Extended Drought Impacts Even Those With Water

In early 2000, an ongoing dry spell for the state of Florida quickly became a massive drought that impacted fully 2/3 of the state. Hardest hit was the Lake Okeechobee region which was seeing near-record low water levels.

The South Florida Water Management District reported that the water level of Lake Okeechobee, a critical reservoir for residents in south and east Florida, dropped to an all-time low of 7 feet. The previous record-low of 9.79 feet was set in 1981.

Before the drought, the 730-square-mile lake normally fell to about 13 feet in the winter, and rose to 15 feet in the summer rainy season. The nation's second-largest freshwater lake, Okeechobee is an important natural resource for the state, and an important part of the region's economy. It draws thousands of fishermen from across the nation each year. Many nearby farms rely on it for irrigation, including the large sugar cane fields in the area. In addition, the lake is a source for drinking-water facilities that serve about 5 million people.

The Water Management District placed communities on a Phase III Water Restriction Use (50% of regular use). The Lake Okeechobee area was not only suffering from a lack of water, but quickly a cascading economic collapse. Not just a fear of crop failures, but since farmers were now not buying seed, the entire Agro-support business was heavily impacted. Commercial and sport fishermen were not only at risk of losing their boats, but all the local business that they frequented were also beginning to feel the pinch. Wells were running dry and even the people drilling new ones were affected because they had to dig down even deeper than usual, taking more time and requiring more equipment.

So while some families and businesses might have made arrangements in advance to protect their exposure to water restrictions, many of them were still impacted during the drought because of how it affected many of their customers, vendors, and suppliers.