The St. Johns River Water Management District's proposal to
siphon off more than 250 million gallons of water per day from
the river is very disturbing.
Our city is still struggling with budgetary problems that
arose from the state's response to high property taxes and
excessive government spending in South Florida.
Now, we're facing a negative impact from a Central Florida
water shortage that follows decades of overdevelopment and
poor planning by that region's local governments.
Jacksonville is becoming an increasingly major Atlantic
port, and altering the river's flow might have economic side
effects.
As noted in a recent Times-Union article, we may well see
the buildup of sediment deposits that will require increased
dredging in order to permit the passage of cargo ships.
The plan is also likely to increase salinity levels, kill
fish and wildlife, and harm the overall health of the St.
Johns River.
Worse still, this is only a short-term Band-Aid for the
larger problem.
Central Florida will be looking for more water within a
couple of decades, if not sooner.
The bottom line is that we just haven't studied this issue
sufficiently. We don't really know what will happen for sure.
But, we do know that once the water starts flowing to
Central Florida utility providers, there will be no going
back, regardless of the ecological or economic harm it does to
our area and our river.
It's time for Central Florida and South Florida to invest
in desalination technology and water conservation programs.
Residents of Central Florida should be the ones to pay the
price for their rapid development and shortsighted planning,
not the residents of North Florida.
AUSTIN F. CASSIDY,
Soil & Water
Conservation Board,
supervisor, At-Large Group 5,
Jacksonville
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