by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Finding a way to balance a rising population with limited water resources calls for more than limiting the number of straws in the drinking pool.
The debate has to be “focused, directed and persuasive.”
It has to be based on environmental, economic, social and political criteria.
But the debate means little without leadership, said Honey Rand, author of “Water Wars: A Story of People, Politics and Power.”
Rand was the keynote speaker during Thursday’s opening session of the Northeast Florida Environmental Summit 2003 at Florida Coastal School of Law.
It was organized by the school’s Center for Strategic Governance and International Initiatives and its executive director, Eric Smith.
Other topics discussed Thursday included ocean policy, water and air quality reports for Northeast Florida, and environmental and economic cooperation.
The agenda for today’s concluding sessions includes “Charting a Legislative Course to Protect Our Fragile Environment,” by Sen. Jim King, president of the Florida Senate; and a keynote address by David Crockett, former mayor of Chattanooga, Tenn.
Rand’s book tackled the water use issues that developed in Tampa, St. Petersburg and surrounding counties as the population exploded after World War II and the advent of air conditioning.
By some estimates, the region’s population grew as much as 300 percent over 20 years, said Rand.
“Hillsborough and Pasco [counties] resented being the water source for Pinellas and St. Petersburg, but nothing could be done,” she said. “In Florida, water is held in trust by the State for all the people. Pinellas and St. Pete were within their ‘rights,’ siting wellfields in their neighbors’ backyards.”
As the population continued to soar, water levels shrunk. A regional water authority, intended to cooperatively develop water supplies, failed.
“Political differences kept the authority from developing sufficient supplies to meet the growing need,” said Rand. “So old supplies were worked harder and harder with resulting consequences.”
The stalemate endured until there was a change in leadership.
“It’s the people in a problem that determine the possible outcomes,” she said. I think that most people involved in Tampa Bay’s water wars will tell you that a change of faces led to a change in the possibilities for resolution.”
Solving water woes may require increased taxes and will definitely require an informed public.
“It’s a huge undertaking that demands leadership, not just the support of public opinion, but also the demands of public judgment,” she said. “Public opinion is a snapshot of how people think at a given point in time. Public judgment says that they have weighed and considered the alternatives and understand the consequences of the choice.”
The summit’s first speaker was Dr. Todd Sack, chairman of the City’s Environmental Protection Board, who told the capacity crowd about the five issues “bugging” him.
“The important thing is these all can be fixed, but they’re not being fixed,” he said.
Number one on the list is the need to repair all the septic tanks that have fouled each of the 106 waterways in the area.
“After all these years,” said Sack, “100 percent of our rivers and creeks are rife with human feces. Thousands of septic tanks in Jacksonville are failing.
“It’s time to fix this. We can fix this.”
Every day, he continued, 52,000 Jacksonville children are “poisoned” as they ride to school in diesel buses.
Sack cited a 2000 EPA report that determined, “Diesel particles are likely human carcinogens and the single largest air pollution threat to human health.”
Protecting the environment is next to impossible, Sack said, if students don’t understand what is going on because “the schools are simply lousy.”
“Only 45 percent of our elementary students make it through to a high school diploma,” he said. “With such a graduation rate, it’s almost impossible to convey accurate scientific knowledge.”
Number four on the list of issues “bugging” him is that thousands of local children have toxic blood levels from lead-based paint — 25 years after it was banned.
Finally, Sack said, “We have too many environmental groups,” fragmenting their potential impact. He has identified at least 72 organizations, groups and agencies.
“We need to find some way to come together” over issues such as lead paint and porous septic tanks, he said.
Just before the keynote speaker was introduced, Smith presented the Charles Bennett Champion for the Environment Award to Walt Bussells, CEO and managing director of JEA.
Bennett was presented FCSL’s environmental award two years ago. University of North Florida president John Delaney was last year’s recipient for his work with the Preservation Project.
Bussells accepted the award “on behalf of all the employees, 2,200 strong. We’re doing our best and having some success at it.”
“Our influence on the future is ephemeral,” said Rand. “We will always have competition for cheap water, and we will always need to jealously guard Florida’s environment.
“The key, I think, is to stay engaged, encourage a public debate and pray for rain . . . and leadership.”