The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping at a caladium farm in southwestern Hardee County.
The project involves installing an integrated irrigation system at Classic Caladiums, L.L.C. The system includes soil moisture sensors and the equipment needed to transmit the data to the grower’s computer system, which will help the grower make decisions on how to improve irrigation efficiency.
The goal of this project is to reduce pumping from the upper Floridan aquifer. According to a temporary water use permit approved in July 2007, the farm is permitted to use an average of 860,000 gallons per day (gpd) to irrigate 330 acres of caladiums. The project is expected to reduce pumping by 10 percent.
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. The program began by funding projects within the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) and has expanded to include projects within the entire District.
The FARMS program is jointly funded by state appropriations, the District’s General Fund, the District’s Governing Board and the District’s Alafia River, Hillsborough River, Peace River, Manasota and Withlacoochee River Basin Boards, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The FARMS Program is expected to reduce groundwater pumping by 40 million gallons per day over the next 20 years.
This project is expected to cost $170,000, of which up to $85,000 will be funded by the District’s Governing Board, the District’s Peace River Basin Board and state appropriations. The remaining will be paid by the farm.