A series on water, water resourcefulness & Tampa water problems.
Don’t be fooled by the recent rains; the Tampa Bay area has serious fresh water supply problems. Tampa has had an ongoing problem of maintaining reserves of potable water to supply its growing population.
Water infrastructure mismanagement, combined with the recent drought pattern, has made some kinds of water use a ticketable offense. So, I figured I’d write a series of articles about that uniquely bound molecule H20 (a.k.a.: water).
This series will cover what pure water actually is, The Tampa local government screw-ups that have exacerbated the problems of our current drought, how the American obsession with a green lawn drains our reservoirs and pollutes our waterways, general tips for water conservation, products that will help you conserve water for your home & garden, the bottled water feeding frenzy, and corporate acquisitions of “blue gold”. The final story in this series will be an investigative expose’ on an entity that I’m discovering may be Florida’s worst water criminal.The first article that I post after Memorial Day observance will be: "Water, what on earth is it?". I think I can guarantee that you will never look at a glass of water the same way again.
That being said, I hope that those of you who will be Memorial Day weekend partying on Tampa’s waterways will not toss your empties overboard. I urge you to instead, at least join in spirit with Tampa’s "Green Armada" and clear whatever you trash you can from our bay and river.
Graphic courtesy U.S. Geological Survey
This article appears in May 20-26, 2009.