20 May Point of View: Restoring natural-flow system best option to solve Palm Beach County’s water problems

With each day’s news, experts spar over the best way to safeguard South Florida’s water supply. Scientists and policymakers of good faith are working diligently to prevent last summer’s water woes, and to find a long-term fix to safeguard drinking water and manage flow through flood and drought.

There is no shortage of proposals under discussion. Palm Beach County has a critical stake in these discussions. One proposal, part of the Loxahatchee River Watershed Restoration Project, involves building a 20-foot high above-ground reservoir on 1,600 acres of Mecca Farms west of Palm Beach Gardens.

We should thank and applaud the Board of County Commissioners for voting 6-0 at their April 30 meeting to reconsider building the $180 million reservoir, while continuing to support the $473 million Loxahatchee River Watershed Restoration Project.

We believe that there is a more effective, less costly water storage solution. It begins with restoring the natural flow of water in Palm Beach County.

The first step is to acknowledge and leverage the 28,000 acres of wetland within the Loxahatchee River Watershed that the county already owns and combine them with 2,400 acres to be donated by Avenir to restore free flow of water to the Loxahatchee River.

The second step is to create a natural-flow storage area on Mecca Farms, rather build than a 1,600-acre, 20-foot deep reservoir. This natural system storage area would become restored wetlands that buffer flooding in the rainy season and store water in dry. This solution has a much lower price tag — $28 million (15 percent of the cost of the proposed reservoir) and could be completed in a fraction of the time.

There are several benefits to this proposal. One, it ties together natural areas that can absorb torrential rains and hold water for the dry season. Two it does not impact our neighbors to the north, south or west. Three, it is less costly to taxpayers, and takes less time to build.

Restoring natural flow borrows from Florida’s storied past to ensure a continued vibrant future for Palm Beach County. We, at Sustainable Palm Beach County, hope to work with interested policymakers, agencies, advocates and residents to achieve this common-sense, science-based economical solution.

– KAREN MARCUS, PALM BEACH GARDENS