But State Regulations Only Do So Much

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1 But State Regulations Only Do So Much The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land. Luna Leopold If this quote is true, then we are failing. The water resources in our state are depleted and degraded. And, despite some successes, they are on a slow and continuous decline. In spite of Florida s enormous progress in developing its water quality regulatory structure over the past 15 years, we re basically holding our own. While there are some notable exceptions, attaining water quality criteria numeric or otherwise will be very difficult. What can we expect in the future? More importantly, what can local governments do to improve water quality and comply with permit conditions? These fundamental questions are addressed in this paper. Successes in Water Quality Protection in Florida Despite rapid population growth over the past 40 years, Florida has been very successful in protecting water quality by reducing pollution from existing point and nonpoint sources. This has been accomplished by implementing new technologies, requiring better treatment of wastewater, reusing treated wastewater, eliminating many surface water discharges, and treating stormwater. The graph in Figure 1 illustrates the success of the state s programs. It shows that after 1982, phosphorus levels decreased, because of regulations that eliminated many point sources and led to the reuse of treated domestic wastewater, and because of the implementation of stormwater treatment regulations. But after trending downward for nearly 20 years, in 2000 phosphorus levels began moving upward again, likely due to the cumulative impacts of nonpoint source pollution associated with increased population and development. These are the impacts that TMDLs are trying to address. But TMDLs alone will not restore water quality. Figure 1. Successes in Water Quality Protection in Florida 0.11 phosphorus (mg/l) Phosphorus pollution builds up in Florida waters Phosphorus pollution peaks in early 1980s In 1982, Florida implements Stormwater Rule and no-discharge policy for point sources Cumulative effects of nonpoint sources are driving phosphorus levels up again TMDLs are seeking to address these impacts Source: FDEP (b) report to Congress

2 Regulations Only Do So Much Although there have been some successes, the history of water management in Florida has largely been the story of slowing down the degradation of water resources in the state (see Figure 2). At best, today's regulations keep things the same but do not provide for restoration. At worst, they allow the further gradual degradation of water resources. The current rules for wetland mitigation and stormwater management, although well intended, encourage further degradation The question is what can we expect in the future? Will things continue to get worse or will they remain the same? More importantly, what can we do to make things better? Isn t that our goal? Regulations are part of the answer. But we must also address the economic and social drivers impacting land and water resources and the environment. Figure 2. At best, today's regulations keep things the same but do not provide for restoration. At worst, they allow the further gradual degradation of water resources.

3 Ecosystem Processes and Societal Drivers Environmental, social and economic systems produce value through flows of goods and services that meet human and ecosystem needs over time. As Figure 3 shows, the social and economic drivers in communities influence and are influenced by natural processes and the goods and services provided by ecosystems. Natural processes are necessary for the economic and social well-being of a community. Some of the goods and services provided by ecosystems and the valuable benefits they provide, include clean air and water, water supply, flood protection, habitat, and food. These services support economic development, energy production, land use, and population growth. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the money we make, are all functions of ecosystem health. When our human alterations and discharges deplete or degrade ecosystems and the natural processes that sustain them, we lose the benefits sustaining our communities. Figure 3. Ecosystem processes and social drivers

4 Balancing Water Storage & Demand for Communities and the Environment Drainage projects big and small in watersheds throughout the state have increased the amount of developable land (represented by the increase of the red line on the graph in Figure 4). That increase has come at the cost of lost storage in the system (shown by the decrease in the blue line). The total available water to meet water demand consists of stored water plus rainfall (the light green line for a lowrainfall year and the dark green line for a high-rainfall year). As the population of the area increases, its water needs increase. When compared with the water needs of the environment (purple line), eventually the amount of available water will not be sufficient to meet both the needs of people and the environment (orange line). The graph shows that when the balance between storage and demand is achieved, the water needs of the community can be met even during periods of low rainfall. In effect, what is good for the environment (storage) is good for the community (supply). As communities continue to grow, they will have to make some hard choices about how they choose to manage land and water to meet their future needs. Figure 4. Balancing water storage and demand for communities and the environment

5 How Water Surpluses and Deficits are Managed in the Environment Ecosystems are very efficient in managing water surpluses and deficits. They store and cleanse water for human and natural system use. They also provide critical storage for mitigating the impacts of floods and droughts. The graph of seasonal water surpluses (storage) and deficits (demand) in Central Florida (see Figure 5) shows how evapotranspiration (the yellow line) rises and falls seasonally. It is much higher during the summer than in the winter because of the increased solar radiation. Rainfall in central Florida (the turquoise line) also rises and falls seasonally. The difference between these two curves represents either a water surplus (the green and blue areas above the yellow line) or a deficit (the purple area below the yellow line). During periods of water deficit, demand is met from water stored in the surficial aquifer and rivers and lakes. Thus it is critical to store surplus water rather than discharge it from the system, as the surplus is used to meet water demand for both public supply and natural systems during dry periods. The timing, distribution, and flow of water are critical to maintaining the natural processes upon which people and nature depend. Figure 5. How water surpluses and deficits are managed in the environment

6 Apply the Basic Tenets of LIDD to Restore Watersheds and Meet Community Needs Capturing, storing, and cleansing water all of this should sound familiar. In managing for ecosystem services, we are mimicking nature and applying the basic tenets of low impact development design (LIDD). We are encouraging infiltration and disconnection of impervious areas from surface waters. Instead of controlling peak flows, we are reducing runoff volumes (Figure 6). We are retaining water onsite and releasing it to natural pathways to reduce volumes and pollutant loads. The only difference is we are applying the principles at a much broader scale the scale of watersheds and entire communities. And most importantly, we are doing it without compromising the vital ecosystems upon which we depend. Figure 6. Low impact development design mimics nature to restore ecosystem services The biggest challenge in implementing LIDD is releasing the water to natural pathways. The pathways may have been degraded or completely destroyed. If you can t make the link to the natural pathways, then at best you are only mitigating the impacts of development. You are not protecting or restoring ecosystem function. That is why LIDD works best when implemented in the context of restoring hydrologic & other ecosystem functions at the scale of entire watersheds. Remember, restoration of ecosystem functions, not mitigation of development impacts, is the goal. Wherever possible, we want to improve the health of water resources. The following are some examples illustrating how this is done.

7 An example from Winter Haven, Florida The Winter Haven Sustainable Water Resource Management Plan is literally a blue-print for restoring and managing the community s land and water resources. Historical drainage projects and development patterns have altered the hydrology of the watershed that exists today. The loss of infiltration and storage of water in the watershed, and the loss of storage and increased discharges of water out of the watershed, have depleted the supply of water that is needed to protect lake levels and water quality, provide flow to rivers and streams, and recharge aquifers for water supply. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has determined that 25 of the 50 lakes in Winter Haven have impaired water quality. The goal of the Plan is to restore as much as possible the hydrologic network that existed before the watershed was altered by drainage canals and land development. It is designed to meet the long-term water resource needs of the community, including water supply, water quality, flood protection, and natural system protection. Figure 7. The Winter Haven Sustainable Water Resource Management Plan an interconnected, hydrologic network of lakes, canals, wetlands, aquifers, open spaces, and parks, designed to meet the long-term water resource needs of the community

8 An example from Tallahassee, Florida The Lake Lafayette Water Quality Protection Plan in Tallahassee is an example of a missed opportunity. As shown in Figure 8, the Plan delineated protection zones that mimic the natural, predevelopment drainage of the Lake Lafayette watershed, shown in the top left of the slide. It can be compared with the predicted build out of the Lake Lafayette Basin with no protective options in place, shown in the bottom left of the slide. The proposed Protection Zone would have the net effect of protecting the natural drainage system of the Lake Lafayette Basin, preserving and improving basin function as well as protecting the environmental health of Lake Lafayette. It would have mitigated existing flooding conditions and help restore water quality in the lake Unfortunately, the Plan was not adopted because of reservations about restricting building within the 100- year floodplain of the lake. Figure 8. Lake Lafayette Water Quality Protection Plan: a missed opportunity

9 Another example from Tallahassee, Florida Figure 9 is a map of the St. Marks river basin showing relative surface water and groundwater vulnerability. As you can see, the basin includes the Lake Lafayette watershed and the city of Tallahassee. It is based on weighing factors including proximity to receiving waters, soil run off characteristics, soil composition, slope, and underlying geology. The darker areas in the map represent the most vulnerable regions. As the map shows, the three watersheds identified by the black circles have different relative surface water and groundwater vulnerability. The most vulnerable is the circle in the Woodville Karst Plain, followed by the Lake Lafayette watershed, and then the Lake Munson watershed. In designing new communities and retrofitting older ones, it is crucial to understand which areas within a watershed are most vulnerable and to protect and manage those places differently. In this case, more than 75% of Woodville Karst Plain is permanently protected as local, state, and federal conservation lands. Although the other two watersheds have different relative vulnerability, they are managed in the same way. But as previously noted the Lake Lafayette watershed would benefit from additional protections. Figure 9. Three watersheds in the St. Marks river basin with different relative surface water and groundwater vulnerability: What are the implications for community design and protecting ecosystem function?

10 An example from Volusia County Since 1986, Volusia County has been involved in acquiring more than 55,000 acres of conservation, environmentally sensitive, and important water resource lands. More than 38,000 of those acres were acquired since 2000, under the award-winning Volusia Forever program. The County is responsible for the management, enhancement, and restoration of those lands. As shown in Figure 10, there is a high level of ecological and hydrologic connectivity between the local, state, and federal conservation lands in the county. Properly managed and maintained, these lands will help sustain the future water resource needs of the community. Through their example, Volusia County is demonstrating that it is never too late to protect the resources that sustain you. Figure 10. Opportunity to enhance the hydrologic connectivity of the more than 55,000 acres of conservation lands in Volusia County to meet the future water resource needs of the community

11 But There Are Limits to What the Land Can Support Communities need a certain amount of land to capture, store, and cleanse water, grow food, and produce energy. In 2006, 1000 Friends of Florida analyzed how Florida would grow and develop by 2060 if its current patterns of development remained the same. During the 55 years evaluated in the study, the population in the state is projected to more than double. The two maps in Figure 11 show what Florida looked like in 2006 and what it might look like in The areas in red are developed land and the areas in green are in conservation. Generally, if the land is not in conservation or otherwise permanently protected, there is a high probability that the land will be developed. This is a problem. Conservation lands provide critical water resource benefits to our communities today. But those benefits cannot be sustained indefinitely. There are limits to what the land can support and the conservation lands we have today will not be able to support unlimited growth. The water we need now and in the future must be captured, stored, and cleansed somewhere. We must protect our conservation lands. Conservation lands are the hydrologic backbone of the state. They need to be protected for the water resource benefits they provide communities. Figure 11. There are limits to what the land can support

12 We are Facing 2060 Today Water resources in many parts of the state are already depleted and degraded. Groundwater, the primary source of drinking water in the state, is so depleted that the SJRWMD, SFWMD, and the SWFWMD are not longer permitting new groundwater withdrawals. The potentiometric surface map for southwest Florida in Figure 12 shows long-term reductions in the Upper Floridan Aquifer ranging up and beyond 50 feet. And yet the watershed is nowhere near the build-out of development predicted by In effect, the region is already outstripping the capacity of the landscape to provide for the water resource needs of communities and the environment. Figuratively speaking, we are standing on our own water supply hose all across the state and we don t even know it. We can t build over every square inch of Florida and expect to sustain healthy communities or a healthy environment. Unsustainable land and water use practices pose serious risks to people and ecosystems. Figure 12. We are facing 2060 today WH Today Source: 1000 Friends of Florida Long term reductions in the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer Source: SWFWMD SWUCA Recovery Plan

13 Managing for a Continuous Flow of Ecosystem Services To meet our water resource needs in the future, we need to manage for a continuous flow of ecosystem services a process known as sustainable water resource management (Figure 13). It is the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources to maximize social and economic welfare without compromising the vital ecosystems upon which we depend. It is an approach that moves beyond the current command and control regulatory approach focused on technical solutions designed to do less bad to a more integrated, natural systems-based approach designed to do more good by proactively addressing the economic, social, and environmental needs of a community. To use a health care analogy, it is the difference between treating a disease and pursuing wellness. Two of the biggest challenges to sustainable water resource management are building the management capacity and will to pursue a sustainable future. Figure 13. The process of sustainable water resource management

14 Sustainable Water Resource Management Is a Paradigm Shift Innovations and change of the sort we have just described do not just happen. Sustainable water resource management is a paradigm shift that will require rethinking everything we do. For a city, it means fully integrating all of the activities and functions of the city in all aspects of water resource sustainability. As shown in Figure 14, that would include all of the departments in the city that are impacting or being impacted by water. It means managing all sources of water including floodwaters, stormwater, wastewater, reuse water, surface water, groundwater, and rainfall as one, finite, interconnected resource. Under a one-water policy, a city would seek to manage water in the most efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally beneficial way. Accountability for water at the community level is important, as local decisions about land and economic and social priorities generally precede state and regional decisions about water and the decisions about water are felt more profoundly by local communities. The state needs to provide leadership and financial support, but to be successful, each community must decide for itself how it will change the way it uses water and lives on the land. Our current practices are not working. Figure 14. Example local government departments impacting or being impacted by water

15 Promoting Sustainability Promoting sustainable water resource management is very much about changing social behavior. And to do that, people have to see what s in it for them. For local government it means recognizing that preventing the depletion and degradation of land and water resources is cheaper than treating the symptoms. It means recognizing that incentives and payments for preserving ecosystem services are cheaper that building and maintaining infrastructure. As the cartoon in Figure 15 reminds us, we all think about water differently. It is important to understand and respect those differences, as we begin the difficult task of changing the way we live on the land. Remember: The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land. Figure 15. We all think about water differently