Florida's Water: Wealth for Our Future

In Florida more than four billion gallons of ground water are consumed every day to meet the needs of agriculture business industry and public water supply. As a result we are reaching the limit of fresh ground water we should withdraw from Florida's Aqua for system with a growing population and economy. How will we ensure a reliable supply of water in times to come. Meeting our future needs will require a combination of development of alternative water sources increased use of reclaimed water and increased water conservation. Find out next how water conservation can help preserve our current fresh ground water supply. On Florida's water well for our future. This program is made possible by the Florida Federation of garden clubs St. Johns River Water Management District South Florida Water Management District Orlando Utilities Commission and Orange County utilities water division. Water a shared resource essential for life itself. Yet the

way water flows so easily from the tap out into our landscapes gives the appearance that its supply is endless. Making it easy for us to take it for granted and overuse it but with tremendous population growth and increasing demand on our water resources in Florida we are reaching our limits on the amount of ground water we should be using. Each Florida resident uses an average of 150 gallons of fresh water each day watering lawns bathing cooking and washing cars clothes and dishes. Many people use more than the average 150 gallons per day showing Floridians use more water overall than residents of any other state except California. The top 11 counties in Florida using the largest amount of fresh water include Miami de orange Palm Beach Broward Collier Hendry Escambia Hillsborough St. Lucy and Indian River. With Florida's population projected to

increase from 16 million people to approximately 21 million people by the year 2020 demand on our surface and ground water resources will grow even more increasing by the year 2020 to approximately nine point one billion gallons of water per day. The intent of this program is to show you some easy ways that you can use water more efficiently inside and outside your home while still maintaining your quality of life by taking a few easy steps to lower your water use you'll be able to more effectively manage your water sewer and energy costs while helping preserve our fresh water resources now and into the future. If we all do our part we can change Florida's status to being one of the most efficient water users in the United States. Before we can attempt to conserve water effectively in and around our homes we must understand how the water cycle works and where our water comes from. Here in Florida. 97 percent of the Earth's water rests in the sea in the form of salt water

leaving 3 percent as fresh water. Of that 3 percent freshwater 2 percent is frozen in ice caps leaving just 1 percent available for drinking. This of vailable fresh water circulates from the earth to the atmosphere and back. Millions of gallons of water change place continually in this water cycle passing easily between solid liquid and vapor. Water evaporates from the earth from plants soil and water resources such as rivers streams lakes and oceans and moves into the atmosphere. This water condenses into clouds and falls back to Earth in the form of rain sleet and snow. This precipitation may be captured in streams rivers lakes or oceans or they can seep deep down into the ground percolating into our underground aquifers. Although Florida normally receives between 50 and 53 inches of rainfall each year

depending on the location in the state a little of our rain percolates into the Aqua for three fourths of our rainfall either runs into our streams lakes and oceans or evaporates back into the air leaving only 13 inches of rain available each year to recharge Florida's underground aquifers. Only 10 percent of Florida's public water supply comes from surface waters. Major sources of surface water include Lake Okeechobee deer point lake the Caloosahatchee River and the Hillsborough River. Ninety percent of Florida's public water supply comes from underground resources called Aqua offers. This underground water system can lie near the ground surface or deep underground after being pumped from the Aqua for System. Water is treated and distributed through underground piping to commercial industrial and residential consumers. Water from our aquifer system is limited.

Yet each day we pump billions of gallons of water from our Aqua drawing too much water from our aquifers or overpumping can have negative impacts on our water resources such as lowering lake levels drying of wetlands and degrading water quality. But only growth leads to expanded roads and paved surfaces that inhibit recharging of the aqua for. In Florida more than half of our public water supply is used outside the home. Water lawns and gardens. To save our fresh water supply. We must use water wisely in our yards. The good news is you can use water efficiently and still have a healthy landscape. Barbara Agora Walsh is a conscientious water user who lives in Orlando. She's reduced her water bill by 60 percent by creating a water efficient landscape using drought tolerant and native landscape plants. When we moved into this house it was pretty much all grass and trees and shrubs close up to the

house. And so I killed off all the grass and then this gradually started planting again a lot of research focused on native and drought tolerant plants. And it took about a year but all the plants in about another year for everything it will establish. But on a very thick mulch layer which I maintain and once the plants are established I have my drought tolerant landscape for life. Grass is often the landscapes largest water user so to save water. Consider creating smaller areas of grass where children or pets can play. And supplementing those areas with more drought tolerant and waterwise landscape beds. In Barbara's case. She decided to transform her entire yard to a more water efficient environment. The entire property is almost an acre. In the front there's a very small bit of grass that I was required to keep and then the rest of it is. Different plant material and boy from one area to the nets lots of color and variety almost

everything flowers something in season year round. There's winding paths that go through there to light around and observe the beauty see the wildlife there's a lot of wildlife in this yard particularly birds and butterflies that put a lot of effort into designing it specifically with others little sitting areas we can stop and observe. And there's even a. Name. Again. To maximize her water use efficiency and minimize wasted water. Barbara his group the plants in her yard according to their water needs zone 1 and her yard is for high water use plants. Zone 2 is for medium water use plants and three is for drought tolerant and native plants and trees. Her high water is her vegetable garden and makes up only 5 percent of her yard. Only requirement to have are that small garden and again it's a payoff because you get the organic produce. My husband built that's what you put in the sprinkler

head such that there's a valve you can turn it between spray hoses today the hoses which have worked wonderfully really cut down on the news. Plus it also cuts down on diseases in the plants and get a better harvest from that. The medium water and Barbara's yard includes the small patch of grass in the front of her yard the shrubs that came with the house and her butterfly guard the medium water makes up only about 15 percent of her yard and is watered no more than twice a week. In accordance with her local water restrictions here irrigation is used to supplement natural water from the rain. The landscapes require water. There are plants that you can choose for your yard that can save water such as when you choose the right plant for the right place. When making a plant list for your yard check prettied garden guides available at most retailers or at the University of Florida extension office in your county. Also most local governments and state agencies have information available on their website.

Select plants that are appropriate for your soil and landscape conditions which will need little or no water once established indigenous trees and plants growing in their native area require very little supplemental water. There are also some non-native plants that require little water. Once established when planted in the right soil conditions you'd be surprised at how many beautiful and robust landscape plants are available that need very little or no water. Once established Barbara uses native and drought tolerant plants in her large drought tolerant zone where she really racks up the savings on her water bill the vast majority of the yard probably 80 percent is drought tolerant plants of a huge variety combination of Florida native plants and drought tolerant but non invasive non-native plants and they include African Iris berries. By Porter we need the magnolias Indian Hawthorne's mexican fire Bush. The war falters by Burnham and many many more.

These plants get watered. Only if we have an extended period of high heat and approximately two weeks and then maximum watering will be one time a week after that until the rains begin. By reducing turf areas and planting native and drought tolerant plants that grow well with little irrigation Barbara's payoffs are many of the most obvious one as I have very low water bills. Maybe 10 to 25 dollars a month except during the couple months year that I actually do have to put some water down there. It's beautiful. It's much more beautiful than the grass. I know I'm doing the right thing there's a peace of mind factor going on there. I also have no concerns whatsoever that if watering restrictions get worse that I'm going to have a problem because I know my yard is established and beautiful as it is and there's even a little ego boost. People come up even delivery people in this compliment me on my yard all the time and say how beautiful it is. In addition to irrigation systems that spray water above the ground drip

irrigation and micro emitter systems are available to deliver water at ground level at a much lower rate with these lower volume irrigation alternatives which are optimal for plant beds potted plants and vegetable gardens. Water goes directly to plant roots and is not blown away by the wind or evaporated by the sun making them much more water efficient. Drip lines and soaker hoses allow water to trip slowly out of multiple pores simulating a long gentle rain and can be attached to your sprinkler system or to your hose bed. Micro emitters release water at a faster rate than drip lines and soaker hoses but still conserve water. Current spray heads can be retrofitted with micro emitters for use in plant beds on a separate zone than grass. Barbara uses drip irrigation in her vegetable garden with a soaker hose. She also uses micro emitters attached to her hose bed for the new plant beds and in her potted plants. Along with planting native and drought tolerant plants in your yard another practice that

saves a lot of water is adjusting your water schedule to simply supplement natural rainfall. Barbara keeps her water bill very low by doing just that and letting Mother Nature do the majority of the watering first thing as I watch the weather every day what the weather's going to be and that kind of gives me an idea it might need to water or not. I also use a rain gauge which is very important to really know how much rain you're getting. I like to stroll through my yard it's beautiful and relaxing and you get to know which plants are a little more sensitive to dry and help to tailor your watering that way. Big water savings come when you monitor natural rainfall and control your sprinkler system by hand. But for situations when you must irrigate automatically a rain sensor is an invaluable tool. Rain sensors and soil moisture sensors will turn off your automatic irrigation system when adequate water has been applied for adequate rain has fallen. How many times have you seen sprinkler systems watering regardless of falling rain around them. This is where a rain sensor is affected.

When you do have to water it's best to irrigate in the early morning or the late part of the day. Never water between 10am and 4pm when the sun evaporates most of the water you put down. During the growing season most landscapes only need one to one and a half inches of water a week is rain or supplemental irrigation. One inch of water should penetrate to a depth of about 12 inches depending on your soil type. Best horticultural practices recommend deep less frequent watering so watering once or twice a week is better than watering every day. This helps grass and plants to grow deeper roots and able in them to make the most of limited water. The use of mulch in your landscape can help reduce your need for watering. Using leaves for mulch is one of the best choices because it eliminates the need to bag those leaves and put them in the landfill. Although widely available cypress mulch is not recommended because Cypress are slow growing native wetland trees often taken at maturity to chip in the mulch. Cyprus are far

more valuable to our environment as trees than as mulch in our landscapes. Other suggested mulch is include wood chips pine straw or yard clippings. Barbara uses wood chips from pine oak cedar and other trees cut down in her community that would otherwise go into the landfill. I call a local tree trimmer who is more than happy to bring mulch over for free delivers it to my yard and then I spread it all around. Since it is free I have at least a four inch layer everywhere at all times. In addition to helping greatly with limiting the water usage it also helps keep the weeds under control and really makes it very low maintenance in the winter time is usually when I get my mulch and I kind of use it as my little workout every day. It's hard to spend an hour to spreading the mulch walking around looking at the plants and enjoying the nature. Another way Barbara conserves water in her garden is by cutting back on her watering during cooler parts. Even St. Augustine grass only needs watering every 8 to 14 days in the winter. Weaning plants off heavy irrigation can be more effective in the air

during the cooler months. In Florida plants are basically semi dormant especially if there's a frost they lose their foliage or completely dormant. And this includes the grass. Their needs are just much less when it's cooler there's not evaporation the plants just are not using the water nearly as much. And so if we have a normal winter time of year the plants really just don't need any water at all even the grass I'll watch the grass for signs of stress and it rarely if ever develops that. Additionally in the wintertime there's usually a little front that comes through about every seven to 10 days and maybe if it just drops a half inch or an inch of rain that's more than enough. The plants is. Because she knows we are reaching the limit of the amount of fresh ground water we should use. Barbara is glad she's changed her lifestyle doing this drought tolerant landscape. Overall good feeling of doing the right thing. Plus the beauty and benefits provided far exceeded anything I ever imagined when I set out to do it. I highly recommend it. To. Not only can you decrease the amount of water you use outside your home and still have a beautiful landscape.

You can also cut back on the amount of water you use on the inside of your home. Maintaining a rich quality of life. Glenn Miller and Adele Simons live in a newly built home just outside Orlando and are quite serious about saving water on the inside of their home. When building their new home Glennon Adele's concerns about conserving Florida's Natural Resources played an important role in their choices. We always wanted to have a Florida house. From the keys and theirs they have Key West style houses with the metal roof and a porch. And we found this book and it was called sort of vernacular architecture and it described a lot of the sort of the history of Florida houses. So we picked the Florida cracker house as its most most people know it as. Our house is energy efficient. From a perspective of the heat loads on the windows are blocked by the metal roof and the overhanging porches. So our air

conditioner is actually smaller than necessary for a the same size house that wasn't built with this architecture. For water efficiency. We unluckily a newer house they have rules that you can only sell certain fixtures and such that that can only have a certain flow in them. And we bought very high quality fixtures that we wouldn't have to go around to repair them every so often. Practicing good water management inside their home is important to Glenn and Adele not only to save water but to save the money. All of our water for the house comes from the well and we have equipment to chlorinated interest soften it inside so that if we waste water basically it adds up costs for us because electricity to pump it out of the ground and there's chlorine to chlorinated and salt to soften it. And the more water we use the more it costs us using less water

inside your home can be as easy as installing water efficient fixtures in your kitchen and bathroom. Older inefficient shower heads use up to 10 gallons of water per minute. So taking a 15 minute shower can use as much as 150 gallons of water. Glenn in Adelle's 2.5 gallons per minute shower heads are considered low flow and don't use nearly that much water. High efficiency shower heads are also available in 2.0 1.5 and one point two gallons per minute. If you want to know how many gallons of water per minute your shower head uses look for the gallons per minute number printed on your shower head. If your shower head flows more than 2.5 gallons per minute consider installing a more efficient shower head. By taking 5 minutes showers. Glenn and Adele do even more to help preserve Florida's water supply by using a shower timer. It's easy to tell when five minutes are up. Turning off the shower while lathering up your hair and body saves even more water.

Many people unknowingly waste a lot of water in their homes when flushing the toilet. Inefficient older model toilets use anywhere from three and a half to seven gallons of water every time you flush in one day. That can add up to as much as 70 gallons of water for each person in your home. Just to flush the toilet. Glenn and Adele have chosen toilets for their home that use much less water. Only one point six gallons per flush dual flush toilets are also available that use less than one gallon of water for liquid waste. To see how many gallons per flush your toilet uses check your toilet for the number. Just behind the seat. If your toilet uses more than one point six gallons per flush consider replacing it with a more efficient model. To conserve water at the sink. Glenn and Adele have aerators installed on all their faucets aerators mix water and air to create the feeling of high water flow. Faucets without air raters can flow up to seven gallons per minute. If your faucets run

unrestricted you don't have to replace your entire faucet. Just install a narrator aerators come in different flow rates in bathrooms. Use a 1.5 gallon from an air raid in the kitchen. Two point two gallons per minute aerator works well. Make sure to buy an aerator that fits your brand of faucet. Economic and environmental benefits can also be seen by using water efficient appliances in your home. Adele has chosen an Energy Star front loading washing machine that uses less water than traditional top loaders older clothes washers use up to forty eight gallons per load. Glenn and Adelle's clothes washer uses only 14 gallons per load. Sure that I bought a washing machine. Particular design of water. Based on the weight of the air. Therefore I'm not making a decision but at least it's

deciding not to waste water in the front loaders use less water because they have less area for them less volume for them to fill up. Because if you have a vertical bin you have to fill it all the way up to make sure your clothes are covered. But when it's in the front loader and the bin rotates horizontally and so you only need much less water to get the clothes. Glenn and Adele have chosen a dishwasher that also saves water. Older dishwashers can use up to 20 gallons of water per cycle. Glennon Adele's dishwasher uses only six and a half gallons of water per cycle. Our dishwasher is Energy Star and efficient. And Adele and I don't. We don't use it unless it's completely full. That's the biggest water in D.C.. By adopting waterwise personal practices around

additional water simply turning off brushing their teeth makes a big difference. We vote for two brochures and it's got a two minute cycle. So if you're going to brush your teeth for two minutes that's a lot of water to waste a lot of people with the water running when they brush their teeth. We don't we just wet the brush and turn it off and then turn it back. A slow dripping faucet like this one wastes 16 gallons of water a day and over the course of a year wastes almost 6000 gallons of water. A running toilet can waste more than 200 gallons of water in a single day. Glenn realizes just how much water leaky fixtures can waste. So he's quick to notice when there's a problem during the course of the day. If you notice if you hear a drip or you walk around in the house you just keep an eye out for things like that. Also the sound I mean if the

toilet is still running or something it didn't the valve didn't close on it. Then you something you keep your ears open for something like that. To stop it right away by turning off the water while washing dishes in the sink. Adele keeps dishwater us at a minimum when I wash dishes by hand which I do some time. I. Just soap everything up and put it in and then I turn it all at once so that I'm not leaving through the whole entire process. By using water inside their home with a conscientious hand Glenn and Adele know they're doing their part to extend Florida's fresh water supply well into the future. To help encourage home builders and home buyers in Florida to practice. Overall water efficiency inside and outside their home. The St. Johns River Water Management

District has initiated a new home certification program called Florida water Star certified Florida water star homes utilize water efficient appliances plumbing fixtures irrigation systems and landscapes that save homeowners water and money incorporating Florida water star features into the average new home could save between 20 and 26 percent on indoor water use. Using Florida water star features in the landscape an irrigation system could show water savings of almost 40 percent outdoors and help to preserve Florida's vital water resources. If you would like more information on becoming a Florida water Star certified home builder or home buyer please visit W. W. W. dot Florida water star dot com. Conservation is an important step that we can all take to extend our fresh ground water supply by following the tips highlighted in this program and by practicing water conservation as a way of life.

We will most certainly make Florida's water. Our well for the future. For a list of native and drought tolerant landscape plants visit the nature wise website at. W w w dot nature ys TV dot org and click on the waterwise tab. You may also want to visit the St. John's River Water Management District website that w w w dot S J R W M D dot com. Or the Florida yards and neighborhoods website at H TTP colon forward slash forward slash h r t dot dot edu. Forward slash. F y n. You can order a copy of this TV program called Florida's water wells for our future. From the nature wise website at w w w dot nature ys TV Ord by clicking on the ordering Programs tab. This program is made possible by the Florida Federation of garden clubs St. John's

River Water Management District South Florida Water Management District Orlando Utilities Commission and Orange County utilities water division. Florida's water. Well for our future was created and produced by nature wise incorporated a nonprofit 501 c3 organization dedicated to improving the environment through educational television and video. W w w dot nature ys TV dot org.