COMMENTS RE DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS ON SJRWMD INVOLVEMENT IN WATER RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND WATER SUPPLY DEVELOPMENT
 
 

1.The District must recognize that the major water users will not take action until faced with what they see as an absolute necessity. The major action of the district must be placement of a limit on withdrawals by each holder of a CUP, together with a date this becomes effective.
 

2. The District must also recognize that aquifers are being pumped beyond the current natural recharge, that damage to streams, lakes, vegetation and springs has been and is occurring, and further that it is the responsibility of the District to stop further damage and to correct past damage.
 

3. The District must further recognize that it either lacks or does not use the tools needed to show the water allocation for the items mentioned in 2. The district does not have a water budget analysis system. It's response to a drought situation is to state that water consumption increases, not to require reduction in consumption. And the District persist in the position that it it is impossible to determine recharge, when the models it does use calculate this for each model cell under at least some condition, and simple addition
 

4. The chart, Fig.1, is much too generalized. Example in Resource Development: "Aquifer recharge enhancement" is a goal, not a specific something which can be planned, costed. scheduled and completed. A possible and likely item under this goal is "install low-flow control gate in listed canals". The first example in Supply Development assumes that more water can be taken from the already over-pumped aquifer. And the remaining items do nothing to develop supply.
 

5. We must submit that the content of this document does not meet the District's legal responsibilities, and that it must be completely redone.
 

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