By definition, wetlands are wet most of the time. This wetland was dry. The collection of cypresses, the dome, provided shade from the sun. We had to walk carefully through the cypress corpse, as the subsidence, where the earth sank under the roots, exposed the cypress` knee. Knees grow from the ground above the roots. With subsidence, the roots are exposed, so the knees on the way to the water were an uneven obstacle course. We piled into a sunny, open field covered with knee-deep grass. It cracked under our feet. But it was strangely quiet. There was no buzzing or squeaking of any kind. In the middle of the field, which protruded from the ground, was a water meter.
He looked out of place because the water he should have measured was gone. The staff came to see me with a small boat, paddles and fishing rods. This place was a demonstration of the “consequences” of well fields. We had pictures that we could show “before”. The elected officials had planned to sit in the boat and not be able to use their paddles and rollers. The largest bass caught in Florida came from Big Fish Lake. But the lake was gone. The ranch owners said he left when Cross Bar Wellfield`s pumps were turned on. It had been dry since 1990. Steve Monsees was a Green Beret colonel. He took a business trip to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa and decided to stay because Pasco County had water. He bought a seven-acre plot of land in the center of Pasco which was his retirement paradise.
There was a 100-acre lake at the front and a pond at the back. There were many trees, but places where the sun was shining. There was also wildlife. He dreamed of great fishing. He regularly visited MacDill and his estate, but noticed changes, such as the lowering of the lake level. He didn`t think about what that meant, as periodic drought is everywhere, but by the time the Monsees moved in around Christmas three years later, the 100-acre lake in his front yard had all but disappeared. In December 1993, I became Director of Communications for the Southwestern Florida Water Management District (the District) when West Central Florida was facing one of the worst droughts ever. The district is the regional regulator of water supply in West Florida. Tampa Bay`s regional drinking water comes primarily from a huge underground reservoir, the Florida Aquifer. Precipitation replenished the aquifer, but in the early 1990s there was little rainfall, so the water table dropped with lakes, rivers and wetlands.
“Water shortage, perhaps?” Gilliam hopefully offered. The established territories of South Florida remained in constant contact with major powers such as the Republic of Texas and other small towns and city-states. It has large trade programs with many countries, mainly with slavery. Most importantly, most people will never associate wetland health with their water supply. They have no idea that when they turn on the tap, the water comes from somewhere – somewhere in nature. It`s a story about water and wetlands that tells us how to manage the resource we depend on most. It`s one thing to read a report about a dry or dead wetland or ask someone to tell you about it. But I had to see it for myself. Ted Rochow was the district director who oversaw wetlands in the field. He told me I could visit a wetland with him.
Along the way, Ted explained the changes seen over the course of a decade. He expressed concern about the wetland we would visit and its chances of survival. Ted`s job was to collect data. He is the author of Technical Report 94-1, The Effects of Water Bed Changes on Fresh-Water Marsh and Cypress Wetland in the Northern Tampa Bay Region. His data was incorporated into engineers` models to distinguish between pumps and the effects of drought. The Chair thanked Steve for his comments and moved on to the next agenda item when several Board members objected. Hours of debate followed, which ended with instructions to employees to “do something.” The republic consists of 5 territories and 2 small districts that the state considers highly radioactive, the St. Petersburg-Tampa Radiological Zone and the Miami-Dade Radioactive Zone. Each territory forms an independent country, united by the single federal government in Homestead AFB, to which they pay all taxes, in exchange the federal government provides protection and assistance. Peter told Harold that water levels were lower than ever, that he was worried about wetlands and that he wanted to work together on a water conservation program.
He asked me to explain our new “Do Your Part” program to highlight what businesses, residents and governments are doing for conservation. I told Harold that I would work with his staff to promote it. Although I did not know him, it was clear that he was selfless. I don`t remember his answer, but I do remember the impression I had: “Yes, yes, of course, of course, whatever.” Judy noticed that the lake level was dropping. At first, she didn`t think about it; It is native to Florida and Florida experiences periodic droughts punctuated by soggy rains. It seemed different. As the wetlands shrank, Judy noticed another thing: alligators that lived in wetlands were increasingly seen along the distant shore of the lake. Neighbors told him the lake had never been lower. This report: Northern Tampa Bay Water Resources Assessment Project (WRAP) contained a bomb. If a St.
A reporter from the Petersburg Times made an official request for the document, the district decided it was time to make it public, explain it and quell the hysteria that is sure to emanate from local governments. To save wetlands, according to the report, the amount of water in well fields should be reduced. She did not specify how or when this should be achieved. South Florida uses a system of personal process law. You can legally kill someone if they tried to kill you, didn`t pay off a debt, or hurt a loved one, but other than that, all disputes are resolved by a court system similar to that of pre-war Florida. The district produced a comprehensive report explaining where the area started, where it was located, and how to recover. They had to determine the “safe yield,” the amount of water that could be withdrawn from nature while preserving natural functions. There were 378 wetlands monitored. Data (new and historical) were aggregated, new measures and processes were developed, and new technologies were used. In recovery triage, wetlands were divided into areas that were restored, enhanced, more detailed analyses, not fully restored, and sustained impacts. At the time, one of the elected leaders said, “When you walk into the room, you have to leave your ego and your logo on the door.” He later admitted, “We never really left our logos.” Pasco has always represented their interests and Pinellas theirs. But eventually, those interests converged.
This convergence has led to regional investments in more new water supplies and wetland recovery. The district expected a drop in water levels when the Cross Bar pumps started. But an expected recovery in the cone of influence – the magic circle – never happened. The effects were severe and the cones of influence of the well fields overlapped with devastating environmental consequences and effects on the inhabitants. When pumping, coupled with drought, the environment could not withstand this. When Lady, the youngest of the Williams family, was needed, she was 18 months old, she loved water as much as her mother had hoped. “It could have been my toddler,” Judy thought. “No.
That had to change. The purpose of my comments today is simple: to inform you of the devastation caused by current water pumping practices at Cross Bar Ranch and to ask you to make the necessary changes to restore our private property to its natural state as soon as possible. I am not complaining today about the drop in the water level of the lake, but about the total and complete destruction of all the water resources of our community.