The “water wars” in the Tampa Bay region spanned three decades, cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, and taught us valuable lessons about how to address regional water supply issues. Now the Tampa Bay region has one of the most diverse, drought-resistant water supplies in the country.
The war was not won in the courtroom, despite all the money spent on attorneys. The issues were resolved by cooperating on our shared interests, fairly distributing costs of new water supplies, and employing effective and fair regulations.
When the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) identified through our planning efforts that Polk County faced a long-term water supply challenge, we applied the lessons learned from the Tampa Bay region. Regional problems require regional solutions. We have spent years encouraging and assisting in the formation of the Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC), bringing together the county and its municipalities in a cooperative effort to develop water supplies in a safe and sustainable way.
Working with the PRWC, the District has already budgeted $40 million toward exploring feasible water supplies, with an expectation that we would potentially end up investing about $300 million to develop water supplies for Polk residents. The PRWC has identified the three most likely water supply projects to investigate, and none of those involve withdrawing water from the upper Peace River. There are good reasons for that. With Polk County being in the upper reaches of the watershed, there’s naturally less water there than is available downstream after thousands more acres of land contribute drainage. Also, and just as importantly, there are environmental limitations. The upper Peace River is not meeting its environmentally necessary minimum flows. When those flows are not being met, no water is available from the river.
Considering all these factors, the District was disappointed when the PRWC filed a legal challenge to a permit for a water supply authority withdrawing water from the Peace River more than 50 miles downstream of Polk County. This legal challenge over a permit of very little relevance to Polk’s water supply situation will divert tax and utility dollars to courtroom maneuverings rather than developing actual sustainable sources of water for Polk residents.
The legal challenge has led to excited news coverage about the coming “water wars.” Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past. Let’s not waste millions of dollars of payments to attorneys without generating any new water supplies. In addition to the financial costs, water wars also tend to strain the relationships among the participants. It’s a shame that at a time when our focus should be on regional partnerships for positive outcomes, our attention is diverted to legal briefs and depositions.
Despite these distractions, the District’s priority remains to ensure a sustainable water supply, one that will meet the needs of Polk County residents, encourage economic growth, and protect the water resources. Our potential investment of more than a quarter of a billion dollars evidences our commitment to the people of Polk County.
Brian J. Armstrong, P.G.
Executive Director
Southwest Florida Water Management District
