The Kissimmee River, which begins as rain running off Orlando streets and has had nearly $1 billion in environmental repairs along its run to South Florida, is under scrutiny again for how much water it could provide to Central Florida cities while still preserving its rebounding fish and wildlife.
The South Florida Water Management District already has put enormous effort into figuring out the biology of the liquid spine of the greater Everglades ecosystem and how many millions of gallons of water could be pumped from it.
That effort — amid warnings from environmentalists and utility companies' worries that little water would be available for new development — was shelved five years ago. Now it's back and likely more contentious than ever.
"It is non-negotiable that the water-management district must fully protect water for the Kissimmee River restoration before even considering giving away any water," said Jane Graham, an Audubon Florida legal expert.
Tensions over the Kissimmee River water include:
•Findings in the past year by a Central Florida consortium that the traditional source of water, the Floridan Aquifer, is unable to provide much more and that rivers are among the most likely new sources.
•A recommendation this month by the St. Johns River Water Management District to block a billionaire from pumping Floridan Aquifer water, confirming for many that pressure to tap rivers is on the rise.
•Creation of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge three years ago to protect 150,000 acres of wildlife and water along the river.
"We've seen a tremendous investment in the restoration of the Kissimmee River," said Dan O'Keefe, an Orlando lawyer and chairman of the South Florida Water Management District. "We need to maximize return on that investment."
O'Keefe is on the steering committee of the Central Florida Water Initiative, the consortium of water regulators and utilities that has calculated that the region's demand for water will rise significantly in coming decades.
He said he is aware of growing pressure to pump water from rivers such as the Kissimmee but does not know if that's going to prove appropriate. "I would hesitate to guess," he said.
A report by the South Florida Water Management District in 2009 concluded "all water" in the Kissimmee River "is required for the protection of fish and wildlife." But even as that report circulated, agency administrators were suggesting further study may show the river has extra water during rainy times.
What is certain is that the Kissimmee River is complex. The many lakes in Orange and Osceola counties that drain south to the Kissimmee River are regulated by dams.
Farther downstream is a stretch of river wrecked by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a half-century ago. The federal agency cut a 57-mile ditch and filled or bypassed 103 miles of winding river.
After decades of work, more than 40 miles of river and 40 square miles of adjoining wetlands have been restored. Fish and wildlife have responded impressively, district scientists say.
To protect those species and the water they depend on, the water-management district is using a state regulation called a "water reservation." Once set, a reservation will "guarantee that the water needed to keep these ecosystems thriving will not be allocated," according to the district.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which created the new wildlife refuge, pledges to pay close attention to the setting of a reservation "to help ensure the best possible outcome."
Also watching are water-utility directors, including Brian Wheeler at Toho Water Authority, Osceola County's largest utility.
"We understand that the Kissimmee River is extremely flashy, meaning that right now, with all the rain we've had, it's running at a pretty good volume," he said. "At other times, there isn't much water draining to the river so there isn't much to be taken out."
"What we've told the district is to go ahead and do the reservation and let us know if there is excess water, and then we can sit down to see if there is a project where we can utilize that water," Wheeler said.
The water district will hold a public workshop Wednesday at the Osceola County Administration Building in Kissimmee from 10 a.m. to noon.
Don Medellin, district manager for the reservation project, said he didn't know when proposed limits on river water would emerge. "We're going to take our time and do the technical work right to make sure it's legally defensible," he said.
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