HOME PAGE

Protecting Our Water Resources...

We can all reduce harm to our creeks, rivers and lakes by such daily actions as not over-fertilizing our lawns, throwing trash into containers and cleaning up debris. However, it takes a coordinated effort by both individuals and governmental entities to protect and preserve out water resources for future generations.

Several governmental agencies share the responsibility for protecting our water resources. The Northwest Florida Water Management District manages our water resources to balance varying water uses and demands with availability. Conflicting priorities often must be addressed to ensure that there are sufficient water supplies for human needs while maintaining water quality and viable, functioning natural systems.

A cooperative and coordinated approach to the management of our water resources is the best way. The District provides technical assistance to various agencies and local governments and water resource information and data are shared. Efforts foster local involvement and responsibility.

At the present time, northwest Florida has a relatively abundant supply of ground and surface water for the needs of this region. The few existing or anticipated water-supply problems are localized in nature and are being addressed through the development of alternative water supplies, creation of regional wellfields and supply systems or through special permitting requirements.

While we may have generally adequate water resources in the northwest now, programs and activities can be undertaken to ensure that they are sustained. Regulatory programs, resource management activities, land acquisition and management efforts and educational programs are all implemented to help protect the water resources that we place such a high value on in the State of Florida.

...Through Regulatory Activities

Historically, regulatory activities have been undertaken to safeguard our water resources, make our water supplies more sustainable and promote a public understanding of the need to do so. Rules exist so that everyone will follow prescribed procedures designed to protect these essential resources. A cooperative approach to regulatory activities is better for the resource and the public.

Several permitting programs are implemented by the District. Through the Consumptive Use Program, the District is able to monitor how much water is taken from ground water or surface water sources. The demand cannot exceed the supply or our water resources will become depleted. Withdrawing too much ground water can also allow the movement of contaminants into our water supplies. This can be seen in some heavily populated coastal areas where saltwater intrusion has occurred.

Well construction rules and permits help safeguard our water supplies, not only in special areas of concern, but in general. Well construction requirements help ensure that pollutants and contaminants from the surface of the land do not make their way into our underground water supplies. Proper construction of new wells and proper plugging of old or abandoned wells guard against this problem and protect ground water quality. The District also has instituted a program of tagging new and existing wells with unique identifiers to provide for better monitoring of the water resource. Other permitting programs involve the construction and repair of dams; artificial recharge (or the intentional introduction of water into any underground formation); and agricultural and forestry projects that manage, store and drain surface waters.

Some areas within the District are being monitored very closely as a result of particular practices and the Department of Environmental Protection has identified or delineated some areas where our ground water might be contaminated as a result of various land uses. For example, use of the agricultural pesticide Ethylene Dibromide (EDB) has led to some areas of concern. The solution requires the testing of wells in specific areas, linking those wells to public water supplies or installing filter systems on the wells to clean the water. New, proposed wells in these areas of concern also are subject to special construction standards.

Areas within our District that are of particular concern are designated as Water Resource Caution Areas. For an area to be so designated, it must be experiencing or anticipated to experience significant or widespread reductions in water levels, saltwater intrusion or other degradation within the next 20 years. There are two such areas now. One is the coastal area of Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties where significant withdrawals of ground water have occurred and the other is the upper Telogia Creek drainage basin in Gadsden County where surface water is used for agricultural activities. Other areas are being closely monitored, such as coastal Franklin and Gulf counties and Panama City which depends on Deer Point Lake Reservoir for its water supply.

Regulatory strategies are typically implemented on a district-wide basis, with an emphasis on regional problem areas. Increased technical information has given the District a greater ability to identify, assess and avoid adverse impacts to water resources and to natural systems.

...Through Resource Management

Numerous projects and programs are carried out each year through the resource management area. One of the most comprehensive efforts to manage our water resources in recent years is the development of the District's Water Management Plan, which is intended to guide water management decisions for the next 20 years. This plan encompasses four major areas — water supply, flood protection and floodplain management, water quality and natural systems management — and are a part of the comprehensive Florida Water Plan.

The Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program has been one of the largest programs within resource management. Through the SWIM Program, begun in 1987, water bodies in need of restoration or protection in order to restore or maintain their water quality and associated natural systems are identified and ranked. Once the needs of the entire watershed are determined, water quality, water quantity, habitat and overall management of the system are assessed.

Plans are developed to address the unique needs of each watershed. SWIM plans have been developed for Lake Jackson, Apalachicola River and Bay, Pensacola Bay System, St. Andrew Bay, Choctawhatchee River and Bay and the St. Marks river basin.

A major component of the Apalachicola River and Bay Management Plan is interstate management of shared water resources. The Apalachicola River is one of several rivers across northern Florida that is shared with the states of Alabama or Georgia. Negotiations amoung these three states to reach a consensus on an equitable apportionment of these waters have not been successful. The states have turned to the court system to settle these water allocation issues. Several related lawsuits are pending.

Stormwater monitoring and management plans are especially important. Stormwater must be controlled to prevent flooding and stormwater must be retained and treated to prevent the pollution of our rivers, lakes, bays and bayous. A master stormwater management plan for the major watersheds in Leon County was developed in cooperation with the county. Data obtained through this plan are being used to identify drainage problems and to implement improvements. A stormwater management plan also was prepared for the City of Quincy and stormwater monitoring has been done for the City of Pensacola.

Wellhead protection is another area of increasing concern and activity. Public water supply wellfields must be clearly and carefully delineated to protect them from contaminants. Wellhead protection is particularly important for the westernmost portions of the District such as Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, which rely on the Sand-and-Gravel Aquifer. This aquifer is close to the surface and does not contain protective layers of clay to keep pollutants used on the land's surface from quickly penetrating into ground water supplies. Other areas where wellhead protection is important include recharge areas where the Floridan Aquifer is at or near the surface, such as in Leon, Wakulla and Jackson counties.

Research and data gathering are necessary for the proper management of our water resources. Through the Ambient Monitoring of Surface Water Quality Program and the Ground Water Quality Monitoring Program, data are obtained which can be used to assess long-term water quality trends. These data are provided to local governments to assist them with local planning efforts.

Resource management includes restoration, preservation and conservation activities. To be effective, these activities must be undertaken for the long term. Only through long-range guidance, planning and management can our water resources be protected.

...Through Land Management and Acquisition

A continuing commitment to permanently protect and preserve water resources forms the basis of the District's Land Acquisition and Management Program. Since the program was begun in 1984, the District has brought more than 200,000 acres under public ownership so that our water resources can be permanently conserved and preserved.

Lands are acquired through such land acquisition programs as Save Our Rivers, created in 1981, Preservation 2000, created in 1990, and the Florida Forever program, created in 1999. The District maintains a plan for acquiring environmentally sensitive lands and prioritizes areas targeted for acquisition.

These acquisitions protect many important wetland and natural vegetation communities in northwest Florida, including river floodplains, headwater wetlands, coastal marshes, first magnitude springs and pristine bottomland hardwood and associated upland forests. Natural areas such as these are vital to the health of rivers, lakes and water supplies.

Since the inception of its acquisition program, the District's primary goal has been to bring as much as possible of the privately owned floodplains of major rivers under public ownership and protection. The objective of the land acquisition program is to acquire lands to preserve waters and related land for water management, water supply and conservation and to acquire lands to restore, enhance or conserve their natural, aesthetic, recreational or hydrologic values. Once these lands are acquired, it is the District's responsibility to manage and maintain them in an environmentally acceptable manner.

Of particular importance to residents of northwest Florida is that all of District-owned land except conservation easements is available to the general public for a wide variety of resource-based recreational purposes which take into consideration the environmental sensitivity and suitability of the land. District lands are available for bird-watching, nature study, photography, hiking, jogging, camping, fishing, hunting, swimming, canoeing, boating and other nature-related outdoor activities.

...Through Education

Increasing knowledge or awareness of issues and concerns related to our water resources will help protect these important resources in the future.

Public education programs are designed to increase public awareness of water quality conditions and provide opportunities for participation and involvement. Printed materials such as brochures, booklets and posters, as well as educational displays at environmental events, also are part of the educational efforts of the District. By increasing public awareness of the importance of our water resources, we believe further degradation can be prevented.

The WaterWays educational program remains the District's largest and most far-reaching educational program. The program consists of a 128-page student textbook, a teacher's guide, slide/tape presentations and videos. This program is provided to public middle schools free of charge and reaches nearly 14,000 middle school students annually.

Various educational efforts also have been undertaken through the SWIM Program. These efforts have focused on working with community groups to raise awareness of environmental issues and bringing educational opportunities to students.

The District has produced a series of "Big Picture" brochures, which open to satellite images of SWIM priority watersheds. They describe many District cooperative initiatives with localities to protect water quality and water resources. The "Big Picture" for Pensacola Bay, Choctawhatchee River and Bay, St. Andrew Bay, St. Marks River and Lake Jackson in Leon County has been captured through these brochures. Additionally, large colorful posters for the Apalachicola River and Bay, Econfina Creek and Lake Jackson also were designed and reprinted numerous times due to their popularity with the public.

Water supply and water quantity issues, due to increasing growth and droughts in the northwest area, resulted in the production of several water conservation brochures and booklets. These materials help alert residents to easy, low-cost water saving measures such as planting native, drought tolerant species in suitable sites, watering early or late in the day and reducing the amount and frequency of watering. Thousands have been reached through printed materials provided and distributed by area utilities and though online versions accessible from the District's web site. A Conservation Hotel and Motel Program (CHAMP) was also launched. The water CHAMP program encourages the voluntary reuse of towels and sheets to save water.