1st Edition

Florida's Water A Fragile Resource in a Vulnerable State

By Tom Swihart Copyright 2011
    288 Pages
    by Routledge

    288 Pages
    by Routledge

    Florida's Water poses fundamental questions about water sustainability in the United States' fourth largest state. Florida has long-standing water quality problems. Global climate change threatens to intensify Florida's floods and droughts, make hurricanes more common or more damaging, and eventually submerge much of low-lying Florida, including the Everglades. How can Florida meet these extraordinary challenges? And what lessons does the Florida experience hold for other states? This book fully integrates the many diverse responsibilities of water management into a readable and compelling combination of interesting narratives and deep analysis. Author Tom Swihart's unique, intimate knowledge of Florida's successes and failures in water management brings out both the novelty of Florida's water situation and the features that it has in common with other states.

    Florida's Water: A Fragile Resource in a Vulnerable StateTom SwihartAbout the AuthorContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsNotes about Common ReferencesIntroductionPart I The Framework of Water Management1. The Watery Foundation2. Origins of the Modern Water Management System3. The Responsibilities of Water ManagementPart II 'Celebrating Diversity': Five Philosophies for Five Water Management Districts4. Five Philosophies for Five Water Management Districts?5. Suwannee River: God Made It and Gravity Runs It6. Northwest Florida: The Forgotten District7. Southwest Florida: A Truce in the 'Water Wars'8. St. Johns River: Reaching the Limits of Water Supply?9. South Florida: Managing NaturePart III The Issues10. Water Supply Is Easy11. Saving the Water12. Charge a Few Nickels for Water13. Farming the Water14. Turning Up the Thermostat in ParadisePart IV The Water Future15. Will Florida Get the Water Future Right?AppendicesAppendix 1: Milestones of Florida Water ManagementAppendix 2: Water Congress Recommendations (2008)Appendix 3: Abbreviations and AcronymsAppendix 4: Glossary

    Biography

    Tom Swihart is the former head (administrator) of the Office of Water Policy in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. He has Master's in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University