Work last week brought me down to South Florida and then up the Space Coast and into Central Florida, and the signs of drought are obvious. Old ditches on the roster are currently unfishable due to the dropping water levels.
Central Florida seems to have it the worst. “We could really use a hurricane this year,” one of my fishing accomplices remarked, “only without the destruction. Maybe a tropical depression.”
He was hoping for something to fill Lake Okeechobee again, like Fay did last September, so that the State doesn’t have a mad rush over the diminishing freshwater supply.
It has been the third driest dry season on record since 1932.
There are too many stresses on Florida’s fresh water supply as is. With Okeechobee water levels below 12 feet, there’s a already a developing fight over whether the water is for fish or farming, and its not hard to envision the fish losing out.
This comes at a time when the State, facing economic hardships, is scaling back on the Sugar Land Deal intended to resuscitate the Everglades.
It always comes back to the Everglades.
I live in Central FL and can attest to this. It’s been quite dry this season. I agree with the sentiment that it’d be nice to get a hurricane sans the damage. The water table is drying up too.
I guess even that big storm last Tuesday didn’t help much, from what I’ve read.
Wow there is nothing worse than a drought, here when we have a slight drought then we are on water restrictions and all. Hope you get some rain soon.