As many look to the skies hoping for rain, it appears rain may curb the drought, but won’t solve Florida’s long-term water woes. Water shortages that have plagued the state are projected to get worse in the years to come.
The Villages will feel the impact of the water shortage when new watering restrictions go into effect on June 5. Read about water restrictions in The Villages.
The newly released study warns of problems as the state’s population grows from 20 million to 35 million, and as water consumption jumps from 5 billion gallons a day to 8 billion by 2070.
The report, called Water 2070, was jointly authored by the state Department of Agriculture, the University of Florida and 1,000 Friends of Florida, a nonprofit geared toward sustainability.
It suggests population growth, water use habits and irrigation will increase development-related demand for freshwater in Florida by as much as 100 percent.
“If we continue as we are, we’re going to have some severe problems, some severe shortages,” said University of Florida professor Peggy Carr, a researcher who contributed to the study.
Thousands of new Villages homes are on the drawing board in Wildwood and Leesburg. Earlier this month, Leesburg commissioners asked about where water would come from for the thousands of new Villages homes. Leesburg City Manager Al Minner said The Villages could hook up to the city’s water system or “bring their own water.” The deal between The Villages and Leesburg is currently in a nine-month due diligence period in which those details will be negotiated.
You can download the entire Water 2070 report at this link water2070summaryreportfinal
