The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved a plan to complete a comprehensive study of the Withlacoochee River watershed. The ongoing study was being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) until federal funding dried up. Over the next three fiscal years the District will budget approximately $2 million to complete the study tasks.
The first portion of the study that identified water resource issues in the Withlacoochee River watershed that have federal interest is already complete.
The District will begin funding the next section that involves developing a computerized watershed model from the river’s headwaters in the Green Swamp to its end near Yankeetown.
The watershed model will include flood elevation levels and flows, and level of service deficiencies, which means determining when roads or other facilities are flooded beyond the level of adequate service for the community.
The model will also use information gathered by the USACE, as well as District cooperative funding projects completed with local governments. The model will be used to evaluate alternatives to better manage the water resources along the Withlacoochee River. Future funding will be used to implement best management practices outlined in the study.