One
of my favorite stories this week is the news out of Tampa that the Southwest
Florida Water Management District plans to pull about 3.8 million gallons of
water a day for a month out of a small sinkhole. The hope is that these
supplemental gallons will be able to mitigate some of the drought-heightened
demand for water in the area.
Additionally, there are hopes that the infusion of millions of gallons of
freshwater will reduce the salinity of the downstream from the Hillsborough
River, which turns salty during dry winter months.
The
project includes testing to determine whether the sinkhole can provide enough
freshwater for the Hillsborough River
downstream from the dam that forms Tampa's reservoir. Described as small and picturesque, the
Morris Bridge Road sinkhole
will start supplying water as early as late January with supplies expected to
continue through February.
Previous
pumping of the sinkhole in 2000 and 2001 caused some local wells to run dry, so
after the 30-day test, the water management district would have to issue an
emergency order if Tampa Bay Water requests continued use of the sinkhole
water. During the test, the
district will monitor aquifer levels around the sinkhole and the wells of
people living nearby.
The
region definitely needs whatever extra water it can find. Rainfall has been far below average for
the past two years, and as a result West Central Florida is smack dab in the
middle of (moderate) drought conditions.
Currently Tampa Bay Water, a regional utility tasked with providing
wholesale water to public utilities in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco, has
found it difficult to meet regional demand. Lack of water not only in the regions
rivers, but in a damaged reservoir that could be empty by March (cracks and low
river flow have limited the amount of water from the 14 billion normally held
within its walls to 1.8 billion as of last week), has left Tampa Bay Water
scrambling to tap supplemental resources.
Sinkholes
are normally presented as a disaster.
The local news flashes images of sidewalks and asphalt (and even the
occasional car or building) sucked into a muddy abyss. The usual suspects behind the sinkhole –
broken water pipes or sewer lines – add insult to injury, with gallons of water
lost as the earth liquefies underfoot.
So what a nice change to read a sinkhole story with a (marginally) happy
ending. What do you think, what
other tragedies or failures could be recast as opportunities?