A Southwest Florida Water Management District project will help a Polk County nursery reduce groundwater pumping.
The project involves installing a weather station at the Cherry Lake Tree Farm, which is owned by I.M.G. Enterprises, Inc.
Weather stations help farmers irrigate more precisely, based on weather conditions. For example, during frost-freeze events the farmer has exact data for the area and can turn on the pumps at the appropriate time instead of pumping all night. The addition of hydraulic irrigation valves will also help the farm irrigate more efficiently.
According to the Cherry Lake Tree Farm water use permit, the 62-acre container and in-ground tree nursery is permitted to use an average of 272,000 gallons per day (gpd) for irrigation. This project is expected to reduce groundwater pumping by at least 10 percent, or about 27,200 gpd. Polk County is part of a designated water caution area because it is experiencing environmental impacts due to overpumping.
This project is expected to cost $30,000, of which up to $15,000 will be funded by the District's Governing Board, the District's Peace River Basin Board and state appropriations. The remaining cost will be paid by the farm.
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.
"While this project is on the smaller scale, it illustrates how the savings can add up when everyone makes an effort to conserve," said William Orendorff, the District's FARMS Program manager. "The same technology and best management practices that the larger operations use to conserve water can be used at the smaller operations as well."
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.
The FARMS Program is expected to reduce groundwater pumping by 40 million gallons per day by 2025.