The Miami Herald

Posted on Wednesday, April. 26, 2006

MIAMI-DADE

Deal with state over water to sustain county's growth for 18 months

Miami-Dade has reached a deal with water regulators to keep the county supplied with water -- for the time being.

BY TERE FIGUERAS NEGRETE
tfigueras@MiamiHerald.com

Miami-Dade County, under pressure from the state to revamp its water policies, has agreed to a short-term deal with regulators that will sustain new development while buying some time for long-range plans to overhaul the system.

The deal, approved by the Miami-Dade County Commission on Tuesday, will tide the county over for 18 months.

The South Florida Water Management District, which regulates water consumption in the area, agreed to allow the county an additional two million gallons a day for the next 18 months.

That additional water -- which brings Miami-Dade's total daily consumption to more than 349 million gallons a day -- is enough to accommodate projected growth over that time.

100 MILLION GALLONS

But it is a long way from the additional 100 million gallons a day the county said it needed to keep a booming population flush over the next 20 years.

''It's a start, but we have a long way to go,'' said John Renfrow, head of the county's water and sewer department. ``All of this takes time, and it will come with a price.''

Under the short-term agreement, the county has committed $13 million to begin two pilot programs: Adding a treatment facility at a South Dade plant that will pump a million gallons of water daily to rehydrate coastal wetlands near Biscayne Bay, as well as a smaller satellite wastewater treatment facility.

The county also has promised to spend an additional $200,000 to pay for studies to draft a new 20-year plan -- one that passes muster with Tallahassee.

The county came under fire from the water district and Florida's Department of Environmental Protection earlier this year for what the state described as a woefully shortsighted water policy.

Miami-Dade officials had applied for a 20-year permit in 2004, stating that the county planned to continue pulling from the Biscayne Aquifer.

The permit issue took on urgency during the debate over allowing an unprecedented amount of building outside the county's urban development boundary.

POOR WATER RECORD

While Miami-Dade is the thirstiest of Florida's 67 counties, it has one of the most dismal reuse rates.

The agreement approved by the County Commission notes the harm caused by tapping into the Biscayne Aquifer, the large underground source of Miami-Dade's potable water.

During dry seasons, the county's reliance on the natural freshwater system affects 'the amount of water available to the Everglades' natural systems, including fish and wildlife,'' states the agreement.

The short-term increase of water pulled from the Biscayne Aquifer, however, was necessary ''to continue to meet the public water supply demands of the county and otherwise preserve the public health and welfare during the permitting process,'' according to the agreement.

Part of the county's plan will have to focus on water conservation, as well as finding alternative water sources.

Commission Chairman Joe Martinez has pushed for a five-year conservation plan that focuses on education and water-saving measures such as low-pressure fixtures.

The district says the county will need to create a 20-year conservation plan before it will consider the long-term usage permit.

The added costs also will mean water rates will increase -- increases Renfrow has warned will be unpopular but necessary.

The county can tap into state grants and loans, which Renfrow said will likely reach the billion-dollar mark over the next decade.