BY ERIC BUERMANN
eric.buermann@usa.net

Can you imagine turning on the faucet but having no water come out? Or, after a tropical storm, grappling with standing water in the streets, or even your living room, because there isn’t an adequate flood-control system?

Florida’s water-management districts protect against these unpleasant situations and fix them when they occur. In addition to performing these important duties, our regional water-management district, the South Florida Water Management District, is the state partner in Everglades restoration. Lacking snow-capped mountains that melt into reservoirs, South Florida depends on the Everglades to recharge underground aquifers as our source of water. Unfortunately, in just the past 60 years since our modern flood control system was built, the Everglades have been severely damaged because of the disruption of water flow and other human activity such as farming and development. Restoring the Everglades, aside from having obvious environmental appeal, is imperative for maintaining our only supply of water.

Last year’s massive funding cuts to water-management districts severely compromised those agencies’ ability to carry out core missions of water supply, flood control, and in South Florida’s case, Everglades restoration. In just the past two years, SFWMD’s water supply budget has been cut almost 70 percent. This is the program that ensures you will have running water tomorrow and 20 years from now; develops alternative water supplies as upper aquifers become tapped out; and fosters water conservation. SFWMD has also severely cut its science, education, and monitoring programs. As Everglades restoration progresses, it is crucial to have adequate science programs to monitor and adapt to changing conditions and to maximize our restoration investments. Land stewardship programs that allow recreation on district-owned lands such as trails, horseback riding areas, and waters have also been greatly reduced.

Initially this year it appeared things might be headed back to the right path. Gov. Scott signed new legislation that lifted his artificially imposed spending limits, ostensibly allowing water-management districts to raise revenues needed to sustain their missions.

Recently, however, the water-management districts set their tax millage rates for next year to establish the revenue they will raise through property rates. Even though the South Florida Water Management District reported an almost $5 million shortfall, it decided to set a millage rate that further reduces its tax revenue — even less than last year’s funding after the draconian Scott cuts. To make matters worse, these reductions will have cumulative impacts in the coming years.

Sadly, politics, rather than science and common sense, have driven the decision-making. It’s understandable in an election year that raising the funds necessary to carry out even legislatively mandated missions might paint a district as increasing taxes. With recent legislation virtually ceding budget decisions to Tallahassee, SFWMD’s Governing Board rubber-stamped these crippling cuts without meaningful discussion.

In exchange, do these cuts produce actual savings for South Florida’s tax payers ? For the owner of a $300,000 house, the reduction in this year’s millage rate will save about $1.50 — less than the cost of a half-gallon of gas.

Gambling with our region’s water supply for fear of appearing to “increase taxes” is irresponsible and a disservice to Floridians. Whether politically popular or not, investing in long-term water supply, restoration, and science is a necessity and best serves the public interest.

Eric Buermann is former chairman of the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District.

 

The Miami Herald EditorialPosted on Sun, Jul. 29, 2012

A broken water line in Little Haiti floods homes and some streets waist-high. The aging wastewater treatment plant on Virginia Key spills 19 million gallons of untreated waste into the ocean. A water main break in Hialeah creates a sinkhole. A burst pipe pours untreated sewage straight into Biscayne Bay.

Over the past two years broken sewer pipes have spewed 47 million gallons of stinky waste onto roads and homes and into Miami-Dade waterways all the way from farmlands in the southern tip of the county to the northern border with Broward, which also is facing major sewer system breakdowns.

With 7,500 miles of sewer lines built into Miami-Dade County’s antiquated system, which is a half-century old in some sections, and with 15 municipal water and/or sewer utilities and the county’s Water and Sewer Department responsible for the upgrades, there has been a lot of finger-pointing but little action to tackle this billion-dollar mess. Indeed, 20 years ago a Miami-Dade grand jury warned that “the Miami River and Biscayne Bay would experience the worst environmental catastrophes in modern history” if nothing got done.

Now, the Environmental Protection Agency is demanding action and the county is in negotiations with federal authorities to come up with a solid plan to fix the treatment plants and faulty pipes.

The last time EPA stepped in because of the county’s neglect was in 1996 when stormwater drainage problems were harming the Miami River and Biscayne Bay. The county has spent $600 million over that time, saving about 100 million gallons of water a day.

Yet the sewer part of the job keeps getting put off — at residents’ peril and with great economic risk to the area’s vibrant tourism industry. Instead of having a pro-active program that repairs aging pipes and upgrades wastewater stations, the county for years used excess money from the residents’ sewer fees to balance the county’s overall budget.

It’s time to increase fees and target that money directly to the repairs that are needed. As it is, the fees county water users pay are among the lowest of any comparable-sized area.

Whether Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is re-elected or Commission Chairman Joe Martinez gets the voters’ nod, the most important issue affecting the health, safety and economic well-being of the county’s residents is the antiquated water and sewer system.

Last year, Mr. Gimenez offered a budget that took $25 million from the sewer funds as a “loan” to balance the county’s books — an effort aimed at not having to lay off more county workers or reduce crucial services to residents. This year’s budget proposal does not dip into the sewer funds and the loan will start getting repaid in 2014. That’s the right thing to do.

Complicating the problem are about 100 miles of substandard piping laid out by a now-defunct company, including the sewer main running under Government Cut to Virginia Key — a potential catastrophe for this area’s tourism.

Mr. Gimenez and Mr. Martinez have pledged to work on a solution, and Mr. Gimenez’s proposed budget includes fee increases that would be staggered over several years to help pay for the upgrades. The mayor also says the county can bond about $300 million and is working with the EPA to come up with a plan to meet federal clean water requirements. Good.

True, this is an inherited mess. Past administrations delayed the inevitable. But no more excuses. Let’s fix this economic disaster in the making. It’s past time.

sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-audubon-farmers-fight-20120727,0,7985152.story

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Audubon challenge targets farm water pollution

Environmental group wants farmers to clean up water headed to Everglades

By Andy Reid, Sun Sentinel

7:51 PM EDT, July 27, 2012

Advertisement

Big Sugar should do more to clean up polluted water headed to the Everglades, according to permit challenges filed by the Florida Audubon Society Friday.

Audubon is fighting three permits that allow growers south of Lake Okeechobee to pump phosphorus-laden water toward the Everglades.

The environmental group wants the South Florida Water Management District to require sugar cane and other farmers to clean up more pollutants before it washes off agricultural fields.

Audubon argues that a new $880 million state and federal Everglades cleanup plan fails to put enough anti-pollution requirements on agriculture.

"Everglades water quality goals can be met more quickly and at less cost to the public if the district adhered to state law and required operators of the dirtiest farms to implement additional cleanup measures to reduce the amount of phosphorus leaving their farms," said Eric Draper, president of the Florida Audubon Society.

The South Florida Water Management District contends that existing pollution cleanup requirements on farmland are significantly reducing the amount of phosphorous that would otherwise end up in the Everglades.

The new Everglades cleanup plan does include stepped up "source controls" targeting pollution efforts where phosphorus levels have been historically higher.

Phosphorus, found in fertilizer, animal waste and the natural decay of soil, washes off agricultural land and urban areas and drains into the Everglades.

Elevated levels of phosphorus fuel the growth of cattails that crowd out sawgrass and other vital natural habitat in areas already suffering from decades of draining to make way for farming and development.

Farms are supposed to grow crops and manage stormwater discharges in ways that limit phosphorous discharges, but environmental advocates contend they aren't required to do enough to clean up pollution.

Florida has constructed more than 40,000 acres of filter marshes - called stormwater treatment areas - that remove some of the phosphorus from water that flows off the farms, before it gets to the Everglades.

But the cleanup efforts have yet to meet the ultimate goal of reducing phosphorous levels in the water headed to the Everglades down to 10 parts per billion.

abreid@tribune.com, 561-228-5504 or Twitter@abreidnews

Copyright © 2012, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Posted on July 24, 2012

A coalition of environmental groups is suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, arguing that the way the agency dumps polluted water from Lake Okeechobee is causing toxic algae blooms throughout the Caloosahatchee River near Fort Myers.

"This is making people sick, figuratively and literally," said Becky Ayech of the Environmental Coalition of Southwest Florida, citing complaints about everything from nausea to earaches among people who live along the river. "People have a right to clean water."

When heavy rains push the water level in Lake Okeechobee too high, the Corps opens floodgates that dump millions of gallons of lake water into the Caloosahatchee and also into the St. Lucie River on the state's east coast. But the lake water is full of pollutants, especially nutrients that can fuel algae blooms.

Algae blooms have plagued the Caloosahatchee eight of the past 11 years, the lawsuit points out. Last year's algae bloom lasted for eight weeks, during which officials in Glades, Hendry and Lee counties warned residents to avoid contact with the river water and not to eat the fish.

Even worse, according to the suit filed Monday in federal court, is the fact that what the Corps is releasing from the lake is so polluted it forces the shutdown of a water plant that is supposed to use the river to quench the thirst of 40,000 people.

The problem, according to the suit, is that when water levels are low, the Corps holds water back from the rivers —- to the point where the Caloosahatchee sometimes runs backward. That not only lets the freshwater river turn salty, it also bottles up the pollution in the lake and makes it worse when it's finally released, the suit contends.

Corps spokesman John Campbell said the agency normally does not comment on litigation. However, he said, the Corps manages the lake level in accordance with a 2008 guide that was prepared with the help of some environmental groups.

 via evergladesfoundation.org

An internal study by the county’s Water and Sewer Department says deteriorated water and sewage treatment plants, along with aging pipelines, will require more than $1 billion for immediate repairs.

A massive, five-month internal study by the county’s Water & Sewer Department shows a vast deterioration of water and sewage treatment plants, and aging pipelines, and says more than $1 billion is needed immediately for repairs.

TIM CHAPMAN / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

• Final Water and Sewer Report

By Charles Rabin

crabin@MiamiHerald.com

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/24/2909494/repair-bill-over-1-billion-to.h...

Miami-Dade County’s three main water treatment plants and nearly 14,000 miles of pipelines are so outdated it would take more than $1.1 billion just to replace the “most deteriorated, vulnerable sections” of the system, a newly released internal study shows.

Corrosion is so pervasive in the county’s water and sewage-treatment plants, and pipes that move water and sewage, that initial repairs could take from three to eight years, the five-month study found.

Each day 300 million gallons of waste and 459 million gallons of drinking water pass through the county’s system — the 10th largest water-and-sewer utility in the nation.

“The infrastructure we have out there is aged,” said John Renfrow, director of the water and sewer department. “Many of the pipes with leaks out there were built at the same time. It reminds me of an apartment where all the lights are put in at the same time, and you know how all the lights go out at the same time.”

Federal regulators told the county two months ago that it must perform repairs and upgrades. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice, along with the state Department of Environmental Protection, are expected to take another four months discussing with Miami-Dade how to fix and pay for a system that Renfrow said is “being held together by chewing gum.”

The study, requested by Commissioner Barbara Jordan, shows the majority of the initial fixes — about $736 million of immediate work — is needed for sewer lines. Water lines would take another $364 million to repair.

The county’s main water treatment in Hialeah, and two sewage plants, on Virginia Key and in South Miami-Dade, are 56, 45 and 87 years old, respectively.

Fixing wire and concrete erosion in pipes would cost about $10 million, and fixing water mains, tanks and pumps would cost another $129.4 million, the study estimated.

Using Hialeah’s John E. Preston water treatment plant as a typical example, the report noted that it “has numerous mechanical, electrical and process components which have exceeded the end of their useful economic service lives, which is usually 20 years.” A picture in the report shows a collapsed interior wall in the plant, which has been in operation since 1966.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said not much in the report surprised him.

Gimenez, Renfrow and several commissioners agree it’s going to take a combination of rate hikes, grants and revenue bonds to get the system up to date.

They said a budget decision to forego borrowing $25 million from the water and sewer coffers this year is a good start. That money, if left untouched each year unlike in the past, when it was moved to the county’s general fund, could pay the debt service on a $300 million bond, they said.

And despite not wanting to raise taxes or fees as the economy stumbles along, Gimenez and several commissioners say they expect a water rate hike in the near future. Historically, Miami-Dade has one of the lowest water rates in the state.

The county’s aging system — not unlike similar systems in most major cities throughout the Unites States — is in such disrepair that it has ruptured at least 65 times over the past two years, spilling more than 47 million gallons of untreated human waste into waterways and streets from one end of the county to the other.

Just this week a 36-inch main gave way in Little Haiti, leaving several families distraught and in search of a place to stay until their homes dry out.

Renfrow said his department will pay for home repairs.

“The funny thing is we checked the Little Haiti pipes in June for leaks. We didn’t miss anything,’’ he said. “The material is just old, it’s just going to break.’’

Similar main breaks were the focus of warning letters sent by federal authorities to the county from 2010 through May, when they finally came calling. The letters warned of possible civil penalties of up to $10,000 a day.

Talks between the county and the feds are expected to lead to an agreement over repairs and upgrades, as well as the funding mechanism.

“How it will be paid for will be figure out by us,” Gimenez said.

The report notes that the funding methods are not likely to be similar to the early 1970s when Congress passed the Clean Water Act, and grants were available for about 75 percent of repairs.

 

By Melissa L. Meeker, SFWMD Executive Director

Everglades restoration recently took a significant step forward, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concurred with a comprehensive plan — first proposed by Governor Rick Scott last October — that will vastly improve water quality in the famed River of Grass.

This far-reaching strategy to address the concerns of two federal courts includes state-issued Clean Water Act permits and a suite of new water storage and treatment projects. It is a watershed moment in the history of Everglades restoration and welcomed news, as reflected in the outpouring of support across the state. For many, one of the strongest aspects of the plan is that it moves us closer to resolving the decades-long litigation associated with Everglades water quality.

As Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District, the agency that will construct the water quality improvement projects, I want to highlight key features in this scientifically sound and financially feasible plan that will solve long-standing environmental challenges and ensure we achieve the stringent water quality requirements established for the Everglades.

First, our proposal will invest $880 million to construct state-of-the-art water quality improvement projects without raising taxes. We're going to do this on a realistic schedule, not only because this is cutting-edge work being implemented on a vast scale but also because the District must balance environmental restoration with its other critical missions like providing flood control and ensuring a sustainable supply of water for 7.7 million South Floridians.

Second, the new water quality projects now incorporate for the first time the use of water storage areas to work in tandem with the thousands of acres of existing treatment wetlands, known as stormwater treatment areas. After more than a decade of operating and managing these natural, water quality facilities, we have the science — and the experience — to know that extreme fluctuations in water levels brought on by South Florida's weather extremes often prevent these constructed wetlands from functioning at their best.

By connecting constructed wetlands to these water storage areas (known as flow equalization basins), we will be able to better manage the delivery of water to the treatment facilities even during droughts and storms. Altogether, the District will construct another 6,700 acres of new treatment wetlands and 110,000 acre-feet of water storage south of Lake Okeechobee to ensure that water discharged to the Everglades is cleaner than even rainwater. To provide additional assurance that our water quality goals will be met, we will also implement sub-regional source controls in several key areas where more intensive water quality improvements are needed.

Maximizing taxpayer investments already made in Everglades water quality, we are able to utilize close to 20,000 acres of land already in public ownership. This is not insignificant. Large tracts well-suited for water storage and treatment facilities are readily available for project planning and construction, saving time and taxpayer expense. In addition, we are pursuing mutually beneficial land exchanges with willing partners that will put the finishing touches on plan components in the eastern Everglades. With land in-hand and fewer hurdles to clear, construction can begin in short order — creating jobs and putting major project components on line in just six years.

This practical, science-based approach builds upon Florida's significant progress over the past decade to improve water quality, which was recently recognized by the National Academy of Sciences. With 57,000 acres of treatment wetlands already constructed and cleaning the water flowing into the Everglades, we have treated 4 trillion gallons of water to-date and removed 1,560 metric tons of phosphorus. Improved farming methods, known as best management practices, have been equally successful, preventing more than 2,500 tons of phosphorus from reaching the Everglades.

The key for success of this landmark plan is its broad support. Following months of productive negotiations between the state and federal agencies, there also has been consensus building with environmental groups, the agricultural community, elected officials and other key stakeholders. We still have several more steps to take before project construction can begin, including negotiating some regulatory details and, most importantly, our Governing Board's vote on the final regulatory package, making a decision to commit the District financially, operationally and legally to delivering on the plan.

Now, because of Governor Scott's leadership, we are poised to embark on the final leg of Florida's journey to achieving Everglades water quality standards and providing lasting protection to one of the nation's most unique natural places.

Governing Board Sets Proposed Property Tax Rates for FY2013

Rates will decrease slightly for South Florida taxpayers

At its July meeting, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board approved proposed millage rates for the coming fiscal year that will enable the agency to fulfill its core-mission responsibilities while resulting in a slight rate reduction for taxpayers in the 16-county region.

The proposed rates represent 42.9 cents per thousand dollars of value in 15 of the District's 16 counties (the Okeechobee Basin). For example, a home with a taxable value of $100,000 (assessed value of $150,000, less the $50,000 homestead exemption) would see a total District tax bill of $42.89. For Collier County and mainland Monroe County (the Big Cypress Basin), the tax rates represent 33.9 cents per thousand dollars. A similar home in this region would see a total District tax bill of $33.90.

The District is proposing an overall budget of $656.8 million to fund the agency's core mission in Fiscal Year 2013 (Oct. 1, 2012 – Sept. 30, 2013). The proposed budget would dedicate more than 75 percent of agency revenues to benefit ecosystem restoration and enhance flood control operations.

Property (ad valorem) taxes would make up approximately 41 percent of the revenues in the District's annual budget. Other funding sources include federal, state and local revenue; licenses; permit fees; grants; agricultural taxes; investment income and bond proceeds.

The District must complete and submit its tentative FY2013 budget report to Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature for their review by Aug. 1.

The SFWMD Governing Board will hold public hearings on Sept. 13 and 25 to adopt the tentative and final millage rates. Both meetings will start at 5:15 p.m. The Governing Board will also adopt the final FY2013 budget at the Sept. 25 hearing.

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