its major tributary, the Ocklawaha River.
Pumping hundreds of millions of gallons from the St. Johns daily
raises few ecological red flags, the NRC found, but could shrink
wetlands, as well as fish and bird populations in the 310-mile sprawling
waterway.
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