Conservation News
Conservation Urged Amid Dry Conditions
By Julia Ferrante, jferrante@tampatr
Each time a heavy rain falls over Lake Padgett, Esme Moore has three new buckets full to water her plants.
A pipe on her roof feeds coveted rain into three barrels, which provide enough water to cover her garden daily, without dipping into the regional water supply - or her bank account.
"I'm from Trinidad, and back in the islands we had cisterns for when the rain falls,'' said Moore, who moved to Land O' Lakes in 1989. "When I came here, I thought, `I need to have one.' So I went to the garden store and bought a bucket.''
Water management officials agree more Floridians should follow Moore's example and make conservation a way of life. Florida aquifers are in better shape this year than last on the eve of the rainy season. But rainfall for the year still is low, and several years of drought have made the resource more fragile.
One-day-a-week water restrictions are still in effect as the region attempts to recover from several dry years and compensate for continued growth, said Michael Molligan, spokesman for the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which includes Pasco.
Click Here for Full Story
|
