The Southwest Florida Water Management’s Peace River Basin Board honored students and teachers from Lakeland Christian School and Barbara Carlton for their commitment to water resources.
The board presented the students and teachers from Lakeland Christian School with a Water Stewardship Award and Carlton with a special recognition award.
The board chose the Lakeland Christian School’s “Water Wiseguys” project to receive the Water Stewardship Award because of the student participation. Eighty-one 6th-grade students participated in a week-long mini-unit in Water Resource Education which had a focus on watersheds as a part of the school-wide Creation Care Week. A restoration project in a retention ditch on campus served as a model of a watershed microcosm.
The Water Stewardship Awards program recognizes excellence in the following categories: wetland systems restoration and preservation, water supply and conservation, water resources education, uplands restoration and management, water quality.
One project was chosen from each Basin within the District that exemplifies protection and/or conservation of west-central Florida’s water resources. The projects also demonstrated cost-effectiveness and a benefit beyond what is required by law, regulation or permitting requirements.
Applicants were from private businesses (commercial and agriculture), government agencies, individuals/communities (volunteers, business service clubs, individuals and non-government organizations), and educational institutions.
Carlton is the executive director of the Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association. She received a special recognition award for her role in four important projects within the Peace River Basin. One of the projects involved back plugging wells in the Shell Creek, Prairie Creek and Joshua Creek watersheds. Carlton worked with the citrus growers to gain their support for the project, which will help restore water quality in the region and sustain the city of Punta Gorda’s reservoir.
Carlton is also closely involved with the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Program, a public/private partnership program designed to assist the agricultural communities in the Southern Water Use Caution Area. The goal of th – rogram is to help implement water-conserving irrigation systems or other best management practices (BMPs) to reduce water usage and improve water quality.
In addition, Carlton has been instrumental in sponsoring meetings and workshops to implement the Shell Creek and Prairie Creek Reasonable Assurance Plan. This plan addresses water quality issues pertaining to chlorides, total dissolved solids and specific conductivity in the Shell Creek and Prairie Creek Watersheds. Specific conductivity is the measurement of minerals dissolved in the water.
Carlton has also led the effort in developing the Peace River Manasota Basins Best Management Practices (BMPs) Manual for Flatwoods Citrus. Thi – anual has been finalized and is currently being adopted into the Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services Rules.
The Peace River Basin includes portions of Charlotte, Hardee, Desoto, Highlands, and Polk Counties.