Alachua County Commissioner Anna Prizzia receives Bob Graham Award
Press release from Alachua County
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Alachua County Commissioner Anna Prizzia was recently presented with the Bob Graham Award by the Florida Lake Management Society in recognition of her commitment to protecting and conserving Florida’s lakes and aquatic resources.
The award was presented during the Florida Lake Management Society’s annual symposium in Bonita Springs. The Bob Graham Award is given to elected officials who demonstrate a commitment to lake and aquatic-resource conservation. The award is named for former Florida Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, who was known for his support of environmental initiatives, including the preservation of thousands of acres of Gulf Coast wetlands.
Prizzia has been involved in efforts to protect the county’s natural resources and water quality. Her work as a county commissioner includes supporting policies and initiatives focused on environmental protection, responsible growth, and the preservation of Alachua County’s natural resources.
“I am honored to receive an award named for Gov. Bob Graham and grateful to the Florida Lake Management Society for this recognition,” Prizzia said. “Protecting our water resources is a responsibility we all share, and I am proud to work with residents, environmental organizations, scientists, and fellow elected officials to protect the lakes, springs, and waterways that make Alachua County such a special place.”
View Prizzia’s acceptance speech.
The Florida Lake Management Society is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the protection, enhancement, conservation, restoration, and management of Florida’s aquatic resources. Founded in 1987, the organization brings together lake-management professionals, scientists, government officials, and others to advance education, research, stewardship, and sound management of Florida’s water resources.
Congrats! Now can we all chip in for a one way bus ticket to Austin.
There’s two kinds of water resources, surface waters and groundwater. Throughout history humans evolved by living near surface water, which replenishes and cleans itself naturally. Groundwater was discovered and exploited later, but quickly got used up by rural and urban well drilling. It didn’t take long, unlike living off surface waters (which springs, rainfalls and melting mountain ice refilled annually).
The federal Clean Water Act was influenced by big states New York and California, to irrationally protect surface waters where rich political donors have their homes, and because those two states don’t exploit groundwater exclusively like most other states do (California does in part, but mostly for farming in the deserts).
So, since the 1970s all 50 states and local urban planners irrationally focused development away from surface waters and over groundwater (aquifer recharge) areas instead. It didn’t take long to see what would happen right here in Alachua county. Stripping forests and farmlands increased nitrates in the groundwater and springs, since trees and grasses weren’t around to absorb nitrogen, a natural and manmade fertilizer. Nitrates in water supplies is a known carcinogen.
But the federal laws must be followed until repealed. It’s worsened by the fact interstate highways were often routed away from surface waters whenever possible, as it was less costly to build on dry land instead of wetlands. I-75 was routed away from the lakes and rivers here too. Highways encourage suburban sprawl, but not where we would want in hindsight.
Bob Graham came from a dairy family in the once rural area of northern Dade county. They sold their farm lands and established Miami Lakes, today an older suburb surrounded by highways. So maybe it’s due to guilt that the Florida lake protectors made an award in his name. But they should award it to folks who don’t repeat the same mistake of polluting and draining our groundwater. Just to keep postcard pretty lakes and rivers from *other* bad developers.
We get our potable water from deep wells, not surface waters, and protecting them is critical to our existence, as well as our appeal as a destination, and the enjoyment of our home.
As to polluting any of our water, the GOP has weakened beyond recognition the water management districts which were created to mitigate development pressures on our water, and began doing this 30 years ago. The appointed boards in charge are almost exclusively business and agricultural interests with little to zero citizen or environmental expert members.
Congratulations to Anna for the award and hopefully local governments can counter the state government’s reactionary and rapacious policies, though the state’s continuing attempts at neutering them continues with the tax amendment.
How about committing to destroying the bottling plant next to the springs. It was so predictable that the springs would start drying up.
Did the Road To Her Home get repaved too?
On the other hand—she’s a waste of good air.