A Southwest Florida Water Management District project will help a DeSoto County citrus grower reduce groundwater pumping and improve water quality.
This project at the Bright Hour Ranch involves deepening an existing stormwater pond to use as an irrigation reservoir and installing two surface water irrigation pumps, as well as the piping necessary to connect the reservoir to the existing irrigation system.
The 743-acre citrus grove is located in the Myrtle Slough watershed of Prairie Creek. Myrtle Slough drains to Prairie Creek, which is near the city of Punta Gorda’s drinking water reservoir.
According to the farm’s District-issued water use permit, the grove is permitted to use an average of 1,246,000 gallons per day (gpd) for irrigation. Reported groundwater use since June 2005 has averaged 80 percent of the total permitted amount. This project is expected to save 376,365 gpd.
At the time the citrus grower submitted the funding application, the grove was experiencing leaf drop and other symptoms characteristic of irrigating citrus with high salinity ground water. In addition, ground water tests from all of the wells used to irrigate the citrus grove showed high levels of chloride and total dissolved solids. By using more surface water from the irrigation reservoir and reducing groundwater pumping, this project will reduce the levels of chlorides and other harmful ions and improve the health of the grove.
This project is part of the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program, which is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.
This project qualifies for a 75 percent cost-share reimbursement under the FARMS Program because it is expected to reduce withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer and improve water quality.
This project is expected to cost $650,000, of which up to $487,500 will be funded by the District. The remaining cost will be paid by the farm. The District’s funding will be shared by the Governing Board, $121,875; the Peace River Basin Board, $121,875 and state appropriations, $243,750.
The FARMS program is jointly funded by state appropriations, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the District’s Governing Board and Basin Boards. This program is expected to reduce groundwater pumping by 40 million gallons per day by 2025.