Why Grow In A Drought?

One of the most frequent questions I get, and one I've had myself over the years, is why local governments keep allowing new development and construction during a drought and water restrictions. It sure seems dumb, doesn't it?

The other day I asked Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio to explain this. She sent back a detailed reply, but the gist of it is this:

-- We have water restrictions in part because of the capacity of our current system. People put more demand on production capacity during a drought. In the short term, that's the bottleneck. There were restrictions during droughts back in 1967, when Tampa could take only 50 million gallons a day from the Hillsborough River, and there are still restrictions today, when the city can take 82 MGD.

-- So the approval of new development today doesn't have any immediate effect on our short-term capacity problem. What it DOES do is bring us closer and closer to the "ultimate" limit -- the limit on how much water is available to us in Florida if we max out ALL our sources.

"When,'' Iorio asks, "do we stop growth?  One, when regional water supply authorities say there are no longer water supply options.  No more reservoirs, no more desal plants, no more groundwater pumping, no more whatever the new idea has been. Then we can't have more growth. Or, the price of creating these new water supplies becomes so cost prohibitive that it is no longer affordable to live in the state of Florida.''

I would add that this still doesn't mean, and the mayor is not saying, that unrestricted growth is smart. It just means, if you buy this explanation, that it doesn't make our short-term situation worse. 

Comments

[Jennifer W]

One: when regional water supply authorities say there are no longer water supply options.

And who are these water supply "authorites"??? We see where these authorities got us with that de-sal plant. Bottom line, every human has a breaking point despite all their college degrees. Everyone can be bought out at some point. Certain "authorities" are easier bought out than others, and can be paid to say what you want them to say, and sell their ketchup popsicle to the general public. Also, these authorities are obligated to supply water to any new developments per the current written regulations. Call Tampa Bay Water, they'll explain this. So, because of this obligation, water supply authorities will always find "new" ways of supplying water to new infrastructure, and therefore tell us "no problem, man!" Hmmm, I wonder how many of these authorities have Brooker Creek Preserve as a last resort in their back pocket...but I won't go there.

Two: the price of creating these new water supplies becomes so cost prohibitive that it is no longer affordable to live in the state of Florida.

De-sal plant, $$$$$$$$, cha-ching!! If that doesn't fall under "cost prohibitive" I don't know what does! And which elected official is going to stand up and say "No, let's not build that water sucking device because it costs too much"??? They'll say, "My community and citizens need their water, so we need that widgit, and we'll cut this and that program and redistribute the funds to pay for it." Who said "No, we can't pump out of Brooker Creek, that's just wrong guys." But there I go again.

Keep selling those ketchup popsicles. Keep telling me golf courses need to be green. Keep telling me that 50 story high rises are necessary. Watch my little hybrid tail lights head north, cross the border, and LEAVE this consumer driven place!!

So the people in these new developments are only going to use water when "demand" is "low".
Well in that case....

[Jim]

Why do we continue to allow big developers to have free reign in this state?? Clearly, our water supplies are declining. Developers should have to pay an impact fee to pay for new reservoirs and technology to provide more water to the region.

[D.C. Stultz]

The obvious fix is to ban indoor plumbing from all new developments. Call it the "going back to our roots movement". Outhouses in every back yard. Cisterns for our bath water.

Hey, that almost sounds like fun.

[Jennifer W]

My idea, although somewhat Greek/Roman, every house gets a certain amount of water allotted to them each day. Once you use that amount, your water shuts off. No more! So if you choose to use your water for extra long showers, or watering your lawn, or not fixing a drippy faucet, your choice.

I don't know how to make that work but I like it.

[barbara schiller]

Just read your article/opinion today and had to comment --I am a 75 year woman who sees the continue waste of good natural water -------I live in an area called Harbor Oaks in the state of Florida and I walk a dog ( with a plastic bag ) I see the the lawns that are using water daily for lawns or the lush lawns that obviously have been watered recently ------I believe this the average for most areas---------I try to follow the management of all of my usage as well as saving waste for recycling which is not done by many homeowners or condos ( their excuse is to costly to do ---------I live on pennies to survive and yet ,I find that the more money you have the more water that is used and the more waste that is not recycled -------I could go on and on but I hope you get this old woman's theories ----I would love to get a penny for every dripping faucet in just this county then I could afford to keep a roof over my head ------thank you for reading my comments

[John Murphy]

It is evident that developers have enough politicians in their pockets that if all our water supplies dried up tomorrow, these politicians would continue to hand out building permits like candy. So much damage has been done to the natural resources of our once beautiful state that is is criminal to see the continued degradation to our environment and quality of life that development brings.