Florida weak on water protection

Florida’s fresh water supply is our most critical resource, which begs the question: Why has there been so little coverage about the Mosaic incident and its impact on the Floridan Aquifer?

The water they polluted is more than “dirty” — it’s toxic to humans, plants and all of the ecosystem.

One of my big questions is: Where is the Southwest Florida Water Management District in all of this? They’ve issued consumptive use permits to Mosaic through the years, allowing the mining operation to extract millions and millions of gallons of water daily.

It’s well documented by The Florida Springs Institute that Polk County is one of the highest water users — pumping it from the aquifer — in the whole state of Florida.

Let’s have a light bulb moment here: Isn’t there a big connection to water draw-downs and sinkholes? If the water management districts would stop handing out consumptive use permits like Santa Claus handing out candy at Christmas, we’d be way ahead when it comes to protecting water supply.

This story was originally published September 27, 2016 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Florida weak on water protection."