The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved two projects that will reduce groundwater pumping in Hillsborough County.
MD Council and Sons, Inc.
The first project is at MD Council and Sons, Inc., a 60-acre strawberry and melon farm, located within the Little Manatee River watershed in southern Hillsborough County.
This project involves constructing a surface water reservoir, two surface water irrigation pump stations, filtration and associated piping to the existing irrigation system.
Using a surface water reservoir and irrigation system will help reduce pumping from the upper Floridan aquifer. MD Council and Sons, Inc. has a water use permit for an average of 276,300 gallons per day (gpd.) The project is expected to reduce pumping from the Floridan aquifer by up to 30 percent, or 82,890 gpd.
This project is expected to cost $270,000, of which up to $120,000 will be funded by the District’s Governing Board, the District’s Alafia River Basin Board and state appropriations.
Lloyd’s Harvesting, Inc.
The second project is at Lloyd’s Harvesting, Inc., a 50-acre vegetable and strawberry farm, located in east central Hillsborough County.
This project involves constructing a surface water reservoir and the associated piping for an irrigation system.
Lloyd’s Harvesting, Inc. has a water use permit for an average of 142,000 gallons per day (gpd.) The project is expected to reduce pumping from the Floridan aquifer by up to 30 percent, or 42,600 gpd.
This project is expected to cost $230,000, of which up to $115,000 will be funded by the District’s Governing Board, the District’s Alafia River Basin Board and state appropriations.
Both projects are 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 within the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA.)
The FARMS program is jointly funded by state appropriations, the District’s General Fund, the District’s Alafia River, Peace River and Manasota 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.