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.

 

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

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.

Top of Page

Phosphorus Reductions Again Improve Water Quality

Improved farming techniques help EAA, C-139 achieve phosphorus reduction goals

For the 17th consecutive year, water flowing from farmlands in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) achieved phosphorus reductions that exceeded those required by law. Implementation of improved farming techniques, known as Best Management Practices (BMPs), produced a 71-percent phosphorus reduction in the 470,000-acre EAA farming region south of Lake Okeechobee for the 2012 monitoring period. An approved model is used to compute the reductions and makes adjustments to account for the influences of rainfall.

Just west of the EAA, the C-139 Basin also met its goal of reducing phosphorus discharges to historic levels. The 170,000-acre C-139 farming region consists primarily of pasture land, row crops, citrus and sugarcane. Results show 15 metric tons flowed from the basin during the 2012 monitoring period, less than half the target load of 32 metric tons.

"Year after year, science-based Best Management Practices deliver reductions in nutrients that are greater than required by state law, helping to significantly improve Everglades water quality," said Joe Collins, Chairman of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board. "Together with treatment wetlands, BMPs provide a solid foundation for our collective efforts to achieve the ultra-low water quality standards in the River of Grass."

In the EAA, the most commonly used BMPs are more precise fertilizer application methods, refined stormwater pumping practices and erosion controls to reduce the amount of phosphorus transported in stormwater runoff to the Everglades and connected water bodies. In the C-139 Basin, the District recently worked with landowners to develop more comprehensive and stringent BMP plans for each farm that better address the unique nutrient challenges in this basin. These plans are anticipated to result in greater phosphorus reduction results.

Monitoring Data Documents the Nutrient Reductions
Phosphorus can impact the Everglades ecosystem when stormwater runoff carries excess amounts into protected wetlands. To meet the requirements of Florida's Everglades Forever Act, the amount of phosphorus leaving the EAA must be 25 percent less than the amount before phosphorus reduction efforts started. Data show that a 71-percent phosphorus reduction was achieved for the 2012 monitoring period. The overall average reduction from the implementation of BMPs over the program's 17-year history is 55 percent, more than twice the amount required by law.

When measured in actual mass, 154 metric tons of phosphorus were prevented from entering the regional canal system, which sends water into the Everglades, during the 2012 monitoring period. Over the past 17 years, the BMP program has prevented 2,565 metric tons of phosphorus from leaving the EAA.

In the C-139 Basin, a BMP program has been in place for the past nine years with the goal of reducing phosphorus discharges to historic levels. In November 2010, the program requirements were enhanced to better control nutrient runoff. The District uses a model to determine the phosphorus load that the agricultural region must achieve each year based on rainfall. For the 2012 monitoring period, the target load was 32 metric tons. Data show the actual mass of phosphorus discharged from the basin during that time was 15 metric tons.

Stormwater Treatment Areas Provide Additional Improvements
Water leaving the EAA and C-139 Basin receives additional treatment in one of several Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) before entering the Everglades. These SFWMD-constructed wetlands are filled with native vegetation and use "green" technology to further reduce phosphorus levels.

Since 1994, the network of five STAs south of Lake Okeechobee — with 45,000 acres of effective treatment area — have treated 12.3 million acre-feet (4 trillion gallons) of water and retained more than 1,560 metric tons of phosphorus that would have otherwise entered the Everglades. Last year, the STAs treated approximately 700,000 acre-feet of water and recorded their best performance year to date, retaining 83 percent of phosphorus from water flowing through the treatment cells and treating water to an average of 19 parts per billion of phosphorus.

Through the end of April 2012, more than 4,060 metric tons of phosphorus have been prevented from entering the Everglades through treatment wetlands and the BMP program. Overall, Florida has invested more than $1.8 billion to improve Everglades water quality since 1994.

This year, the District is completing several water quality improvement projects to further enhance its water-cleaning efforts:

• Construction is complete and pump station commissioning is in progress for an STA expansion that will nearly double the size of STA-2 in western Palm Beach County to 15,500 acres. Known as Compartment B, the 6,817-acre expansion will help the STA achieve optimal performance.
• A 4,656-acre expansion of treatment wetlands in southeast Hendry County, known as Compartment C, is complete and pump station commissioning is set to begin. Compartment C will further improve water quality flowing into the Everglades. This $47.5 million investment will connect two existing Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA-5 and STA-6) in the EAA and more than double water treatment capability at the site.

In June, the state announced an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand water quality treatment that will lead to achievement of the ambient water quality standard for the Everglades. Highlights of the state's Everglades water quality improvement strategy includes:

• Design and construction of 110,000 acre-feet of additional storage adjacent to existing Everglades STAs, better controlling water flow into the wetlands and thereby improving their performance.
• Doubling the size of Stormwater Treatment Area 1-West adjacent to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, increasing by 50 percent the treatment capacity of water quality facilities currently discharging into the Refuge.
• Improving treatment in the western Everglades by adding 11,000 acre-feet of associated storage in the C-139 Basin that is capable of storing 3.5 billion gallons and constructing 800 acres of additional wetlands in STA-5.
• A robust science plan to ensure continued biological, ecological and operational research to improve and optimize the performance of water quality treatment technologies.
• Regional and sub-regional source controls in areas of the eastern Everglades where phosphorus levels in runoff has been historically higher.

For more information on the SFWMD's water quality improvement initiatives, please see Just the Facts: Providing Clean Water for the Everglades. A multimedia look at how STAs work and what water quality improvements they have delivered can be found on the District's Improving Water Quality website.

Improved farming techniques help EAA, C-139 achieve phosphorus reduction goals

For the 17th consecutive year, water flowing from farmlands in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) achieved phosphorus reductions that exceeded those required by law. Implementation of improved farming techniques, known as Best Management Practices (BMPs), produced a 71-percent phosphorus reduction in the 470,000-acre EAA farming region south of Lake Okeechobee for the 2012 monitoring period. An approved model is used to compute the reductions and makes adjustments to account for the influences of rainfall.

Just west of the EAA, the C-139 Basin also met its goal of reducing phosphorus discharges to historic levels. The 170,000-acre C-139 farming region consists primarily of pasture land, row crops, citrus and sugarcane. Results show 15 metric tons flowed from the basin during the 2012 monitoring period, less than half the target load of 32 metric tons.

"Year after year, science-based Best Management Practices deliver reductions in nutrients that are greater than required by state law, helping to significantly improve Everglades water quality," said Joe Collins, Chairman of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board. "Together with treatment wetlands, BMPs provide a solid foundation for our collective efforts to achieve the ultra-low water quality standards in the River of Grass."

In the EAA, the most commonly used BMPs are more precise fertilizer application methods, refined stormwater pumping practices and erosion controls to reduce the amount of phosphorus transported in stormwater runoff to the Everglades and connected water bodies. In the C-139 Basin, the District recently worked with landowners to develop more comprehensive and stringent BMP plans for each farm that better address the unique nutrient challenges in this basin. These plans are anticipated to result in greater phosphorus reduction results.

Monitoring Data Documents the Nutrient Reductions
Phosphorus can impact the Everglades ecosystem when stormwater runoff carries excess amounts into protected wetlands. To meet the requirements of Florida's Everglades Forever Act, the amount of phosphorus leaving the EAA must be 25 percent less than the amount before phosphorus reduction efforts started. Data show that a 71-percent phosphorus reduction was achieved for the 2012 monitoring period. The overall average reduction from the implementation of BMPs over the program's 17-year history is 55 percent, more than twice the amount required by law.

When measured in actual mass, 154 metric tons of phosphorus were prevented from entering the regional canal system, which sends water into the Everglades, during the 2012 monitoring period. Over the past 17 years, the BMP program has prevented 2,565 metric tons of phosphorus from leaving the EAA.

In the C-139 Basin, a BMP program has been in place for the past nine years with the goal of reducing phosphorus discharges to historic levels. In November 2010, the program requirements were enhanced to better control nutrient runoff. The District uses a model to determine the phosphorus load that the agricultural region must achieve each year based on rainfall. For the 2012 monitoring period, the target load was 32 metric tons. Data show the actual mass of phosphorus discharged from the basin during that time was 15 metric tons.

Stormwater Treatment Areas Provide Additional Improvements
Water leaving the EAA and C-139 Basin receives additional treatment in one of several Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) before entering the Everglades. These SFWMD-constructed wetlands are filled with native vegetation and use "green" technology to further reduce phosphorus levels.

Since 1994, the network of five STAs south of Lake Okeechobee — with 45,000 acres of effective treatment area — have treated 12.3 million acre-feet (4 trillion gallons) of water and retained more than 1,560 metric tons of phosphorus that would have otherwise entered the Everglades. Last year, the STAs treated approximately 700,000 acre-feet of water and recorded their best performance year to date, retaining 83 percent of phosphorus from water flowing through the treatment cells and treating water to an average of 19 parts per billion of phosphorus.

Through the end of April 2012, more than 4,060 metric tons of phosphorus have been prevented from entering the Everglades through treatment wetlands and the BMP program. Overall, Florida has invested more than $1.8 billion to improve Everglades water quality since 1994.

This year, the District is completing several water quality improvement projects to further enhance its water-cleaning efforts:

• Construction is complete and pump station commissioning is in progress for an STA expansion that will nearly double the size of STA-2 in western Palm Beach County to 15,500 acres. Known as Compartment B, the 6,817-acre expansion will help the STA achieve optimal performance.
• A 4,656-acre expansion of treatment wetlands in southeast Hendry County, known as Compartment C, is complete and pump station commissioning is set to begin. Compartment C will further improve water quality flowing into the Everglades. This $47.5 million investment will connect two existing Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA-5 and STA-6) in the EAA and more than double water treatment capability at the site.

In June, the state announced an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand water quality treatment that will lead to achievement of the ambient water quality standard for the Everglades. Highlights of the state's Everglades water quality improvement strategy includes:

• Design and construction of 110,000 acre-feet of additional storage adjacent to existing Everglades STAs, better controlling water flow into the wetlands and thereby improving their performance.
• Doubling the size of Stormwater Treatment Area 1-West adjacent to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, increasing by 50 percent the treatment capacity of water quality facilities currently discharging into the Refuge.
• Improving treatment in the western Everglades by adding 11,000 acre-feet of associated storage in the C-139 Basin that is capable of storing 3.5 billion gallons and constructing 800 acres of additional wetlands in STA-5.
• A robust science plan to ensure continued biological, ecological and operational research to improve and optimize the performance of water quality treatment technologies.
• Regional and sub-regional source controls in areas of the eastern Everglades where phosphorus levels in runoff has been historically higher.

For more information on the SFWMD's water quality improvement initiatives, please see Just the Facts: Providing Clean Water for the Everglades. A multimedia look at how STAs work and what water quality improvements they have delivered can be found on the District's Improving Water Quality website.

 

Posted on Sun, May. 13, 2012

By CURTIS MORGAN

Walter Michot / Miami Herald Staff

At Hillcrest Golf & Country Club in Hollywood, the fairways and greens are irrigated with 'reclaimed' waste water.

South Florida has suffered through some dreary declines of late — home values, paychecks and the Miami Dolphins, for instance.

But in the case of the public thirst for one precious commodity — fresh water — the decline has actually turned into a major money-saving plus.

The 53 water utilities serving Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties pumped about 83 million fewer gallons a day in 2010 than they did in 2000 — despite a population that grew by some 600,000 over the decade — according to a new draft analysis produced by the South Florida Water Management District.

Do the math and it adds up to South Floridians using about 20 percent less water each day for drinking, bathing and sprinkling yards per person than they did a decade ago. That’s about 30 billion gallons over the course of a year, enough unused water to fill 45,900 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

It’s an unexpected but entirely welcome drop-off in public demand in a region that only a decade ago was worried about taps running dry in relentlessly sprawling suburbs.

“It’s not a surprise that it went down,’’ said Mark Elsner, administrator of water supply development for the water management district. “It’s a surprise it went down so much.’’

WHAT’S BEHIND IT

Though water consumption per person has been declining for decades, water managers point to a combination of factors that are accelerating the trend. They include newer water-efficient toilets and other fixtures, tougher restrictions on lawn irrigation and stepped utility rates designed to make customers pay a premium for excessive water use.

Water managers and state and local environmental regulators have pushed conservation programs and also demanded that utilities expand use of “reclaimed” wastewater — often by using it to irrigate parks and golf courses.

At Hillcrest Golf & Country Club in Hollywood, for instance, every drop from the sprinklers is recycled wastewater — cheaper and in totally unrestricted supply.

“We have a very good deal for water. We could use a million gallons or 10 gallons and we pay the same amount,’’ said Lewis Rissman, Hillcrest’s general manager. “The city of Hollywood doesn’t even know what to do with all their reclaimed water.’’

Clearly, South Florida’s economic downturn, housing market collapse and flattening population growth have contributed to the slaking thirst as well.

“There are a lot of things working together,’’ said Elsner, whose agency oversees the water supply for 16 counties stretching from south of Orlando to Key West. “What you’re seeing is a conservation ethic being developed. People are understanding the value of water.’’

What the decline in demand from public utilities does not mean is South Florida is in the clear when it comes to water shortages

South Florida depends on wildly varying annual rainfall to replenish its underground aquifers and Lake Okeechobee. Right now, for example, an unusually dry winter has left ground water levels lower than normal.

The district’s long-term planning analysis, revised every five years with new consumption and population figures, also covers only four counties in the region and doesn’t track similar trends for agriculture, which consumes an estimated 37 percent of the region’s water. It also doesn’t account for some critical future demands — such as the massive volumes of water needed to help restore the Everglades. The draft study predicts the four counties will still need to expand the public water supply by 18 percent by 2030.

But improved conservation has eased pressure on traditional public water supplies and utilities contemplating new, far more expensive water systems designed to reclaim wastewater and tap other new sources, from deep aquifers to sea water.

SCALING BACK

The drop-off has been significant enough that Miami-Dade’s Water and Sewer Department has been able to scale back projects considered essential only five years ago, saving the utility — and its customers — hundreds of millions of dollars.

In 2007, Miami-Dade, which had historically relied almost entirely on the cheap, clean Biscayne Aquifer, was forced to draw up a $1.6 billion expansion plan to serve a then-booming population. Under pressure from water managers, who warned that drawing more from the underground supply could hurt regional water supplies, the Everglades and Biscayne Bay, Miami-Dade designed projects to tap the deeper brackish Floridan aquifer or to treat wastewater.

Bertha Goldenberg, assistant director of the water and sewer department, said the county has since been able to cancel or defer a handful of projects, including one that would have piped highly treated wastewater back into the ground near Zoo Miami to increase ground water supplies.

“We basically saved $300 million by changing that,’’ she said.

Alan Garcia, director of Broward County’s water and wastewater services, said the decline has allowed the agency to push back a $46 million project to tap the Floridan until at least 2023 and explore other potentially cheaper options for the future, such as teaming up with other Broward and Palm Beach utilities in constructing a massive reservoir.

Garcia said county figures show per person usage falling sharply in some areas, down almost by half between 1990 and 2008 in one area that includes Lighthouse Point and parts of Pompano Beach.

“People have finally started to see they don’t need to water their lawns four or five days a week,’’ he said. “It’s expensive water and they don’t need to use it.’’

Miami-Dade’s Goldenberg also points to irrigation restrictions the district first imposed in 2006 during a severe drought as a major factor in the decline, with county usage dropping by 20 gallons a day per person over the following two years. In 2010, both Miami-Dade and Broward made twice-weekly lawn watering rules permanent.

Miami-Dade programs to offer rebates and exchanges for high-efficiency toilets and shower heads and to improve homeowner associations’ irrigation systems also combined to save nearly 8.5 million gallons a day last year, according to a water department report completed in April.

The district analysis shows that, based on 2010 figures, Miami-Dade remained the largest consumer of the public water supply, slurping some 347 million gallons a day. Broward trailed with 217 million gallons a day, followed by Palm Beach County with 207 million gallons and Monroe with 16 million gallons.

But Palm Beach County’s agricultural industry, dominated by sprawling sugar farms, made it the thirstiest county overall. Farms, which draw from their own wells and pumps, pushed Palm Beach’s total daily demands to over 600 million gallons. Miami-Dade’s combined farm and public total runs just over 400 million gallons a day, according to the report.

Measuring by usage per person, Palm Beach recorded the greatest decline between 2000 and 2010, at 28 percent, followed by Broward at 19 percent and Miami-Dade at 17 percent. Miami-Dade’s updated numbers, which include figures through 2011, show a 21 percent reduction since 2000.

THIRSTY MONROE

Officially, Monroe ranked far and away as the thirstiest county per person at 198 gallons per day in 2010 but water managers said that number was heavily skewed by tourists in the Florida Keys, who use much of the water but aren’t included in the calculations.

Lower population projections also have eased the pressure to expand water systems. The last time the district produced its analysis, in 2006, when South Florida was in the midst of a super-heated housing boom, water managers calculated the four counties would be using nearly 2.3 billion gallons of water a day by 2025 for everything from home faucets to farming.

That estimate is now down by some 400 million gallons — for 2030, five years later.

“I don’t think the question is are we going to run out of water but are we going to run out of less expensive water,’’ said Elsner, of the water management district. “What this does is extend the traditional fresh water sources further down the road.’’

Miami-Dade now believes it can cover much of its future demand through 2030 with a plant in Hialeah already under construction and expected to be completed later this year that will tap the Floridan and a second plant in South Miami that is being designed to use less expensive technology.

“We’re a lot better off than we were in 2005,’’ Goldenberg said. “Our demands were above our allocations so we were really in a crisis.’’

South Florida has suffered through some dreary declines of late — home values, paychecks and the Miami Dolphins, for instance.

But in the case of the public thirst for one precious commodity — fresh water — the decline has actually turned into a major money-saving plus.

The 53 utilities serving Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties pumped about 83 million gallons a day of water less in 2010 than they did in 2000 — despite a population that grew by some 600,000 over the decade — according to a new draft analysis produced by the South Florida Water Management District.

Do the math and it adds up to South Floridians using about 20 percent less water each day for drinking, bathing and sprinkling yards per person than they did a decade ago. That’s about 30 billion gallons over the course of a year, enough unused water to fill 45,900 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

It’s an unexpected but entirely welcome drop-off in public demand in a region that only a decade ago was worried about taps running dry in relentlessly sprawling suburbs.

“It’s not a surprise that it went down,’’ said Mark Elsner, administrator of water supply development for the water management district. “It’s a surprise it went down so much.’’

Though water consumption per person has been declining for decades, water managers point to a combination of factors that are accelerating the trend. They include newer water-efficient toilets and other fixtures, tougher restrictions on lawn irrigation and stepped utility rates designed to make customers pay a premium for excessive water use.

Water managers and state and local environmental regulators have pushed conservation programs and also demanded that utilities expand use of “reclaimed” waste water — often by using it to irrigate parks and golf courses.

At Hillcrest Golf & Country Club in Hollywood, for instance, every drop from the sprinklers is recycled wastewater — cheaper and in totally unrestricted supply.

“We have a very good deal for water. We could use a million gallons or 10 gallons and we pay the same amount,’’ said Lewis Rissman, Hillcrest’s general manager. “The city of Hollywood doesn’t even know what to do with all their reclaimed water.’’

Clearly, South Florida’s economic downturn, housing market collapse and flattening population growth have contributed to the slaking thirst as well.

“There are a lot of things working together,’’ said Elsner, whose agency oversees the water supply for 16 counties stretching from south of Orlando to Key West. “What you’re seeing is a conservation ethic being developed. People are understanding the value of water.’’

What the decline in demand from public utilities does not mean is South Florida is in the clear when it comes to water shortages

South Florida depends on wildly varying annual rainfall to replenish its underground aquifers and Lake Okeechobee. Right now, for example, an unusually dry winter has left ground water levels lower than normal.

The district’s long-term planning analysis, revised every five years with new consumption and population figures, also covers only four counties in the region and doesn’t track similar trends for agriculture, which consumes an estimated 37 percent of the region’s water. It also doesn’t account for some critical future demands — such as the massive volumes of water needed to help restore the Everglades. The draft study predicts the four counties will still need to expand the public water supply by 18 percent by 2030.

But improved conservation has eased pressure on traditional public water supplies and utilities contemplating new, far more expensive water systems designed to reclaim wastewater and tap other new sources, from deep aquifers to sea water.

The drop-off has been significant enough that Miami-Dade’s Water and Sewer Department has been able to scale back projects considered essential only five years ago, saving the utility — and its customers — hundreds of millions of dollars.

In 2007, Miami-Dade, which had historically relied almost entirely on the cheap, clean Biscayne Aquifer, was forced to draw up a $1.6 billion expansion plan to serve a then-booming population. Under pressure from water managers, who warned that drawing more from the underground supply could hurt regional water supplies, the Everglades and Biscayne Bay, Miami-Dade designed projects to tap the deeper brackish Floridan aquifer or to treat waste water.

Bertha Goldenberg, assistant director of the water and sewer department, said the county has since been able to cancel or defer a handful of projects, including one that would have piped highly treated waste water back into the ground near Zoo Miami to increase ground water supplies.

“We basically saved $300 million by changing that,’’ she said.

Alan Garcia, director of Broward County’s water and wastewater services, said the decline has allowed the agency to push back a $46 million project to tap the Floridan until at least 2023 and explore other potentially cheaper options for the future, such as teaming up with other Broward and Palm Beach utilities in constructing a massive reservoir.

Garcia said county figures show per person usage falling sharply in some areas, down almost by half between 1990 and 2008 in one area that includes Lighthouse Point and parts of Pompano Beach.

“People have finally started to see they don’t need to water their lawns four or five days a week,’’ he said. “It’s expensive water and they don’t need to use it.’’

Miami-Dade’s Goldenberg also points to irrigation restrictions the district first imposed in 2006 during a severe drought as a major factor in the decline, with county usage dropping by 20 gallons a day per person over the following two years. In 2010, both Miami-Dade and Broward made twice-weekly lawn watering rules permanent.

Miami-Dade programs to offer rebates and exchanges for high-efficiency toilets and shower heads and to improve homeowner associations’ irrigation systems also combined to save nearly 8.5 million gallons a day last year, according a water department report completed in April.

The district analysis shows that, based on 2010 figures, Miami-Dade remained the largest consumer of the public water supply, slurping some 347 million gallons a day. Broward trailed with 217 million gallons a day, followed by Palm Beach County with 207 million gallons and Monroe with 16 million gallons.

But Palm Beach County’s agricultural industry, dominated by sprawling sugar farms, made it the thirstiest county overall. Farms, which draw from their own wells and pumps, pushed Palm Beach’s total daily demands to over 600 million gallons. Miami-Dade’s combined farm and public total runs just over 400 million gallons a day, according to the report.

Measuring by usage per person, Palm Beach recorded the greatest decline between 2000 and 2010, at 28 percent, followed by Broward at 19 percent and Miami-Dade at 17 percent. Miami-Dade’s updated numbers, which include figures through 2011, show a 21 percent reduction since 2000.

Officially, Monroe ranked far and away as the thirstiest county per person at 198 gallons per day in 2010 but water managers said that number was heavily skewed by tourists in the Florida Keys, who use much of the water but aren’t included in the calculations.

Lower population projections also have eased the pressure to expand water systems. The last time the district produced its analysis, in 2006, when South Florida was in the midst of a super-heated housing boom, water managers calculated the four counties would be using nearly 2.3 billion gallons of water a day by 2025 for everything from home faucets to farming.

That estimate is now down by some 400 million gallons – for 2030, five years later.

“I don’t think the question is are we going to run out of water but are we going to run out of less expensive water,’’ said Elsner, of the water management district. “What this does is extend the traditional fresh water sources further down the road.’’

Miami-Dade now believes it can cover much of its future demand through 2030 with a plant in Hialeah already under construction and expected to be completed later this year that will tap the Floridan and a second plant in South Miami that is being resigned to use less expensive technology.

“We’re a lot better off than we were in 2005,’’ said Goldenberg. “Our demands were above our allocations so we were really in a crisis.’’