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About the District

The Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD or District) stretches from the St. Marks River Basin in Jefferson County to the Perdido River in Escambia County. The District is one of five water management districts in Florida created by the Water Resources Act of 1972.  The District has worked for decades to protect and manage water resources in a sustainable manner for the continued welfare of people and natural systems across its 16-county region.  It serves Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla, Walton, Washington and western Jefferson County.

Within the District's 11,305-square-mile area, there are several major hydrologic (or drainage) basins: Perdido River and Bay System, Pensacola Bay System (Escambia, Blackwater and Yellow Rivers), Choctawhatchee River and Bay System, St. Andrew Bay System, Apalachicola River and Bay System and St. Marks River Basin (Wakulla River).

A nine member Governing Board, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate, guides District activities. Board members serve four-year terms without compensation and may be reappointed. An Executive Director oversees a staff of approximately 100 that includes hydrologists, geologists, biologists, engineers, planners, foresters, land managers and various administrative personnel.

The Mission

The Mission of the Northwest Florida Water Management District is to implement the provisions of Chapter 373, Water Resources, Florida Statutes, in a manner that best ensures the continued welfare of the residents and natural systems of northwest Florida.

The Goals

The Goals of the District are:

- to ensure an adequate supply of water for all reasonable and beneficial purposes through the promotion of conservation, resource protection and development of alternative supplies

- to provide for the protection and enhancement of natural systems through integrated land and water resource management programs

- to minimize harm from flooding and otherwise protect the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the region

- to protect, maintain and improve the quality of the water resource

- to enhance public awareness, understanding and participation in comprehensive water resource management

- to develop the District's overall water management capabilities, expertise and abilities to provide technical assistance for local needs

Managing Our Water Resources

A number of activities are undertaken to address the water resource issues facing this region. Managing these resources involves balancing 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.

Resource Management

Several programs are implemented through resource management. Some of these include stormwater monitoring, developing stormwater management plans, wellhead protection and surface and ground water quality monitoring.

The Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program remains an important resource management program. Through the SWIM Program, begun in 1987, water bodies in need of restoration or protection are identified and water quality, water quantity, habitat and overall management of the system are assessed. SWIM plans have been developed for the Apalachicola River and Bay, Lake Jackson, Pensacola Bay System, St. Marks and Wakulla River System, St. Andrew Bay and Choctawhatchee River and Bay.

Long-term planning is essential to protect these natural resources. In recent years, a District Water Management Plan was developed that will help guide water management decisions for the next 20 years.

• Strategic Water Management Plan (SWMP)
• Regional Water Supply Planning
• Consolidated Annual Report
• Existing Hydrologic Conditions
• Five-Year Water Resource Development Work Program
• Minimum Flows and Levels
• Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program
• Regional Wetland Mitigation
• NWFWMD Map Modernization Website
• Hydrologic Monitoring Plan
• ACT-ACF Comprehensive Water Resources Study
• Florida Forever Capital Improvements Program

Regulatory Programs

Several permitting programs are implemented District-wide. Through the Consumptive Use Program, the District's water supplies are allocated in a manner that is reasonable-beneficial, in the public interest and which does not have a deleterious impact on existing legal users or the resource.

Well construction rules and permits help safeguard our water supplies. Proper construction of new wells and proper plugging of old or abandoned wells keep pollutants out of the ground water. In 2006, the Florida Legislature delegated the authority to implement the Environmental Resource Permitting program to the District. Other permitting programs regulate the construction and repair of dams, projects involving artificial recharge of water into any underground formation and agricultural, forestry and wetland projects that manage, store and drain surface waters.

Land Acquisition and Management

Land acquisition programs, such as Save Our Rivers, Preservation 2000 and Florida Forever, have allowed the District to purchase more than 200,000 acres throughout the Panhandle so that the area's water resources can be permanently conserved and preserved. These acquisitions protect many important wetland and natural vegetation communities, including river floodplains, headwater wetlands, coastal marshes and springs and pristine bottomland hardwood and associated upland forests. More than 85 percent of the floodplains along the Choctawhatchee and Escambia rivers and the Econfina Creek have been acquired by the District.

Every acre of District-owned land is available to the general public for a wide variety of resource-based recreational purposes which take into consideration the environmental sensitivity of the land. District land may be used for bird-watching, nature study, photography, hiking, jogging, camping, fishing, hunting, swimming, canoeing, boating and other nature-related outdoor activities. Click here for more information about the Lands Acquisition Program.

Ground Water

Ground water provides most of the water supply for northwest Florida. More than 80 percent of the area's potable water is derived from ground water. Four major ground water systems can be found in this region: the Surficial Aquifer System (which includes the Sand and Gravel Aquifer), the Intermediate System, the Floridan Aquifer System and the Sub-Floridan System. The Floridan and the Sand and Gravel Aquifer supply most of the ground water in this area.

The Floridan Aquifer is a thick series of limestones. Its top ranges from approximately 100 feet above sea level in Jackson County to 1,600 feet below sea level in southeastern Escambia County. Well yields from the Floridan average between 500 and 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) and range from a high of about 5,000 gpm in the Tallahassee area to fewer than 100 gpm in Gadsden County and in some coastal areas. For the most part, the Floridan yields water of excellent quality that requires little treatment. In Escambia and parts of Santa Rosa counties, the water from the Floridan is saline and potable supplies are obtained from the Sand and Gravel Aquifer.

The process through which ground water is replenished is very important. Ground water replenishment varies from rainfall seeping very slowly through overlying sediments to a more direct recharge process where sediments of the aquifer lie at or near the land's surface and rainfall can move directly into the aquifer. Unfortunately, areas such as these are particularly vulnerable to pollutants from various land uses and land practices that occur on the surface.

Surface Water

Northwest Florida has some of the largest rivers in the state as well as a number of important streams, lakes, springs and estuaries. In terms of annual discharge (volume of flow), the area has three of the five largest rivers in the state: the Apalachicola, Choctawhatchee and Escambia. The Apalachicola, the largest derives most of its flow from the extensive basins of the Flint and Chattahoochee rivers in Georgia, which converge at Lake Seminole. Many of the District's major rivers originate in Alabama and Georgia and interstate water management relating to these rivers is an increasingly important issue.

Most of the rivers within northwest Florida are in their natural state and have few structures to alter their floodplains and channels or control their flow rates. However, those rivers originating in neighboring states are likely to have such structures. Rainfall, stormwater runoff and ground water contribute to the discharge into rivers and streams and primarily determine variations in flow.

Flooding periodically occurs along major rivers in the region, although damages are held to a minimum because of the relatively sparse development within the floodplains of these rivers. District land acquisitions that target major river and stream corridors help reduce flood damage since these lands must remain in their natural state once they are purchased for water quality protection and for preservation purposes. Urban and low-lying coastal areas are where major flood damage is likely to occur.

Within the northwest region are several first magnitude springs and second magnitude springs, most of which are popular recreation spots. The first magnitude springs include the Gainer Springs group, Blue Springs, Wakulla Springs, St. Marks Rise and the Spring Creek group. There are numerous lakes such as Lake Jackson, which is known for its bass fishing.

The only location in the region where surface water is currently used as a source of public supply are Panama City (Deer Point Lake Reservoir).

Future Water Needs

Although an adequate supply of water is available now for most of northwest Florida, there are a few existing or anticipated water supply problems. These needs are being addressed through the development of alternative water supplies, creation of regional wellfields and supply systems, special permitting requirements and long-range planning.

Areas within the District 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 extensive development and 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. Establishing minimum flows and levels for both ground water and surface water systems will be essential for the effective future management of these resources. Concerns and issues relating to river systems that are shared with neighboring states as well as the transfer of water from one region to another will be in the forefront for years to come. The key to successful water management in the future is careful planning so that the area’s fragile ecosystems can continue to be protected.