The Miami Herald

Posted on Tue, Jan. 28, 2006

MIAMI-DADE

BY TERE FIGUERAS NEGRETE
tfigueras@MiamiHerald.com

Water chief resigns

The head of Miami-Dade's Water and Sewer Department quit Friday amid growing concern that the county has done little to plan for growth.

Miami-Dade's top water official abruptly resigned Friday following news that the county's long-term water plans were alarmingly short-sighted -- and could shut the tap on future development.

Bill Brant, head of Miami-Dade's water and sewer department, submitted his resignation less than 24 hours after County Manager George Burgess met with state water managers.

Burgess said he was caught off guard by the urgency of the state's appeal to the county to revamp its water plan -- an urgency Burgess said Brant failed to convey.
''Frankly, I don't like surprises,'' said Burgess. ``I think it would have been tough for him to carry on.''

A phalanx of state water managers -- backed by the head of Florida's Department of Environmental Protection -- warned this week that Miami-Dade's 20-year water plan threatens the Everglades and ignores state conservation requirements.
At issue is Miami-Dade's application for a state permit that would allow the county to increase water consumption by roughly 100 million gallons a day to meet its population's needs in the next 20 years.

Under new growth management laws passed by the Florida Legislature last year, counties need to show they have the water to supply the demands of new development. County planners estimate Miami-Dade will grow 25 percent during the next two decades to 2.7 million residents.

But Miami-Dade does a poor job of using the 350 million gallons of water it currently pulls each day from the Biscayne Aquifer. Only 5 percent is actually treated and reused. Some counties, such as Collier, reuse 100 percent of their water.
The county's plan for the next 20 years consisted of little more than tapping deeper into the Biscayne Aquifer, which siphons precious water from the Everglades.

The South Florida Water Management District has been in talks with the county's water department for nearly two years but says Brant's department has balked at coming up with alternative water sources.

Brant, 57,earns $219,000 and another $18,000 in benefits annually. He'll leave his job with a $78,000 payout for unused leave time.

Brant did not return repeated calls for comment this week.

Replacing Brant is the head of the county's Department of Environmental Resource Management, John Renfrow. Burgess said Renfrow's familiarity with water issues and his background as an engineer made him a natural choice.

Brant's department came under scrutiny last year after an audit showed that millions of dollars in developers' water and sewer fees went uncollected. Brant disputed those findings and claimed his staff didn't know that some high-rises on the list even existed. The head of the county's auditing and management service called the department's claims "disconcerting.''

State water officials met two days this week with the 13-member county commission, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Brant's boss, Burgess.
''I learned far more at that meeting than I should have,'' said Burgess.

Commissioner Natacha Seijas, who chairs the county's infrastructure and land use committee, said she is ''terribly, terribly disappointed and absolutely surprised'' by the news from the state.

The majority of commissioners, including Seijas, have long been under fire from environmentalists who say the county has ignored the effects of aggressive development.

''For the county commission to say it's shocked and outraged is baloney,'' said Alan Farago, director of the Everglades Defense Council.

Brant had to appease political forces, Farago said.

''He basically had to keep water rates low, and get water to developers to keep his job,'' said Farago, noting that low water rates meant less money for infrastructure investment. "I think some of those commissioners should be resigning, not Bill Brant.''

Reusing wastewater or desalinization is not cheap. Such projects are eligible for millions of dollars of funding from the state and the management district. But consumers also could see an increase in their water bills.

Miami-Dade's average monthly residential water bill is $32.86; Broward's is $51.61; and Lee County, which reuses 80 percent of its water, bills $61.71 monthly.

''This is the problem with building first and planning later,'' said Commissioner Katy Sorenson, the most strident environmental advocate on the dais.

She said she was stunned at what little priority Brant's department had given to coming up with solutions, noting that Miami-Dade applied for its new permit in 2004, just days before it was to expire.

She also said she was concerned her colleagues' stance on development issues may have made Brant reluctant to red-flag the water issue.

''I hope it wasn't due to political pressure,'' she said. "Some commissioners don't like bad news about the cost of unbridled development.''

Carol Ann Wehle, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, said Friday that ongoing talks with county officials were "extremely positive. We feel like they understand the seriousness of this matter.''