The Stuart News reports on Community Foundation

Water conservation was topic of meeting in Jensen Beach
By Monique Mattiace
April 28

JENSEN BEACH - The Environmental Committee of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties conducted a meeting Tuesday to get the community involved in innovative thinking on how to save water.

"This is our personal responsibility. We have to protect and conserve (water) for the future," said Leslie Lilly, president and CEO of Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties Inc. "We don't have answers but we know they have to be found."

Dr. Lance Gunderson, associate professor, Emory University Department of Environmental Studies stressed the importance of water and its history.

Gunderson expanded on South Florida's water history to bring a sense of urgency that new ideas must be thought of to solve area drought and flooding issues.

"It's taken 80 years to understand the destructive trends," said Patrick Hayes, Martin County commissioner. "Unless we change, these trends will condemn our local water bodies."

Mark D. Perry, executive director of Florida Oceanographic Society, said water should stop being dumped and waste water should start getting recycled more often.

Edith Widder, co-founder, president and senor scientist of Ocean Research & Conservation Association Inc. explained about a new innovative system tracks pollution.

The Kilroy network, which cost $50,000 for 10 sensors, is an ocean observing system that supplies continuous data rather than depending on random hand sampling.

The devices are attached to channel markers in the Indian River Lagoon and send data back to shore, said Widder.

With this network, pollution can be identified and tracked throughout the Indian River Lagoon, she said.

"The Kilroys system will really help us to manage our resources in the most affective way," said Martin County Engineer Don Donaldson. "It's much cheaper to prevent it from getting into the estuary then treating it there."

By the end of the year, ORCA hopes to have the system up and running online for people to see water pollution in their area and if they are adding to it.

"Water is the life support system of the world," said Widder. "And we ignore it at our own risk."