Two Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) projects received funding from the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) conservation cost-share program. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) will provide $151,758 to pay for these projects.
The following projects, located in Polk County, are estimated to save approximately 49,500 million gallons per day:
- The Polk Regional Water Cooperative’s rebate program will offer various conservation incentives, including approximately 100 high-efficiency toilets and 15 smart irrigation controllers, for an estimated total savings of 8.5 million gallons per year.
- The Ray Bob Grove Inc.’s project will involve the installation of hydraulic control valves to automate irrigation zones within the citrus grove to improve irrigation efficiency for an estimated total savings of 9.58 million gallons per year.
“DEP is proud to award the Southwest Florida Water Management District funding for projects that will promote technological innovation and cost savings for the average Floridian,” said DEP Deputy Secretary Adam Blalock. “On the surface these may seem like small projects but saving nearly 50,000 gallons of water per day is huge for both Florida’s quality of water and water supply. Small steps build up over time, and we need to keep taking important steps forward like these to preserve Florida’s water supply.”
The CFWI encompasses five counties: Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and southern Lake. Through the CFWI, three water management districts — South Florida, Southwest Florida and St. Johns River — are working collaboratively with other agencies and stakeholders to implement effective water resource planning, including water resource and supply development and management strategies to protect, conserve and restore our water resources. To learn more, please visit cfwiwater.com.