Dade's water reserves near crisis point Penelas announces waste crackdown, daily meetings to plan for emergency BY MICHAEL GREENWALD mgreenwald@herald.com

Drought strategy crafted

Without heavy rain and a sharp decrease in consumption, Miami-Dade County will deplete its water reserves in four to six weeks, Mayor Alex Penelas warned Friday, announcing a crackdown on water wasters.

He committed the county's Emergency Operations Center to help enforce water restrictions and said officials would be meeting daily to develop a crisis management plan.

Depletion of reserves in the vast water conservation areas west of Miami would force the county to draw exclusively on its main source, the Biscayne Aquifer. If too much fresh water is drawn from the aquifer, salt water from the coast could seep in, contaminating well fields.

The EOC will be staffed with a duty officer 24 hours a day to field calls from residents reporting violations of water restrictions.

Miami-Dade County has achieved at best a 9 percent reduction in water consumption, far short of the 30 percent cut targeted by water managers. Unless it rains and less water is consumed, ``we may soon be facing consequences of a grave nature,'' said County Manager Steve Shiver.

``We are in the midst of what experts are calling the worst drought in our recorded history,'' Penelas said. ``We must do a much better job.'' He said the county might consider increasing water bills to encourage conservation.

Water managers already have begun slapping first-time violators with $75 fines.

FINE-RATE INCREASES

Since the Phase II restrictions began in January, 90 fines have been handed out by Miami-Dade police and the county's Environmental Resources Management, the vast majority in the past three weeks.

The number is expected to increase dramatically when tougher Phase III restrictions go into effect on Wednesday. Those rules are likely to limit lawn watering to three hours on a weekend day.

The stricter water usage guidelines aim to reduce consumption by 35-45 percent. During Phase III, lawn watering will be limited to one day a week for three hours and decorative fountains will be shut down.

ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

The county has never undergone Phase II or Phase III restrictions.

Details of the new regulations will be debated at a public meeting Tuesday of the South Florida Water Management District in West Palm Beach. The tougher rules could pose severe economic problems for many local businesses.

``I regret that these restrictions will cause hardships, but they are necessary,'' Penelas said.

But those in the nursery, car-washing, golf course and pool businesses may receive a break from some of the restrictions, said Roman Gastesi Jr., director of the water district's Miami-Dade regional center.

``We're talking about altering the restrictions to relieve the economic impact,'' Gastesi said. ``What exactly that will be, I don't know.''

But if the tougher restrictions fail to limit water consumption sufficiently, ``there is no doubt in my mind we could go to a state of emergency,'' said EOC Director Chuck Lanza.

To prevent that, in addition to greater enforcement of the restrictions, pumps are now being installed to send water from Lake Okeechobee to Miami-Dade County.

When the lake -- now at 10.2 feet -- reaches 10 feet, the pumps will begin pushing water south and into canals, Gastesi said.

MANAGERS' APPEAL

Water managers urged residents again Friday to limit their water use beyond what is required by law by taking shorter showers, turning off faucets while brushing teeth and using dishwashers and washing machines less frequently.

For outdoor water use, until Wednesday, residents may water their lawns from 4 to 8 a.m. Thursdays and Sundays for even-numbered addresses and Wednesdays and Saturdays for odd-numbered addresses.

Hand-watering is permitted from one hose from 5 to 7 p.m. on an unpaved surface on the same days.

Washing cars and boats is allowed from 4 to 8 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m., also only on unpaved surfaces.

Landscaping newer than 30 days may be watered from 2 to 8 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays.

http://cgi.herald.com/cgi-bin/rc_emailfriend.cgi?mode=print&doc=http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/dade/digdocs/078856.htm

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

Answers

Good heavens, I had no idea! However will Barefoot keephis feet clean? He's gonna hafta wear shoes! Seriously, this is, well, SERIOUS.

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

seems like weather it`s electricity or water or whatever, that the local goverments just kept doing their same ole` same ole` [read nothing] until tshtf! what`s up with that? seems to me that as things dominoe down into crisis after crisis that at some point john q public is gonna rise up and demand answers. civil unrest on every main st. usa?

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

Where will all the people go when they run out of water? Looks like a job for SUPER FEMA. Blessings, David

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

It's rough on most people, but the restrictions noted above do not come near what we do as a matter of course.

Dishwasher, once a week. we use paperplates mostly anyway, and have started trying to limit our meals to 'finger food' where possible. this cuts down on flatware needing cleaning.

Also, cooking pots and pans are wiped out with a sponge and soap prior to being left in the dishwasher awaiting washing. Most times we end up washing it out the next day to use it.

Laundry is done in large loads, three days a week, maybe two loads a day. Now that we have a dryer that can handle the large loads, we have gotten away from using the clothesline, except for the little rugs and the sheets. Towels are too rough when hung, so in the dryer they go!

Washing cars? LOL Get real. We have the dirtest cars around! seriously, once a week or less they get cleaned at the gas station washer, brushless of course. the washer is a new one that recycles the water, so less waste.

Our front yard is basically dead. Any landscaping there is xeroscape anyway, so no worries, other than fire with the dead grass.

The back yard we water once a week, maybe for an hour. Doesn't take much, but we have to or the dogs will get all sorts of bugs and dirt and stuff on them, and that we don't want in the house!

Iwish TPTB would cruise around at night near where I work. Those warehouse areas, with their little strips of grass and bushes and trees in the parking lots always have the sprinklers on at night, and most of them are watering the pavement, not the plants. Very wasteful.

Our neighbor down the street waters their front lawn every friggin night. I see the wet pavement when I come home. They have the greenest lawn in universe I think. wouldn't that be an obvious clue?

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

Way to go Barefoot. Sounds like you've got a handle on controlling your water usage. We're trying to do the same up here in North Florida.

Think xeroscaping is going to be the way to go as far as landscaping is concerned. Around here, TPTB are asking for folks to go to once a week lawn watering. That's going to be a little rough on those periods of heat stress when the temps are in the high 90s.

Let's hope we get a lot of rain this summer.

Lurkess

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2001

We had a little rain this morning, and it looks like we may have a bit more throughout the day. Not that this will stop the idjits from having their sprinklers systems run on schedule, tho.

At least I can avoid running ours this week.

-- Anonymous, March 27, 2001

Looks like Florida is getting some much needed rain now.

We are currently in a thunderstorm, a good one, and Orlando and other places north are really getting hammered by the weather.

I heard that they lifted the phase three restrictions here in Dade County already, but haven't found a source yet.

Guess they won't have to pump water from the lake, eh?

-- Anonymous, March 29, 2001

I moved out of Orlando in the falll of 1989, and my last summer there was the only time in the ten years I was there that they had water conservation rules. (Lawn watering restrictions, couldn't wash you car in the driveway or on the street.)

Population was still booming then and it didn't look good. Looks like they have finally exceeded the carrying capacity of the water supply. I think you folks are going to have more serious problems if you don't get a hurricane dose of water this summer.

Good luck,

GB7

-- Anonymous, March 29, 2001

Check the radar for tonight. We be getting it good.

-- Anonymous, March 29, 2001

You all might remember the serious drought situation in Britain not too long ago. At one point, helicopters were patrolling the worst-hit areas, checking for too-green lawns! My father didn't water his lawn but he put soaker hose around his favorite plants and watered them at night. Bad dad!

Floridians--search on "gray water," see what comes up. There should be DIY solutions to diverting your laundry water for plants--certain kinds of detergent only. Warning, this practice is illegal in some states.

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2001

For anyone on the coast, there are also personal-sized desalinization plants on the market. Again, regulatory constraints may vary.

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2001

Barefoot... did you guys get enough rain to help out?

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2001

Yes, apparently, Carl, he's sending what's left over to New England.

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2001

Ah yes,it was quite nice to have a cool rain off and on all night long.

The sky seems to be promising more rain throughout the day, too. We'll see.

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2001

Well well, we are getting nailed with rain right now. Lots and lots of lightning and thunder. The lightning is so bright that the street lights shut off several times. heh heh

Windy too! my my my, thankfully we made it home before it started!

-- Anonymous, April 01, 2001

Just got this on the net:

Sel8 mkc Ww 010351

Urgent - Immediate Broadcast Requested Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 78 Storm Prediction Center Norman Ok 1051 PM EST Sat Mar 31 2001

The Storm Prediction Center Has Issued A Severe Thunderstorm Watch For Portions Of

South Florida And Adjacent Coastal Waters

Effective This Saturday Night And Sunday Morning From 1100 PM Until 400 AM EST .

Hail To 2 Inches In Diameter...Thunderstorm Wind Gusts To 70 Mph...And Dangerous Lightning Are Possible In These Areas.

The Severe Thunderstorm Watch Area Is Along And 60 Statute Miles Either Side Of A Line From 55 Miles West Of West Palm Beach Florida To 40 Miles South Southwest Of Miami Florida.

Remember...A Severe Thunderstorm Watch Means Conditions Are Favorable For Severe Thunderstorms In And Close To The Watch Area. Persons In These Areas Should Be On The Lookout For Threatening Weather Conditions And Listen For Later Statements And Possible Warnings.

Other Watch Information...This Severe Thunderstorm Watch Replaces Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 77. Watch Number 77 Will Not Be In Effect After 1100 PM EST .

Discussion...Isolated Intense Thunderstorms Continue Over Parts Of South FL Along Surface Cold Front...And Offshore. This Activity Should Persist Through The Early Morning With The Potential For Damaging Winds And Large Hail In Stronger Cells.

Aviation...A Few Severe Thunderstorms With Hail Surface And Aloft To 2 Inches. Extreme Turbulence And Surface Wind Gusts To 60 Knots. A Few Cumulonimbi With Maximum Tops To 500. Mean Storm Motion Vector 27035.

...Hart

;265,0800 253,0793 245,0812 262,0815;

-- Anonymous, April 01, 2001

The link to the above info source is http://ww2.weatherbug.com/aws/

weather bug

-- Anonymous, April 01, 2001