ProtectingOurWater.org is Phenomenal

As Floridians living in the only state in the contiguous United States bordered by two coastal water bodies, with 1,350 miles of coastline, 50,000 miles of inland and coastal rivers and streams, and more than 700 freshwater springs, it makes sense that we would know all there is to know about water, right? Well if that’s not currently the case, help is just a click away at ProtectingOurWater.org.

The Department has launched a new Web site that focuses on just about every aspect of water and it is designed in such a way that learning about the state’s water woes and triumphs is interesting and fun while being interactive and informative.

A portion of the site contains a series of nine Web videos, each just between five and ten minutes long. The fascinating miniseries feature many dedicated experts who explain in comprehensible and logical terms why protecting Florida’s waters are the responsibility of everyone who lives in Florida, or even visits. From explorers, fishing and boating enthusiasts, farmers, home gardeners, builders and developers – all of us are affected by Florida’s water quality and quantity and all of us can help protect what’s healthy and restore what needs improving.

The videos touch on protecting the Floridan aquifer and show the effects, both manmade and nature generated, of problems like the draining sinkhole of Lake Jackson and the troubled and dried up portions of the Peace River. They show restoration efforts that are helping the sandhill crane population and green roofing projects that are helping to collect stormwater runoff to reduce pollutants in Florida’s groundwater. They show a water treatment facility that reclaims water using a pipeline that takes the water on a two-year journey before the process is completed.

Interactive sites, like the Florida-friendly Interactive Yard and the River-friendly Farm show how different choices in our management of these resources can benefit our waterways and groundwater. The kids will not only be entertained by the animated sites featuring P3 Puppy and Raleigh the Otter, but can learn how they, too, can help to better protect Florida’s waters and the environment.

With Florida’s population predicted to increase to nearly 24 million by 2025, and our water use predicted to increase by about two billion gallons per day, each of us have the responsibility to protect our own little piece of Florida so that the next generation will also be able to enjoy the resource that is Florida’s lifeline – our waters.

So don’t delay visit ProtectingOurWater.org today.