Representative Mike Grant presented the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board with a ceremonial check for $15 million for the District’s West-Central Florida Water Restoration Action Plan (WRAP.)
Gov. Charlie Crist included WRAP in his 2008-09 budget request to the Legislature. Rep. Grant is a strong advocate for WRAP and helped secure support among House members, which led to inclusion of WRAP in the state’s budget.
“Without the support of the Governor, Representative Grant, and the other legislators throughout the District, we would not be able to move forward on this plan that will benefit the 1.5 million people who live in this region,” said David Moore, the District’s executive director.
This funding will help restore water quality and natural systems, and create sustainable water supplies in the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA), which includes all or part of Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Polk and Sarasota counties.
“Working on this legislation with Gov. Crist and Sen. Alexander was a labor of love for me,” said Grant. “I know how important this is in ensuring that our region’s water supply is protected for many years to come.”
Water resource protection, restoration and sustainability are critical in the SWUCA region where decades of groundwater over-pumping have resulted in lowered aquifer levels leading to saltwater intrusion, reduced flows in the Peace River and lowered lake levels.
As a result of the WRAP, more than 1.5 million people in this region will benefit from water supply development and environmental restoration in the SWUCA. The region will gain 211 million gallons of water per day by 2025. Environmental restoration as well as additional water supplies will meet the growing demands of the region, sustaining its economic health.
Over the next 17 years, the WRAP will cost approximately $1.8 billion. Funding from state and federal sources will help reduce phosphorus by 50 to 80 percent in the Lake Wales Ridge through stormwater treatment, supply up to 19.5 billion gallons of new water storage capacity and restore surface water storage, flows and water quality in the upper Peace River watershed.
Another key component of the WRAP is the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Program, which is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality. The FARMS Program is expected to reduce groundwater pumping by 40 million gallons per day over the next 20 years.
The District has a number of partners in the WRAP, including the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority, Polk County, the U.S. Congress, the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, other local governments and the agricultural community. These regional partnerships are critical to meeting future water supply demands and protecting the region’s natural resources.
To learn more about the projects included in the WRAP, visit the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/projects/wrap/.