The "Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard voted on Tuesday to begin the rulemaking process to create a new water use caution area and set a minimum aquifer level in the Dover/Plant City area.
The "District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us will develop regulatory strategies in the new water use caution area that will limit groundwater pumpage.
A water use caution area is designated where water resources are or will become critical in the next 20 years. 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.
Regulatory components of the management strategy will include limitations on new groundwater requests, development of a recovery strategy in support of the establishment of a minimum aquifer level for freeze protection, a new process for allocating dry well complaints, requirements for alternative freeze protection methods and additional data collection requirements.
The District has held a public workshop and several technical work sessions since January to receive feedback from key stakeholders. The District is planning a public workshop and outreach meetings in August and September to solicit input from other public stakeholders. The rulemaking process will include additional public input and education.
In May the District began the process of expanding the Dover Special Well Construction Area to reduce the likelihood that homeowners in the area will experience failures during prolonged freeze events. Well construction standards in this area require wells to be dug deeper than typical residential wells. The new special well construction area and criteria are expected to take effect in mid-August.
The District has two other water use caution areas. In 1989, the Governing Board created the Northern Tampa Bay Water Use Caution Area to address groundwater withdrawals that had resulted in lowered lake levels, destruction or deterioration of wetlands, reduced streamflow and saltwater intrusion. The "Southern Water Use Caution Area(Southern Water Use Caution Area)":/waterman/swuca/ was established in 1992 due to declining aquifer levels, declining lake levels along the Highlands Ridge and advancing coastal saltwater intrusion in the Floridan Aquifer.
The "District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us will develop regulatory strategies in the new water use caution area that will limit groundwater pumpage.
A water use caution area is designated where water resources are or will become critical in the next 20 years. 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.
Regulatory components of the management strategy will include limitations on new groundwater requests, development of a recovery strategy in support of the establishment of a minimum aquifer level for freeze protection, a new process for allocating dry well complaints, requirements for alternative freeze protection methods and additional data collection requirements.
The District has held a public workshop and several technical work sessions since January to receive feedback from key stakeholders. The District is planning a public workshop and outreach meetings in August and September to solicit input from other public stakeholders. The rulemaking process will include additional public input and education.
In May the District began the process of expanding the Dover Special Well Construction Area to reduce the likelihood that homeowners in the area will experience failures during prolonged freeze events. Well construction standards in this area require wells to be dug deeper than typical residential wells. The new special well construction area and criteria are expected to take effect in mid-August.
The District has two other water use caution areas. In 1989, the Governing Board created the Northern Tampa Bay Water Use Caution Area to address groundwater withdrawals that had resulted in lowered lake levels, destruction or deterioration of wetlands, reduced streamflow and saltwater intrusion. The "Southern Water Use Caution Area(Southern Water Use Caution Area)":/waterman/swuca/ was established in 1992 due to declining aquifer levels, declining lake levels along the Highlands Ridge and advancing coastal saltwater intrusion in the Floridan Aquifer.