Sustainable Tarpon Springs - Water!

Ah, the things we so easily take for granted!  Of those ‘things’, water is by far the most precious and the most necessary for all life to survive.  It is a topic that demands our attention in order to preserve it, protect it, and pass it on to our posterity.

Approximately two quadrillion gallons of water passes through the Floridan aquifer, supporting the many springs and residents of this state.  About 750 new residents are being added daily, and according to the experts, each resident uses about 103 gallons of water per day (approximately four billion gallons per day total), drawing from the aquifer faster than it can be replenished.

Events such as the recent, dramatic sinkhole that opened up in and swallowed a man inside of his home is an indicator of the changes occurring to the limestone as a result of water depletion.  A simplification, perhaps, but part of the explanation for limestone instability.

Additionally challenges arise from grossly unsustainable lawns and landscaping. Pesticides and fertilizers contribute to nitrites flowing into our drinking water, creating unnatural algae growth, and affecting every living thing that is dependent upon fresh, clean water.  

The way we depend upon the agricultural-industrial complex contributes to our demise as well.  Florida row crop and livestock farms collectively consume nearly 550 billion gallons of water each year.  All I can ask is, what are we thinking?

Unless we wake up immediately and start to reverse our unnatural tendencies, we are at risk.  The methods we have accepted as normal are not sustainable.  It is time for re-education and make radical trajectory readjustments in order for us to have a future.

If you are among those who are aware of our water challenges, you likely also know not to hold your breath for legislation to solve our problems.  It is time to voluntarily do what we can to support conservation, reclamation, and repurposing of our household water.  

An easy beginning is choosing more Earth-friendly detergents for dishes, laundry, bathing, and washing our hair. 

Minimize water waste by taking shorter showers, turning off running water while brushing teeth - just becoming more sensitive to conservation (as though we had to port our water by buckets into our houses, like our great-grandparents had to do! 

Stop using pesticides and inorganic fertilizers, adding destructive nitrites to the water system.

Better yet, rethink the necessity of a lawn. The history behind the lawn was to flaunt affluence through purely decorative landscape.  If you are very attached to a lawn, reclaimed water is a better choice than potable water.

Opt for indigenous landscapes, especially drought-resistant greenery and edibles. Mulching works wonders for water retention in the soil.  

Rain water harvesting through setting up barrels under our rain gutter is the best way of ‘saving rain for a sunny day.’

Reusing all household grey water for gardening maximizes our once-used potable water.  (‘Brown water’ from diaper laundry or toilets cannot be used for irrigation, but setting up a diversion valve to selectively send sewage to treatment is easily achievable.)  For more information on grey water systems check  http://greywateraction.org

Lastly, although Tampa Bay is home to one of the largest desalination plants in the country - and it will have it’s place in literally ‘taking pressure off of our aquifers’ - it is expensive, demands lots of energy (not from solar or wind at this point), and still cannot reverse the trend unless WE willing choose to change. 

As it goes, ‘necessity is the Mother of Invention,’ and the first solution is to bring educated awareness to the issues around water and make voluntary changes before it is too late.  We can hope and believe that the infrastructure to support our survival will eventually catch up with what we know.  Until then, with every drop of water we use, let’s be grateful and sustainable!