The "Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard voted Tuesday to begin the rulemaking process to increase its share of costs for projects that reduce groundwater pumping for frost/freeze protection in the Dover/Plant City area.
The increase will be part of the "District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems, or FARMS, Program. "FARMS (FARMS Program)":/agriculture/farms is a cost-share program to reduce groundwater use through water conservation best management practices in agricultural operations.
The proposed change makes projects that reduce frost/freeze quantities from the Upper Floridan aquifer in the Dover/Plant City area eligible for cost-share funding of 75 percent. Currently, FARMS cost-share rates are generally capped at 50 percent for projects that will provide either water quality or water quantity benefits. Project cost-share increases to 75 percent for projects that incorporate both water quality and quantity benefits. Projects that reduce withdrawals of permitted quantities from the Upper Floridan aquifer by 50% or more can also qualify for the 75 percent cost share.
During the "11-day January 2010 freeze event(January 2010 Dover/Plant City freeze event)":/frost-freeze.php, the combined pumping of Dover area farmers dropped the aquifer level 60 feet in some locations and caused 140 "sinkholes(Sinkholes)":/hydrology/sinkholes/ and impacts to more than 750 wells. The District has developed a management strategy that includes incentives to reduce groundwater use over time, well construction standards and regulatory limitations on water use in the area.
To implement one component of the strategy, the Board voted to create a new water use caution area and set a minimum aquifer level in the Dover/Plant City area. Another component was implemented in August, when the District expanded the Dover Special Well Construction Area. Well construction standards in this area require wells to be dug deeper than typical residential wells.
The District has held a public workshop and several technical work sessions since January to receive feedback from key stakeholders. The District is planning another public workshop Sept. 14 in Plant City to solicit input from other public stakeholders.
There are 63 FARMS projects Districtwide that are complete and operational, and 28 additional projects have been Board-approved and are in the contract development or construction stage. The 91 total Board-approved projects are estimated to have a groundwater offset of 14.9 million gallons of water per day. The overall goal of the program is to offset 40 million gallons of ground water per day within the District's "Southern Water Use Caution Area(Southern Water Use Caution Area)":/waterman/swuca/ by the year 2025, as well as achieve groundwater offsets in other areas of the District as opportunities arise.
To qualify for "FARMS (FARMS Program)":/agriculture/farms funding, projects must be located in the District's area of responsibility and include one or more of the following strategies:
* Use an alternative water supply or technology to reduce groundwater use.
* Improve irrigation water quality and watershed ecology by reducing reliance on poorer quality groundwater.
* Restore or augment water resources and ecology in priority areas.
For more information about the FARMS program, visit the District's web site at WaterMatters.org/farms/.
The increase will be part of the "District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems, or FARMS, Program. "FARMS (FARMS Program)":/agriculture/farms is a cost-share program to reduce groundwater use through water conservation best management practices in agricultural operations.
The proposed change makes projects that reduce frost/freeze quantities from the Upper Floridan aquifer in the Dover/Plant City area eligible for cost-share funding of 75 percent. Currently, FARMS cost-share rates are generally capped at 50 percent for projects that will provide either water quality or water quantity benefits. Project cost-share increases to 75 percent for projects that incorporate both water quality and quantity benefits. Projects that reduce withdrawals of permitted quantities from the Upper Floridan aquifer by 50% or more can also qualify for the 75 percent cost share.
During the "11-day January 2010 freeze event(January 2010 Dover/Plant City freeze event)":/frost-freeze.php, the combined pumping of Dover area farmers dropped the aquifer level 60 feet in some locations and caused 140 "sinkholes(Sinkholes)":/hydrology/sinkholes/ and impacts to more than 750 wells. The District has developed a management strategy that includes incentives to reduce groundwater use over time, well construction standards and regulatory limitations on water use in the area.
To implement one component of the strategy, the Board voted to create a new water use caution area and set a minimum aquifer level in the Dover/Plant City area. Another component was implemented in August, when the District expanded the Dover Special Well Construction Area. Well construction standards in this area require wells to be dug deeper than typical residential wells.
The District has held a public workshop and several technical work sessions since January to receive feedback from key stakeholders. The District is planning another public workshop Sept. 14 in Plant City to solicit input from other public stakeholders.
There are 63 FARMS projects Districtwide that are complete and operational, and 28 additional projects have been Board-approved and are in the contract development or construction stage. The 91 total Board-approved projects are estimated to have a groundwater offset of 14.9 million gallons of water per day. The overall goal of the program is to offset 40 million gallons of ground water per day within the District's "Southern Water Use Caution Area(Southern Water Use Caution Area)":/waterman/swuca/ by the year 2025, as well as achieve groundwater offsets in other areas of the District as opportunities arise.
To qualify for "FARMS (FARMS Program)":/agriculture/farms funding, projects must be located in the District's area of responsibility and include one or more of the following strategies:
* Use an alternative water supply or technology to reduce groundwater use.
* Improve irrigation water quality and watershed ecology by reducing reliance on poorer quality groundwater.
* Restore or augment water resources and ecology in priority areas.
For more information about the FARMS program, visit the District's web site at WaterMatters.org/farms/.