Write a response for each document.

Instructions: Your post should be a thoughtful response and should include outside reference material from the internet or primary literature. That reference should be referred to specifically with an in-text citation (author, year) and your post should have a bibliography with those outside sources you used cited in APA format.

Instructions: Your post should be a thoughtful response and should include outside reference material from the internet or primary literature. That reference should be referred to specifically with an in-text citation (author, year) and your post should have a bibliography with those outside sources you used cited in APA format.

Post: (Steele Brander)

The article that I found is called

New publication examines consequences of groundwater depletion to agriculture, by Texas A&M University. This article is talking about and provides an overview of a paper published by CAST, Council of Agricultural Science and Technology, which looks at the effects of groundwater depletion in the United States and specifically how it will affect agriculture. During the 1950s large scale, groundwater depletion had begun and it tripled by the 1990s and roughly 71% of that water was used for irrigation. The amount of water that is dedicated to agriculture will continue to increase as long as the population increases. “Ast the U.S. population increases, demands for more food production and water supplies will stress valuable water resources, especially in locations sensitive to droughts” (Texas A&M University, 2019). Some consequences that come along with the depletion of the groundwater are elevating costs of pumping the groundwater as well as, a reduced flow to surface water systems and ecosystems, and degradation of groundwater quality. There aren’t any quick fixes for this problem, but if actions to reverse these actions aren’t done soon then there will be a potential that the groundwater will never return to normal. “Strategies to mitigate impacts of aquifer depletion may include policy, technology and management options, which should take into account local/regional conditions, including hydrogeological factor, applicability to agricultural production systems and economic factors” (Texas A&M University, 2019). One solution to this problem won’t necessarily be applicable to the whole of the United States and therefore the world, so there needs to be multiple solutions that make this problem difficult to combat on a national and global scale.

There are some actions that are already in place, in the southern Ogallala aquifer region, “agricultural producers have adopted efficient advanced irrigation technologies such as low-pressure center-pivot irrigation systems and subsurface drip irrigation.” (Texas A&M University,2019)

Before doing research for this discussion post I didn’t know that there was a groundwater depletion problem, but after doing this assignment I can see that this could turn into a major problem in the future and since we have an understanding as to what this constant depletion of the groundwater could bring, the sooner actions can be taken, the better our chances can be to get the groundwater back to an amount that will bring less worry.  

What are other solutions that can be or have been implemented to combat the declining levels of groundwater?

Texas A&M University (2019, March 25) New publication examines consequences of groundwater depletion to agriculture. Retrieved from 

https://phys.org/news/2019-03-consequences-groundwater-depletion-agriculture.html (Links to an external site.)

Instructions: Your post should be a thoughtful response and should include outside reference material from the internet or primary literature. That reference should be referred to specifically with an in-text citation (author, year) and your post should have a bibliography with those outside sources you used cited in APA format.

Post: (Amanda Bertine)

The big question on every Floridians mind seems to be about water. With the increase of Floridas permanent population begs the question will there be enough land for everyone that is living or want to live here in the future? But in my opinion land isn’t the biggest problem we should be worrying about at the moment, water depletion is. In this article, it emphasizes the present and future problems that Florida will and already have been facing pertaining to its water depletion.This is becoming a main problem considering the fact that Floridas main revenue source comes from tourism and they come for the different types of water sources, including but not limited various fresh and salt water sources. Like I said earlier there will be people who want to move here permanently and that mean more resources are being used up including the water resources. This becomes a major problem for different parts of Florida in different ways. For example in areas on the coast they have to deal with salt water intrusion which happens when the aquifer become depleted and salt water fills in the empty space. If we go more inland there becomes slightly different issues. The aquifer will still become depleted but it never fills back up with water. That causes the formation of a sinkhole. The aquifer resides in the limestone layer this then,“starts to dissolve the limestone. The pores and cracks are the enlarged and carry more acidic water/ rain water.”( St. Johns River Water Management District, 2020). This is the optimal environment for sinkholes to form when “ the lands surface above collapses or sinks into the cavities or when surface material is carried downward into the void.” (St. Johns River Water Management District, 2020). There have been rumbling of possibly require big water companies to “provide extra money for conservation”.(Kim Slowey, 2017) There have been a number of great strides in the right direction concerning water conservation including construction companies using rainwater in cisterns, decrease stormwater buildup, and making it required to use “gray water systems that convert sewage into water for irrigation”(Kim Slowey, 2017).

  I always knew that water depletion has been a reoccurring problem, but not to the extent where there has to be major conversations about conservation of our water usage. I also don’t think it helps with the fact that we have so many tourist attractions that help boost the economy but cripple our water resources. Some people, like me, don’t realize its a major problem because they grew up surrounded by water and I think there should be more of a push to raise awareness for this issue. I also believe that there are great strides being taken at the moment but it’s not enough for how rapidly we’re consuming water.   
 
 
 

St. Johns River Water Management District.(2020) How sinkholes form – 

https://www.sjrwmd.com/education/sinkholes/ (Links to an external site.)

Kim Slowey (2017, August 3rd) Is development draining the FL aquifer system beyond repair? – 

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/is-development-draining-the-fl-aquifer-system-beyond-repair/448474/

Instructions: Your post should be a thoughtful response and should include outside reference material from the internet or primary literature. That reference should be referred to specifically with an in-text citation (author, year) and your post should have a bibliography with those outside sources you used cited in APA format.

Post: (Sarah Tevlin)

Florida’s natural beauty is a major economic boon. According to an article by Kim Slowey published through Construction Dive, millions of tourists visit the state each year to visit our beaches and springs, generating billions of dollars in revenue for the state. These waterbodies are also a major draw for people looking to move (Slowey, 2017). Combined, Florida’s natural beauty and the lucrative business it brings in has resulted in rapid population growth within the state. However, the very resources drawing people in are being degraded by the additional pressures the increase creates (Slowey, 2017).

Most of Florida receives water from one of two underground systems – the Biscayne and Floridian Aquifers. Because of this, natural systems are in direct competition for water with agriculture and urban uses such as irrigation and drinking water (Slowey, 2017). As more people move into the state, groundwater withdrawal increases, and Florida’s waterbodies suffer. Spring quality decreases, the water level in rivers lowers, and the overall health – and beauty – of waterbodies becomes reduced.

In Tampa-St. Petersburg, groundwater has been reduced enough to cause saltwater intrusion of the aquifer and create house-swallowing sinkholes on the surface (Slowey, 2017).

This article reports that the main problem comes from the fact that utility companies aren’t charged for water use on a per gallon basis. Since this keeps the price of water low for the new subdivisions that have been developed to accommodate Florida’s growing population, developers and owners have no incentive to implement water conserving practices in their neighborhoods (Slowey, 2017). Although voluntary sustainable development programs such as LEED have become more popular, legally, commercial interests still supersede environmental ones. Unfortunately, it would take a strong drop in tourism to convince lawmakers to implement and enforce water conservation laws (Slowey, 2017).

Although I was aware of the water problems our growing population creates, I find it really concerning that the only solutions this article poses as feasible are (1) voluntary or (2) the environment becomes so degraded that Florida’s economy is damaged. Unfortunately, I cannot think of many other solutions unless a grassroots movement can pressure lawmakers into changing laws before the water crisis becomes that bad. 

Slowey, K. (2017, August 3). Is development draining the FL aquifer system beyond repair? Retrieved February 6, 2020, from 

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/is-development-draining-the-fl-aquifer-system-beyond-repair/448474/ (Links to an external site.)

Question: Do you think that by degrading the beauty of Florida’s waterbodies (and therefore the tourists/residents they attract) we would ever be able to reduce pressure enough that they could recover?