Let’s Talk Water

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Creation Care Ministry kicked off its first speaker series last Monday with guest Charlette Roman, a governing board member of South Florida Water Management District.

Roman’s presentation provided the guests with an overview of the role of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) in protecting our water resources and in restoring the Everglades.

The SFWMD is charged with managing and protecting the water resources of 16 counties stretching from Orlando to the Florida Keys. It is one of five water management districts in the state, and it is the oldest and the largest. Roman is one of nine governing board members appointed by the Governor from distinct geographical areas and confirmed by the Senate, and the position is unpaid.

In the 1970s, the original “district” was designed for two million people and since then, South Florida’s population has grown to nine million people. Roman has nine counties that she covers and because she lives in Collier County, she is also Chair of the Big Cypress Basin Board.  

According to Roman, if you are paying taxes, you are paying taxes to SFWMD and if you live in Collier County, you are also paying taxes to the Big Cypress Basin.  Managing water is extremely challenging according to Roman, especially in Florida.  We have from 50 to 60 inches of rain each year; the land is flat and floods and hurricanes are part of life in Florida. And we also have seasonal droughts.

According to Roman, water management is an interrelated responsibility with cities, counties and drainage districts having responsibilities in managing water; homeowners associations also manage their stormwater retention ponds and in Marco Island single family homes have a mini-treatment area called the swale on their properties. Its main purpose is to capture water and let it sit for a while as plant materials naturally filter pollutants before entering the groundwater.   

Around three billion gallons of water is used each day by nine million residents and visitors; the water is used for watering our lawns, drinking, bathing, agriculture and businesses. SFWMD oversees more than 2,175 miles of canals, 2,130 miles of levees/berms, 915 water control structures, 620 culverts and 89 pump stations. 

Pre-Hurricane Ian, engineers from the SFWMD had to make complex and difficult decisions on how much water to let out to make way for the incoming water surge. They decided to lower all the canals on Big Cypress Basin to the lowest level possible and the system worked very well.  

Using sophisticated analytics, projecting future water usage is a complex task. What’s the projected population in 2040 and what’s the projected usage per day? 

Did you know that Everglades restoration is working? Governor DeSantis signed the Executive Order 19-12 on his second day in office on January 10, 2019. Since then 50 Everglades projects have been completed, broken ground or hit a milestone.

Partial list of restoration successes: Proactive Lake Okeechobee management and weather patterns have helped reduce the need for harmful estuary discharges while maintaining water levels in the lake.

Salinity levels in Florida Bay hit goals. 

Wading birds have a banner nesting year in 2019. Wading birds are a key indicator species for restoration success.

Record hydration in the Everglades. Water depths in two key locations, Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough, demonstrate that restoration projects and operations work well together to nourish the Everglades and send water south towards Florida Bay.

Everglades National Park Seepage Containment Wall Phase One - projected finish 2022.

According to Reverend Kathy Schillreff, St. Mark’s Assisting Priest, this ministry reminds her of the opening chapter of Genesis where “God creates everything that is: sun, moon, stars, earth, waters and all the living things that inhabit earth, water, and air. Last of all God created humankind and made them stewards. This ministry is an effort to reclaim that stewardship role.

As part of the Creation Care series, additional presentations will be held in February and March of 2023 about focusing on Recycle and Waste Disposal in Collier County and Gopher Tortoises and Burrowing Owls. For more information, please contact Gwen Goodman at gsgoodman11@comcast.net.