WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Florida's three-year drought is over, but its lasting effects may not be, according a recent report by U.S. Water News Online. The sustained three-year water shortage has intensified the state's need to explore alternative water sources. The drought has left the state's groundwater system below normal in the central and southwest regions.

If all the existing permits to withdraw water are granted without the benefit of new supplies being made available, central Florida's streams, lakes and wetlands will begin to dry up by 2006, according to Kirby Green, director of the St. Johns River Water Management District, which covers 16 counties in the state.

Alternative water solutions that may be explored include expanding the use of treated sewage for lawn irrigation, building resevoirs, drilling deep wells to store water and turning seawater into drinking water. Florida authorities are also urging the state's citizens to conserve water year-round.

For more information, visit www.uswaternews.com.