The Southwest Florida Management District’s Governing Board approved funding Tuesday for a project that evaluates alternatives for reducing flooding and improving water quality within the Christina Watershed.
The Christina Watershed, located near Mulberry in western Polk County, is approximately 6 square miles and is part of the headwaters to the North Prong of the Alafia River. This area has experienced recurrent flooding for the past ten years and is also experiencing rapid growth.
The watershed is one of 15 watersheds within the District that does not have a watershed management plan, which is a process that identifies, prioritizes and addresses water resources issues within a watershed. A plan has five stages:
*The collection of detailed information such as land elevation, drainage ditches, culverts, and other features that affect how water moves within the watershed;
*The evaluation of the collected data to identify flooding or water quality problems;
*The identification of potential projects, or best management practices, that will resolve the water resource problems;
*The implementation of best management practices to resolve problems;
*The regular updating of data to ensure that decisions are being made based on the best available information.
The project is estimated to cost up to $350,000. Funding will be divided between the District’s Alafia River Basin Board and Polk County. The District budgeted $58,000 in October 2006 to begin the watershed evaluation. The additional $292,000 will be used to complete a model of the watershed, evaluate improvement options and develop cost estimates to implement those options. The watershed management plan is expected to be complete within a year.