Rain

We talk about it, complain about it,pray for it but we cannot do without it. It is rain and today we are having a great rainfall which is well needed and appreciated. Florida has its rainy season in the summer when it rains nearly every day.The rainy season lasts to about the end of September and after that time we are lucky to have any significant amount. Our yearly average is around the 55 inch level but this can change with the big events like a hurricane or tropical storm which can dump up yo 10 inches in a big event.

We have not had a drop for 5 weeks and everything turns a brownish colour and begs for even a heavy dew. I have a well system and a sprinkler system working off of the well. The water is smelly before it goes through the reverse osmosis and water softener. The garden flourishes with any water but when it rains it almost exploded into a growth frenzy.

Water is everywhere in Florida but we have a problem with providing enough potable water for all our needs. Most of the surface water is polluted or unsuitable for human needs. Here the water resources people control all the water in the state. We are controlled by regulation even for our private well uses. Strict rules as to when you are able to water your lawns and breaking the rules results in stiff penalties.

My well is 180 feet deep and taps into a underground water reserve which is closely monitored. Over use will cause salt water from the gulf to penetrate the coral rock and cause problems with its use. With all the water around us it is interesting that desalination facilities dot the state since much of the under ground water is salty.

The Florida Keys is a 125 mile line of coral keys or islands stretching out into the gulf and has no fresh water. One above ground water pipeline provides the only source of fresh water. Water is collected from rooftops for some uses but with the exploding population it is insignificant.

The Florida everglades is one of the worlds most interesting examples of a water course that originated in the central part of Florida and slowly moves southward to water the grasslands and provide home to numerous plant and animal life. The everglades is actually a slow moving river. The whole state is covered with a system of canals and pumping stations to make sure the flow is not interrupted. Statewide highways and farming projects have really put pressure on the water resources people to monitor and aid the natural flow.

All this is possible because of the ample rainfall in the summer. No matter how we look at our natural resources the greatest of all is clean water. Canada has a strangle hold on much of the worlds fresh water and as we speak it sells for about the same price as gasoline.

So we should be careful in how we use our water. We can be good stewards of our great resource by learning about our impact on the water we use and sometimes abuse. So let it rain, rain and rain some more to provide natures great gift...water.