Messing with the aquifer
First, the farmers pulled so much water out of the ground during the freeze that the aquifer level dropped 60 feet (!), so surrounding wells went dry and sinkholes opened up. Then we poured 800 cubic yards of concrete underground, filling the space that was once full of water.
So what happens when the aquifer fills back up, and the water bumps up against all this concrete?
Surely the water that used to go where all this concrete is now, will have to go somewhere else. Will that ‘somewhere else’ flood now?
Will some wells that are now dry stay dry because this part of the aquifer has now been filled with concrete and the underground water flow has been rerouted?
Pouring concrete into the aquifer seems analogous to filling wetlands, draining swamps, and channelizing rivers. Whenever we mess with Florida’s natural flowing water, we mess it up — and it ends up costing taxpayers dearly.
The amazing thing is that the county is probably not going to do anything to regulate the use of water by farmers when these freeze situations occur. They’re gonna let them run the aquifer dry whenever they want to, I guess. I agee with being pro-ag but not to the extent that we destroy peoples’ property and access to fresh drinking water.