South Florida Water Management District Report: July 2009

South Florida Water Management District to Undergo Reorganization Effort

The South Florida Water Management District will be reorganizing over the next four months to consolidate from eleven programs to four initiatives that reflect the agency’s mission.
• Operations and Maintenance
• Restoration
• Water Supply
• Mission Support

The district notes that the restructuring is being performed to become more efficient in operations, adopt economic, fiscal realities and legislative mandates while demonstrating accountability and increasing transparency.

Additional information will be forthcoming as it becomes available.

South Florida Water Management District Forms an ‘Ag Team’

To improve service to a large segment of water users, the water management district is forming an agricultural team composed of individuals with agricultural backgrounds and experience to work with members of the agricultural community. The agricultural team will serve as a regulatory, planning and technical outreach link between the district and the agricultural community throughout the agency’s 16-county region.

Agriculture is very unique in the way that it uses water; as the use is always a supplement to rainfall. The science and coordination between research, regulators and the farmer must all be factored in to each permit application. The district’s effort to provide single points of contact for the farmer will greatly streamline this process.

Additionally, the agricultural team will work on long-term efforts that will benefit the agricultural community. These will include:
• Coordinating agricultural programs with state and federal agencies, such as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and the United States Department of Agriculture.
• Developing a guide that identifies agricultural funding programs and grants.

For additional information about the South Florida Water Management District agricultural team, contact Benita Whalen, Deputy Director for Regulation, by phone at (561) 682-2957 or e-mail at bwhalen@sfwmd.gov.

Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Continues to Concern Agriculture

Florida Farm Bureau remains apprehensive about how the level of Lake Okeechobee is regulated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) under the new LORS 2008 regulation schedule. The new schedule is an average of two feet lower than the previous schedule and will place the district under more intensive water restrictions for longer periods of time.

The most intensive growth period for agricultural crops in south Florida is during the winter and spring months. This is also when the region has the least amount of rainfall. Water supplies in December must be ample to support adequate water needs for agriculture, municipalities and the environment through the dry season which extends through May.

It is imperative that the lake level be allowed to increase above 14 feet towards the end of the tropical season to provide levels that will keep lake health adequate and provide the needed water to the water users.

The Corps adopted the current schedule when concerns arose regarding the integrity of the Herbert Hoover Dike which surrounds Lake Okeechobee. These long term concerns will only be resolved with dike rehabilitation which is expected to take up to 20 years to complete.
Water Conditions Improve Across South Florida

The month of June provided very abundant rainfall and was in fact one of the wettest on record. All lakes and water conservation records are at schedule and continued rainfall has even caused some environmental concerns.

Farmers have irrigated only on a sporadic basis responding to crop demands. Heat stress on animals has increased water usage on ranches and dairies. Most farms had to either store excess water or discharge to regional canals after the extended rains.

Lake Okeechobee rose above 13 feet recently for the first time since February.

FDEP’s Basin Management Action Plan Process Continues in South Florida

Florida Farm Bureau is actively participating in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) process on three fronts in south Florida. Plans are being written for the Caloosahatchee, Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie basins at the present time.

According to FDEP, a BMAP is the “blueprint” for restoring impaired waters by reducing pollutant loadings to meet the allowable loadings established in a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The loading level is achieved in agriculture by implementing a series of Best Management Practices or BMPs.

Agriculture has been implementing many BMPs and it is important that they are recognized for undertaking reduction efforts to meet the goals that are being set by the BMAP process.

Water Shortage Officially Ends/En Niño Developing Quickly

During the July governing board meeting, the South Florida Water Management District officially ended the water shortage by rescinding the order that placed restrictions on agricultural irrigation. This comes at the end of the winter/spring growing season which is critical to the success of many farmers.

Florida Farm Bureau is encouraged with the current rainfall and seasonal outlook through October; hoping for continued but not excessive rainfall.