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e e r r Table of Contents 3 Letter from the Chair — Fulfilling Our Core Mission LEVY

MARION 4 The 1960s — The District’s Beginning

CITRUS 6 The 1970s — An Environmental Awakening

LAKE SUMTER The 1980s — Water Quality and Natural Systems HERNANDO 8

The 1990s — Protecting Florida’s Water PASCO 10

POLK

12 The 2000s — Regional Cooperation HILLSBOROUGH

PINELLAS 14 Technology Changes Play Significant Role in Daily Operations

Weather Plays Crucial Role in Shaping District’s 50-Year History MANATEE 16

HARDEE

HIGHLANDS 18 Managing and Protecting Lands Through the Years

DESOTO

SARASOTA 19 Long-Term Employees Reflect on Their Time at the District

CHARLOTTE 20 Employee Committee Marks 30-Year Milestone

Governing Board Governing Board Meetings WaterMatters Magazine

Officers Tuesday, Nov. 29 Tampa Communications Director Michael Molligan H. Paul Senft, Jr. Hugh M. Gramling Tuesday, Dec. 20 Haines City Media Relations Manager Robyn Felix Chair Vice Chair Editor Craig Ackerman Polk Hillsborough Tuesday, Jan. 31 Brooksville Contributing Writers Carrieann Adkins Douglas B. Tharp Albert G. Joerger Amy Harroun Executive Team Secretary Treasurer Graphic Artist Pati Twardosky Sumter Sarasota Executive Director Interim General Counsel Members Blake Guillory Jack Pepper Service Offices Jeffrey Adams Michael A. Babb Assistant Executive Director Pinellas Hillsborough Brooksville Headquarters Vacant 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604-6899 Carlos Beruff Bryan K. Beswick Chief of Staff Phone: 1-800-423-1476 (FL only), (352) 796-7211 Manatee DeSoto David Rathke Fax: Please call for fax numbers.

Jennifer E. Closshey Neil Combee Administrative & Management Services Division Bartow Service Office Hillsborough Polk Acting Director 170 Century Boulevard, Bartow, FL 33830-7700 Kurt Fritsch Phone: 1-800-492-7862 (FL only), (863) 534-1448 Fax: (863) 534-7058 Todd Pressman Judy C. Whitehead Pinellas Hernando Resource Management Division Director Mark Hammond Sarasota Service Office Vacant 6750 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34240-9711 Pasco Operations, Maintenance & Construction Division Phone: 1-800-320-3503 (FL only), (941) 377-3722 Director Fax: (941) 373-7660 or (941) 373-7661 Mike Holtkamp Tampa Service Office Regulation Division Interim Director 7601 US 301, Tampa, FL 33637-6759 Richard Owen Phone: 1-800-836-0797 (FL only), (813) 985-7481 2 Fax: Please call for fax numbers. Letter from the Chair Fulfilling Our Core Mission

his edition of WaterMatters Magazine celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Southwest Florida Water TManagement District. Created in 1961 through legislative action to serve as the local sponsor for a series of federal flood control projects, the District’s responsibilities have grown dramatically over time.

Recognizing that our water resources — our coasts, rivers, springs, lakes and wetlands — define the quality of life in Florida, the state Legislature in the 1970s created Florida’s water law and established the modern-day water management districts to ensure Florida’s water was protected, preserved and used in a sustainable manner. In doing so, the District’s areas of responsibility expanded from flood protection to include water supply, water quality and natural systems.

Starting from scratch, the District created a water use permitting program to ensure a fair allocation of water resources while also protecting existing users and the natural systems. The early stormwater permitting program evolved into the current environmental resource permitting program, reducing the risk that new development will pollute water bodies or cause flooding to neighbors. We H. Paul Senft Jr., Governing Board Chair forged new scientific trails in the understanding of water resources and watersheds so that our decisions are based on the best available information.

Partnering with local, state and federal governments and private entities, the District has helped to identify and develop sustainable water supplies, reduce the risks of flooding and pollution, and improve the identification of flood-prone areas, while also protecting, preserving and restoring environmentally damaged water resources. Thanks to extremely talented and dedicated staff and Board members, we have accomplished much in the last half century.

A milestone like a 50-year anniversary is not only a time to reflect on where we’ve been and what we’ve accomplished, but it also offers an opportunity to identify where we are going and what is yet to be done. Times change and each decade brings new challenges. Sometimes these challenges are driven by weather patterns such as droughts or hurricanes, and sometimes they are keyed by economic booms or busts.

With the economy currently mired in a slump, the District has seen its available financial resources significantly reduced. Despite the reduction in available funding, the District must and will meet its mission to ensure water supplies for current and future users while also protecting the water resources.

Working closely with District staff and new Executive Director Blake Guillory, we will continue to look for ways to streamline operations, using technology to become more efficient while maintaining the high level of service and collaboration for which this District is known. To effectively manage our water resources, we must efficiently plan for the future while retaining the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. We will continue to work with our partners and seek stakeholder input to our important resource management decisions.

I’m confident that we have talent, commitment and resources to meet the challenges of the next 50 years.

3 The 1960s — The District’s Beginning

1960 Hurricane Donna produces hurricane-force winds in Florida, the Mid-Atlantic 1964 The purchase of land for the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal States and New England, and massive flooding in west-central Florida marks the first Four River Basins project land acquisition

1960 1961 1962 1963 1964

1961 The District is created by a special act of the Florida Legislature 1964 Groundbreaking for main District office to be the local sponsor of the Four River Basins, Florida Project in Brooksville

he District’s birth was prompted planning for the Tampa Bypass by a hurricane. Its initial mission Canal began in 1963. In 1964, the T was to provide flood protection; Four River Basins project made however, by the end of the decade, the its first land acquisition with the fledgling agency was already maturing purchase of the land for the Lake to address broad-based water manage- Tarpon Outfall Canal. Construction ment needs. broke ground on the first section of the Tampa Bypass Canal in 1966. During the 1960 hurricane season, Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal construc- Hurricane Donna hammered Florida tion also began in 1966. The Tsala with 128-mph sustained winds and Apopka Outfall Canal broke ground massive flooding. Donna caused storm in 1967 and was completed in surges of up to 13 feet in the Florida mid-1968. Work on bridges for the Keys and 11-foot surges along the Masaryktown Canal project began southwest coast of Florida. Portions of in mid-1969, and the first bridge southern and western Florida received Left to right, State Sen. James Connor, U.S. Congressman was finished by the end of the year. more than 10 inches of rainfall from the Sam Gibbons, Gov. Farris Bryant and Governing Board Chair Alfred McKethan oversee children cutting the hurricane. Hurricane Donna still holds ribbon for the grand opening of the District’s Brooksville Water Supply the record for retaining major hurricane Headquarters. Memories of Donna’s massive status in the Atlantic Basin for the flooding quickly faded as the longest period of time. region slipped into drought. From Four River Basins late 1962 into 1963, while Twachtmann “The District was formed as a result of The District was created in 1961 by a told residents that the District was working Donna,” said Dale Twachtmann, who special act of the Florida Legislature to hard on the Four River Basins project to served as the District’s executive direc- be the local sponsor of the Four River provide flood protection, residents were tor from 1962 to 1972. “It was a real Basins, Florida Project. This $57 million struggling with a lack of rain. crisis. In Masaryktown, people lost their flood control project, designed by the homes and their businesses. Farmland U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, encom- “People were asking me why we were was underwater. Tens of thousands of passed a 6,000-square-mile area spending all this money on flood control chickens drowned during the hurricane.” including the Hillsborough, Ocklawaha, when their problem was a lack of rain,” Peace and Withlacoochee river basins. said Twachtmann. “The problem at that On Aug. 28, 1961, the Board of The project authorized construction of time was drought, not flooding.” Addition- Governors of the Southwest Florida canals, flood control structures and ally, disputes among counties and public Water Management District held its first water detention areas to provide flood outcry about water supplies and pumpage meeting in Tallahassee. The Governing protection for the region. impacts frequently occupied the District’s Board hired the District’s first employee agenda. In 1962, the District sought on Nov. 1, 1961: Clint Schultz, a By March 1962, the District’s 11 watershed permission from the Legislature to weigh bookkeeper, typist and overall office Basin Boards were organized: Alafia in on the potential impacts of pumpage assistant. The second employee was River, Crystal-Homosassa River, Green in northern Tampa Bay and coastal coun- Carolyn Stewart, a secretary for Joe Swamp, Hillsborough River, Northwest ties. The District promoted legislation that Fuller, a Governing Board member who Hillsborough, Ocklawaha River, Peace allowed it to regulate water use, which was also performing the duties of an River, Pinellas-Anclote River, Pithlachasco- was passed by the 1963 Legislature. At executive director. tee River, Waccasassa River and the same time, the District initiated water Withlacoochee River. resource studies of problem areas. Twachtmann was the third employee to be hired in the District’s early forma- The District’s Governing Board and staff Other evidence of water problems tion. When Fuller left the District in of three held monthly meetings in a appeared. In 1966–1967, 15 new sink- mid-1962 to become the executive rented Brooksville office. “We immedi- holes appeared in northern Tampa Bay director of the Florida Democratic ately began buying land for flood control near pumping centers, indicating a serious Party, the Governing Board made projects,” said Twachtmann. “We needed drop in the water table. “People were Twachtmann acting executive director. land for the Tampa Bypass Canal. We telling me that their wells were going dry,” He became permanent executive acquired large amounts of acreage for said Twachtmann, “and they wanted to director on Feb. 13, 1963. “My job, as the Lower Hillsborough River Flood know what we were doing about it.” The ‘Employee Number Three,’ was to get Detention Area.” findings of the water resources studies the word out on the Four River Basins along with considerable public debate on project to all the counties in The District quickly got to work on flood water issues resulted in the District desig- 4 the District,” he said. protection. Engineering and recreation nating itself a Regulatory District in 1968, 1969 Passage of the Florida Governmental Reorganization 1966 Tampa Bypass Canal begins construction Act creates the Department of Natural Resources

1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

1966 –1967 Fifteen new sinkholes appear in central Florida, indicating a serious drop in the water table

becoming the first water management State Bank, president of the Florida out of the woodwork, telling us what a district to utilize regulation in water Bankers Association and a former chair- bad idea this was.” resources management. man of the Florida State Road Board. His newest focus became water when then- The biologists pointed out that the area In 1969, the District requested Congress Gov. Farris Bryant appointed him to lead was the nesting grounds for the brown expand the scope of the Four River the District’s first Governing Board. pelican. Scientists “began giving us Basins project to add a “multipurpose” lessons — in every public forum they aspect that added water supply as a Twachtmann paced off five acres on could think of — on the biology of the component of the project. the Hernando Airport property and put bay. They said the project would create a in some stakes with red flags. Once big stinking mess,” said Twachtmann. “It “That let us change the design of the the site was identified, construction was a mammoth change in our early days. Tampa Bypass Canal, and eventually it could begin. The District built its first Most of us were engineers, but we began was a major help to the City of Tampa,” Brooksville Headquarters’ office building listening and realized they were probably said Twachtmann. “Tampa was in 1964; industrial buildings were added right.” The District Governing Board had running out of water, but the change in 1966. already approved the project, and it was to the project allowed the city to use moving forward, but soon he and the small some of the water from the canal for Natural Systems staff went to the Board and recommended drinking water.” Through the District’s first decade, flood canceling the project. protection problems were met head-on As water supply assistance developed with engineering solutions. Through “I hated the fact that we just didn’t know into a core mission, the District’s the Four River Basins project, the U.S. very much about the environmental side responsibilities expanded. Protection of Army Corps of Engineers designed and of the equation,” said Twachtmann. “There the aquifer soon became an important constructed canals, bridges and flood were things to be considered about the District function through regulation control structures. It was the District’s saltwater environment, the freshwater of the regional wellfields serving the job to acquire the land and agree to environment, the birds and the critters; Tampa Bay metropolitan area. operate and maintain the project. there were more matters to consider than just the engineering point of view.” Housing the District Struggling with the problem of supplying Soon after the District’s formation, drinking water to the thirsty and growing This new perspective affected the District’s the small rented office in downtown Tampa Bay area, the commissioners oversight of the Four River Basins projects. Brooksville was outgrown. Finding the of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties The District began asking the Corps land for the headquarters was a much looked at using the northern section of for changes to construction methods different process than it is today. Alfred Tampa Bay as a solution. Why not turn to ease environmental damage during McKethan, the District’s first Governing the Courtney Campbell Causeway into construction. The U.S. Congress enacted Board chair, got things started. a dam and convert northern Tampa Bay the National Environmental Policy Act into a freshwater reservoir? The county in 1965; and in 1968, Florida’s new “Mr. McKethan called me and said, commissioners approached the District constitution made the protection of natural ‘Dale, go out to the Hernando County for help. resources a state priority. The District Aviation Authority — I’ve told them subsequently hired its first biologist. you’re coming — and pick out a nice “We got in enormous trouble in a big piece of land that fronts on US 41.’” hurry,” said Twachtmann. “The fledgling By the end of the 1960s, the District had University of South Florida objected to grown from a fledgling agency with three McKethan, a Brooksville native, was the idea. Other biologists started coming employees and a singular mission of president and chairman of Hernando managing a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ flood control project to an agency with more than 100 water management profes- sionals wrestling with the issues of flood protection, water supply and understand- ing of the natural systems that were affected by the construction projects. The District was preparing to meet the new water management and environmental challenges of the 1970s.

The Tampa Bypass Canal’s S-160 Flood Control Structure under construction in 1968. The bulk of the canal system was built in the District’s first decade. 5 The 1970s — An Environmental Awakening

1971 Aerial mapping and floodplain delineation 1973 Governing Board members appointed 1974 Rules for consumptive programs begin to water management districts statewide use permits developed

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974

1972 “Year of the Environment,” including the Florida Water Resources Act 1974 Voter referendum for District taxing authority

s the District stepped into its form the South Florida Water second decade, the hints of Management District. A Achange that began in the late constitutional amendment, 1960s moved to the forefront. passed by statewide referen- dum in 1976, granted ad The flood protection mission that valorem taxing power to the sparked the District’s birth continued on water management districts. schedule. By 1970, major flood protec- tion projects were complete, or nearly so The Southwest Florida Water in Pinellas, Citrus, Hernando and Pasco Management District was counties. The Tampa Bypass Canal, by already involved in water use far the District’s largest flood control regulation and water supply project, was well under way. In 1971, planning, but the act formal- aerial mapping and floodplain delineation ized water management programs began in earnest. district roles in public law from strictly flood control to But dry years plagued the region, following a more broad-based policy of on the heels of 1960’s Hurricane Donna, resource management and returning in the mid-1960s and again in service to the public. 1970. Florida’s population grew from 4.9 million in 1960 to 6.8 million by Don Feaster was the District’s 1970. New residents and more industry executive director from 1972 were increasing demands on the state’s to 1981, and he saw the water supply. District’s growth firsthand.

As damage to the natural environment “Before the Water Resources became more and more evident, state Act was passed, we had leaders took action. Four major pieces already begun regulating The Masaryktown Canal was completed in the early 1970s. of legislation were enacted by the 1972 wellfields,” said Feaster. “The Legislature: the Water Resources Act, the act gave us statutory authority to do Green Swamp Protection Environmental Land and Water Manage- what we had already been doing.” The Environmental Land and Water ment Act, the Comprehensive Planning Management Act provided for state Act and the Land Conservation Act. Diminishing groundwater resources designation of Areas of Critical State These laws are based on the philosophy wasn’t a new problem for the region in Concern. These areas are accorded that land use, growth policy and water the 1970s. Feaster remembered talking greater state oversight of planning and management cannot be separated, a to local people who said the water land development regulation because of theme that continues to this day. problems had started in the 1930s when their important environmental significance. St. Petersburg drilled wells in Hillsborough The Green Swamp is one of four such Water Resources Act County. designated areas in the state. Until 1972, only two water management districts existed: the Southwest Florida “Although most of our budget was for Green Swamp lands were initially Water Management District and the flood control projects,” said Feaster, purchased to convert them into a series Central and Southern Florida Flood “the previous executive director, Dale of flood detention areas. Later, the Control District, the predecessor to the Twachtmann, believed regulating District took a nonstructural approach to South Florida Water Management District. groundwater withdrawals was our flood protection by leaving the Green The Water Resources Act established six greatest challenge.” The Water Swamp in its natural state. The Green water management districts, encompass- Resources Act went beyond flood Swamp has the ability to store surface ing the entire state, and created control and groundwater regulation, water and slow the flow of floodwaters policymaking boards for each district. defining four areas of responsibility for while sustaining rivers and streams. The act also authorized district regulation the state’s water management districts: The makeup of the Green Swamp puts of well construction, management and flood protection, water supply, water pressure onto the aquifer, helping to push storage of surface waters, and consump- quality and natural systems manage- water through to the Gulf of Mexico. The tive use of waters of the state. The ment. Following up on the new statutory water flowing from the Green Swamp is Legislature provided a funding mecha- direction, the District expanded its generally of higher quality than other nism for the new districts as well. Those regulatory program into a consumptive watersheds. This is due to the Green six districts became the current five in use permitting program that encom- Swamp being largely undeveloped as well 6 1975 when two were combined to passed the entire District. as its lengthy surface water detention time. The 1970s — An Environmental Awakening

1975 Water Resources Act 1975 Green Swamp named Florida’s first 1979 Major river corridors and flood-prone areas reduces six districts to five Area of Critical State Concern mapped and provided to counties and cities

1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

1975 Consumptive use permits first initiated 1977 Tampa Service Office constructed

Conservation and Planning The Land Conservation Act established a land acquisition program to conserve and protect environmentally endangered lands in Florida and authorized the sale of state bonds to purchase them. Florida citizens approved a constitutional amendment authorizing $240 million in state bonds for the Department of Natural Resources to purchase environmentally sensitive lands.

The Comprehensive Planning Act asserted a state interest in state and local planning, requiring the state to prepare a state plan. The Legislature later rejected the submitted plan, but the stage was set for state oversight of development.

All the attention on environmental issues in the 1970s gave the District a higher profile than it had enjoyed in its first decade. According to Feaster, that helped keep the organization on an even keel. Before the District had taxing authority, the fight for funding was an annual chore One of the District’s largest flood control systems, the Tampa Bypass Canal and its flood control with an uncertain end. The continuation structures, became fully operational in the 1970s. of what was known as the “water wars” increased the District’s profile even more. existed for years were vanishing. Lake creating the authority would eliminate The Five-Party Agreement levels were dropping and sinkholes the competition for regional water Long before the passing of the Water were developing. Concentrated supplies. Resources Act, local governments in the wellfields and increasing withdrawals Tampa Bay area — Pinellas, Hillsborough were having clear environmental Development of new wellfields in the and Pasco counties and St. Petersburg consequences. Pinellas and St. Peters- area allowed groundwater cutbacks at — had disagreed over access to a limited burg wanted to use the water resources the older wellfields in the late 1970s, water supply. Conflicts arose over water that they bought and developed, while which helped the environment to recover use in the 1960s and even earlier. Pinellas the District, Hillsborough and Pasco somewhat in these areas. But the first County’s groundwater began to show counties, and environmentalists round of conflict and resolution was just signs of saltwater intrusion by the 1930s, wanted to protect the environment. a preview of what was to come. forcing St. Petersburg to look inland to The fight went on for years, but no secure water from Hillsborough and cooperative efforts were undertaken to Florida grew from 6.8 million people in Pasco counties. resolve the water supply and resource 1970 to 9.7 million in 1980, while the issues. The five parties who were in District grew in scope and responsibility “In the 1920s, the city of St. Petersburg disagreement needed to come together. with the passage of the Water Resources put in wellfields, but they went salty,” said Act and went from 116 employees to Feaster, “so they kept moving north. In The District brought the three counties 269. In the 1970s, there was a growing the 1930s, they bought property in and the city together in what became recognition that the integration of water Hillsborough County, and in the years known as the “five-party agreement.” supply, flood protection, water quality ensuing pumped more and more.” and natural systems management is The five-party agreement led to the essential to effective planning and Pinellas County and St. Petersburg creation in 1974 of the West Coast management of the resource. The populations continued to grow rapidly. To Regional Water Supply Authority. The struggle to manage increasing demands meet the growing demand, St. Petersburg water supply authority was formed as for water against long-term sustainability and Pinellas simply increased the amount a way for Tampa Bay’s leaders to would continue well beyond the 1970s. of water they pumped from Pasco and cooperatively develop new water Hillsborough. But wetlands that had supplies. The Legislature believed that 7 The 1980s — Water Quality and Natural Systems

1982 The constitutionality of the District’s taxing 1984 Warren S. Henderson power is affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court Wetlands Protection Act passes

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984

1981 The creation of the “Save Our Rivers” program 1983 The state Legislature passes allows the District to acquire and manage public lands the Water Quality Assurance Act

he 1980s was a decade of added still keeping the responsibility for the District. A land under private T number of environmental pro- ownership. grams were created by the Legislature during these years and, as a result, The first major land staff realigned priorities to accomplish acquisition using multiple significant undertakings. Save Our Rivers funding was the Green Swamp Save Our Rivers West property. The The decade began with the creation of a protection of this statewide program in 1981 that helped vital river corridor guide the District’s future land manage- has been essential ment activities. The Water Management to the District’s Lands Trust Fund, commonly referred water management to as the “Save Our Rivers” program, activities over the allowed the District to acquire lands years. The land’s for the purposes of water management, ability to slow the supply and protection. Prior to this flow of floodwaters, program, the District focused mainly on sustain rivers and the flood control benefits of lands. streams, and store Through the Save Our Rivers program, the District acquired Green Swamp surface water West to assist in protecting the region’s water resources. District staff began to evaluate potential makes it a valuable land purchases for a number of impor- acquisition of the tant factors, including the preservation Water Quality Act and/or restoration of natural systems, Save Our Rivers program. The District’s mission to protect water water quality enhancement, structural quality was strengthened in 1983 with flood control, recharge potential, potable This program was one of many handed water supply, water conveyance, natural to the state’s water management the passing of the state’s Water Quality flood control and recreation. Through the districts during the decade. “It was Assurance Act. This act came shortly Save Our Rivers program, the District a compliment to the District that our after the Task Force on Water Issues was able to acquire approximately Legislature had the confidence to give reported that the threat of groundwater 112,600 acres in fee simple and 6,266 us so many programs,” said Gary Kuhl, and surface water contamination had acres of less-than-fee lands. Fee simple the District’s executive director from become a major problem. To combat is the purchase of lands outright. Less- 1983 to 1988. “Our staff saw the logic this situation, the act established a than-fee is the purchase of limited behind these initiatives and worked fund for cleaning up pollution. As a property rights, allowing the District to hard to get everything implemented result, one task passed on to the water acquire only the right to conserve and in a timely manner while being good management districts was the manda- protect resources on a property, while stewards of taxpayer dollars.” tory plugging of all known abandoned artesian wells.

This new responsibility had a major District Changes impact on the water quality of our state. In addition to programmatic Before this act, abandoned artesian changes, the District underwent wells could be left unplugged. In that some significant structural condition, the wells became a source changes in the 1980s. During of water contamination by allowing this time, 16 permanent and poor quality water from lower aquifers mobile buildings were added to invade the drinking water of the to the Brooksville Headquarters, Upper Floridan aquifer. The mandatory including Buildings 3 and 6. In plugging of these wells led to cleaner 1987, the District also opened drinking water for District residents. the current Bartow Service Office to serve local residents. 8 Construction on Brooksville’s Building 4 began in 1989. The 1980s — Water Quality and Natural Systems

1987 The current Bartow Service Office opens 1989 Stormwater research is initiated in response to new laws requiring in May to provide assistance to local residents the District to initiate nonpoint-source pollution control technology

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

1986 Isolated wetlands legislation 1987 Legislature passes the Surface Water is approved by the Governor Improvement and Management Act

Wetlands Protection Act maintain Florida’s The next year, as a result of an highly threatened increasing loss of wetlands, the state surface water passed the Warren S. Henderson bodies. Under this Wetlands Protection Act of 1984. This act, the state’s five legislation addressed the decrease in water manage- and damage to Florida’s wetlands due ment districts to construction, forestry, mining, identified a list drainage and other previously unregu- of priority water lated activities. The act formally bodies within their recognized the value that these wetlands authority and have in protecting water quality and implemented plans preserving the state’s natural habitat. to improve them.

As a result of the Henderson Act, SWIM projects District staff began to regulate restore degraded activities that impact our wetlands. or destroyed The protection required by this act natural systems, eventually helped to develop the enhance existing District’s current Environmental habitats and Resource Permitting program. promote the preservation of “At the time, we were just beginning to natural habitats. realize the importance of these small There are currently wetlands to birds and other wildlife,” 10 priority water said Kuhl. bodies protected Sarasota Bay is one of the District’s 10 SWIM priority water bodies. by the District’s SWIM Program program, which, In 1987, the District’s role in preserving since 1987, has restored more than When looking back, Kuhl is proud of natural systems was enhanced when the 6,000 acres of freshwater, estuarine the progress made by staff during his Florida Legislature passed the Surface and upland habitat. In addition, SWIM tenure. Water Improvement and Management projects have provided water quality (SWIM) Act to protect, restore and treatment to more than 50,000 acres “We recognized a number of of watershed. environmental challenges and brought them to the table for discussion,” said Kuhl. “Our ability to manage all of the programs handed to us by the Legislature was a great accomplishment. During the 1980s, the District changed from a small local agency to the beginning of a major positive player in water management.”

Cockroach Bay is located in Tampa Bay, the District’s highest priority SWIM water body, and is one of the largest, most complex ecosystem restoration projects ever devel- oped for the Tampa Bay estuarine ecosystem. 9 The 1990s — Protecting Florida’s Water

1990 The state Legislature passes the Preservation 2000 Act 1992 The Southern Water Use Caution Area is established by the Governing Board

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994

1992 Construction of Building 4 at the District’s Brooksville Headquarters is complete

uring the 1990s, the District counties. It was established to address identified, planned and executed a abnormally low flows in the upper Peace Dnumber of programs and partner- River, declining lake levels in the Ridge ships to implement changes necessary area along Polk and Highlands counties to protect our precious natural resources and advancing coastal saltwater intrusion for future generations. It was a decade in the Floridan aquifer system due to of proactive measures to promote the decades of groundwater overpumping. sustainability and growth of our area. District staff identified the challenges Preservation 2000 of the SWUCA and spent more than a The 1990s began with the Florida decade working on the creation and Legislature passing the Preservation implementation of a recovery strategy for 2000 (P2000) Act. This act allowed the the area. The result of this commitment District to acquire and protect environ- to water resources planning was a much mentally sensitive lands that were in brighter outlook for the future of water imminent danger of being developed. The resources in the southern portion of our lands protected by P2000 have provided District. our District with groundwater protection as well as endangered and threatened Minimum Flows and Levels species habitat for the past 20 years. During the 1990s, it was determined that Florida’s surface and groundwater SWUCA Established systems were being threatened by The Southern Water Use Caution Area groundwater overpumping. In 1996 (SWUCA) was established by the Dis- and 1997, the state Legislature made trict’s Governing Board in 1992. A water significant amendments to a statute that use caution area is designated when water required water management districts to The District is in the process of raising the levels of Lake Hancock to meet the minimum flows for the resources are or will become critical for a set minimum flows and levels on prior- upper Peace River. certain area in the next 20 years. ity water bodies. Since the District’s MFL program began in The SWUCA encompasses approximately A minimum flow or level, commonly 1996, it has protected more than 180 water 5,100 square miles and includes all of referred to as an MFL, is the limit bodies with MFLs. DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee and Sarasota at which further withdrawals will counties as well as portions of Charlotte, cause significant harm to the water “We expect by 2015 to have set more than Highlands, Hillsborough and Polk resources or ecology of the area. 250 MFLs,” said Marty Kelly, District minimum flows and levels program director. “This includes MFLs on all of the first-magnitude spring systems, major river systems and estuaries in our District.”

If actual flows or levels are currently below, or are expected to fall below within the next 20 years, established MFLs, the District is required by state law to develop and implement a recovery or prevention strategy. “The refocusing of the state Legislature during the 1990s prompted the District to aggressively set MFLs to protect our water bodies from harm,” said Kelly. Partnership Agreement May 27, 1998, was a historic day for the District and major water suppliers in the Tampa Bay area. This was the day that the Partnership Agreement was signed, mark- ing the beginning of the end to the area’s Abnormally low flows of the Peace River were one of the main catalysts for decades-long “water wars.” 10 the development of the Southern Water Use Caution Area. The 1990s — Protecting Florida’s Water

1996 The completion of the Northern Tampa Bay Water Resource Assessment Project 1999 The establishment of the Florida Forever Program

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

1995 Environmental resource permitting is created through a 1998 The signing of the Partnership Agreement helps lead to decision by the Legislature that calls for consolidated permitting the creation of Tampa Bay Water

that transformed the Authority into Program to succeed P2000. Florida Tampa Bay Water and created a plan Forever provided funds to purchase to construct new alternative water sup- lands to build and promote water plies to resolve the area’s water supply resources and water supply develop- problems. ment. In addition, lands were able to be purchased for restoration, Surface As part of the agreement, pumping Water Improvement and Management in the area’s central wellfield system projects, conservation and recreation. would be reduced by more than 40 percent over the next 10 years. Addi- Through this program, District staff tionally, Tampa Bay Water committed was able to proactively plan for future to producing at least 85 million gallons water resources protection by acquiring per day in new water supplies. More environmentally significant lands. than half of the new supply went toward reducing groundwater pumping Planning became a primary focus of in the wellfield system. the District during the 1990s. In one decade, staff implemented two major The District also provided $300 million land protection programs, planned in funding for the development of alter- the recovery of the southern portion native water sources and conservation of the District, protected water bodies projects to reduce demand for water with the development of MFLs and and increase efficient uses. The result ensured water supplies for the Tampa was more than a billion dollars worth Bay area with the signing of the Part- of new water supply facilities needed nership Agreement. It was a decade for sustainability. The District funds of unprecedented long-term planning The District is in the process of raising the levels of Lake Hancock to meet the minimum flows for the were available because of the foresight and extraordinary foresight. The upper Peace River. of the Governing Board and its Basin determined commitment and hard work Boards in 1993. At that time, the of staff ensured the ability to provide Disagreements between local Governing Board dedicated funds to a sustainable future for the District’s governments over access to the area’s developing new water sources, making water resources and its residents. limited water supply began decades it possible for the District to offer the before but were amplified in the mid- Partnership Agreement 1990s due to increased demand and in 1998. decreased rainfall. “This agreement will At this point, the District determined have positive effects for that water supply pumping was creating decades, if not centuries,” environmental damage to local lakes said Sonny Vergara, and wetlands and saltwater intrusion the District’s executive was beginning to threaten major water director from 1997 to supply sources. The District concluded 2003. “It has and will that pumping decreases from the well- continue to help provide fields located in Pasco, Pinellas and an adequate, environ- Hillsborough counties were necessary mentally sensitive and to fix the situation. This resulted in legal healthy supply of water and regulatory conflicts that made little so badly needed for the headway and led to a decision that future of the Bay area.” another approach may be more effective.

The District decided to try a partnership. Florida Forever The decade ended much In 1997, staff began working with the as it began — with the then-West Coast Regional Water Supply protection of crucial Authority and its member governments lands in our District. In to find a mutually acceptable resolu- 1999, the state estab- tion. The resulting agreement created a Local governments signed the Partnership Agreement lished the Florida Forever partnership between the two agencies in 1998 to resolve the area’s water supply problems. 11 The 2000s — Regional Cooperation

2001 District becomes FEMA cooperating technical partner 2004 Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne crisscross the state

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

2000–2001 Drought of the Century 2002 Wysong-Coogler Water Conservation Structure completed

hile much of the 1990s was characterized by the contentious W“water wars” and the signing of the historic Partnership Agreement, the 2000s ushered in a decade of regional cooperation focused on solving the area’s greatest water supply challenges through the development of large-scale alternative water supply projects.

As a result of decades of groundwater overpumping, the District focused its efforts on restoring water resources in the Northern Tampa Bay area and the Southern Water Use Caution Area.

Water Supply Development The first piece in the Tampa Bay water supply puzzle was put into place in 2002 with the completion of the 66 million The C.W. “Bill” Young Regional Reservoir is the result of the historic Partnership Agreement, gallon per day (mgd) surface water which sought to reduce groundwater pumping in the regional wellfields by developing treatment plant and interconnecting alternative water supplies. pipelines, followed by the completion of the $146 million C.W. “Bill” Young drinking water. As the largest seawater we now have enough water supplies to Regional Reservoir in 2005. Located desalination plant in North America, the meet the needs of the region’s residents in southern Hillsborough County, the plant can provide up to 10 percent of the for 20 years while achieving much needed 15-billion-gallon reservoir can provide Tampa Bay region’s drinking water supply. environmental recovery.” 25 percent of the region’s drinking water In accordance with the Partnership Agree- for more than six months and helped ment, the District contributed $85 million The Peace River Manasota Regional Water Tampa Bay Water begin reducing the plus $10.34 million in interest once all of Supply Authority also completed its six- amount of water pumped from the the plant’s milestones were met. billion-gallon reservoir and expanded its regional wellfields. The District con- treatment facilities in 2009 at the District’s tributed $26 million in Florida Forever In 2011, Tampa Bay Water is scheduled RV Griffin Reserve in DeSoto County. The funding toward the purchase of 5,515 to complete an expansion of the surface reservoir, which captures excess flows acres, in cooperation with Tampa Bay water system that will add an additional from the Peace River, serves the residents Water, to build the 1,100-acre reservoir. 25 mgd of supply. This expansion will of Charlotte, Sarasota and DeSoto coun- The property is now the District’s Chito enable additional water to be withdrawn ties. The District contributed more than Branch Reserve. from the Hillsborough River and Tampa $28 million toward the project as well as Bypass Canal during high-flow periods by nearly $16 million from the state Water In 2008, Tampa Bay Water’s Tampa Bay increasing pumping capacity at existing Protection and Sustainability Trust Fund. Seawater Desalination Plant in Apollo pump stations, adding two new pump Beach became fully operational, with stations and increasing the surface water The first phase of the Northern Tampa the ability to provide up to 25 mgd of treatment capacity to 99 mgd. The Dis- Bay recovery was completed in 2010 trict provided $105 million of when Tampa Bay Water successfully cooperative funding toward the reduced regional wellfield pumping to 90 expansion in addition to $22 mgd. Later that year, the Governing Board million in state funding. adopted the Phase 2 Recovery Rules. The second phase of the recovery will encom- “With the reservoir, desal plant pass 10 years, during which the effect of and surface water treatment wellfield withdrawals at 90 mgd will be plant in place, the Tampa Bay evaluated. area now has one of the most diverse water supply systems “Our legacy is that we substantially solved in the world,” said Ken Herd, the water supply problem,” said David water supply program director. Moore, District executive director from “By utilizing traditional ground- 2003 to 2011. “We’ve got adequate water with a mix of alternative water supplies through 2030 and laid Tampa Bay Water’s Tampa Bay Seawater sources such as reclaimed, the groundwork to get out to 2050 while Desalination Plant remains the largest seawater surface and desalinated water, restoring the natural systems.” 12 desalination plant in North America. The 2000s — Regional Cooperation

2005 Tampa Bay Water’s C.W. “Bill” Young 2008 Tampa Bay Water desalination 2009 Peace River Manasota Regional Water Regional Reservoir completed plant fully operational Supply Authority Reservoir completed

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

2006 Governing Board approves 2008 Lake Panasoffkee 2010 Tampa Bay Water successfully reduces SWUCA Recovery Strategy restoration completed regional wellfield pumping to 90 mgd

SWUCA Recovery Strategy Districtwide and the corresponding Water Nearly a decade of public workshops, water Program for Restaurant Outreach (Water resource analyses, and policy debates PROSM) was added in 2008. culminated with the Governing Board approving the Southern Water Use Caution In order to finally shed the “rocks and Area (SWUCA) Recovery Strategy in 2006, cactus” perception that was associated which outlined the District’s strategy for with “Xeriscape,” the District partnered ensuring that adequate water supplies will with the University of Florida’s Institute of be available to meet growing demands, Food and Agricultural Sciences in 2004 to promote Florida-Friendly Landscap- while at the same time protecting and The District encourages outdoor water conserva- restoring the water and related natural ing™. The program emphasizes nine tion by partnering with the University of Florida’s resources of the area. easy-to-accomplish principles that, when Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to practiced, can conserve water and reduce promote Florida-Friendly Landscaping™. Throughout the decade, the District pollution in our water bodies. embarked on a number of projects and initiatives to help meet the goals of the In 2009, Florida Water StarSM was Lake Panasoffkee project restored the recovery strategy by 2025, including launched as a voluntary certification lake’s shoreline and historic fish bedding establishing the Facilitating Agricultural program for builders, developers and areas by removing approximately 8.3 Resource Management Systems (FARMS) homeowners to encourage water effi- million cubic yards of sediment from more Program, restoring lakes along the Lake ciency in appliances, plumbing fixtures, than 1,744 acres of lake area. The project Wales Ridge and developing the Lake irrigation systems and landscapes. also improved navigation of the third Hancock Lake Level Modification Project largest lake in west-central Florida. to meet the minimum flows in the upper Northern District Projects According to Mike Holtkamp, Operations, Peace River. Two major projects were completed in Maintenance & Construction Division the northern portion of the District: the director, the two projects have helped “Although we’ve laid the groundwork for the Wysong-Coogler Water Conservation regulate water levels and improve the SWUCA recovery, this is still a long-term Structure and the Lake Panasoffkee ecological health of the lake. problem that we will need to continue restoration project. focusing our attention on,” said Richard “The construction of the Wysong-Coogler Owen, District Regulation Division interim The original Wysong structure was built structure has allowed the District to more director. “While we’ve been able to reduce in 1965 to help conserve water in Lake reliably divert flows from the Withlacoochee the rate of saltwater intrusion in the coastal Panasoffkee, the Withlacoochee River River into the Tsala Apopka Chain of Lakes counties, saltwater entering the aquifer and the Tsala Apopka Chain of Lakes and to exercise control over water levels on will still present a long-term water supply during the dry season. The structure Lake Panasoffkee,” said Holtkamp. “And all challenge.” was in place until 1988 when it became indications to date are that the restoration irreparable. In 1999, the Withlacoochee project has been a tremendous success: River Basin Board directed staff to Conservation Programs the water is clearer, eelgrass is thicker and replace the structure. The new structure Another way the District sought to solve fisheries are richer.” the region’s water supply challenges was was completed in 2002 and was renamed to develop a number of core conservation the Wysong-Coogler Water Conservation programs. Structure in honor of Monroe “Al” Coogler, The Future a former Governing Board member who Although the current economic climate and In September 2002, The District launched was instrumental in getting the replace- budget reductions will likely play a major the Water Conservation Hotel and Motel ment structure built. role in shaping the immediate future of the Program (Water CHAMPSM) as a pilot agency, long-term water supply develop- project in the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin In 2008, the District completed the largest ment, resource restoration and emerging to encourage hotels and motels along the construction project ever undertaken by water quality issues will continue to beaches to conserve water. The linen and the agency. The $26.9 million, 10-year present challenges for the District to solve. towel reuse program quickly expanded

The Lake Panasoffkee restoration project removed 8.3 million cubic yards of sediment from the lake. 13 Technology Changes Play Significant Role in Daily Operations

dvanced technology has making it accessible both internally reached nearly every single and externally, according to Dicks. A aspect of the District in one way or another throughout the “Currently, we have been able to move organization’s history, most nota- from fulfilling requests for information bly in the past two decades. to providing technical support on how to access data,” said Dicks. “Staff are “The technological changes during doing their own analyses, and that is a my tenure alone were like going sign of success.” from horse and buggy to putting a man on the moon in a very short period of time,” said Pete Hubbell, Structure Operations Structure operations have made vast District executive director from advancements in technology over the 1988 to 1997. past decade, resulting in the remote operation of many of the District’s Information Resources structures. In the early 2000s, the District’s operating system consisted of an According to Mike Bartlett, District IBM mainframe that was used Gary Kuhl, District executive director from 1983 to structure controls analyst, in the primarily for regulatory, permitting, 1988, manually operates the Bryant Slough Water past, crews were sent out to live in the financial systems and human Conservation Structure before it was set up for control houses on the structures during remote operation. resources. The geographic infor- extreme weather events. mation system (GIS), networked desktop computers, email system and the most accurate and detailed map “We used two-way radios, when we had website were separate components. information available. reception, to communicate with crews and tell them where to set the gates to “Compared to where we are today, the In 1987, the District implemented its control water flow,” said Bartlett. system was very basic and discon- first GIS software. Along with the abil- nected,” said Terry Redman, former ity to create maps, this new software In the early 1990s, the District Information Resources director. allowed the District to analyze and implemented the Supervisory Control store location-based information. and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. By 2003, the District began working The system enabled the District to on an initiative that integrated several “The real advantage GIS had over the automatically collect hourly water level different data sources into one applica- District’s original computer mapping and rainfall data from more than 250 tion. Users are now able to access software was that not only could you sites. By 2005, the District was able to information such as regulatory permit show where something was located integrate this automated data collection information or water management but you could describe it,” said Steve with remote structure control into one hydrologic data and view it spatially. Dicks, former District Mapping & GIS application. This system allows permit applicants program director who recently became to apply for or manage their requests the District’s Information Resources Today, staff monitors 81 water control online as well as search for permit- Department director. structures and remotely operates 35 related information based on various of those from a laptop with just a few criteria. In addition, GIS software enabled staff mouse clicks. to create location-based queries, such Office operations also changed as finding all the permits within a “Through the use of technology, we significantly with the introduction of specific watershed or identifying wells can anticipate high water events by electronic support. Over time, tasks in groundwater contamination zones. involving mail, timecards, leave requests, pay stubs, conference room reserva- Around 2000, new user-friendly tions and even performance appraisal software was introduced that made processes became computer-based. accessing mapping and GIS informa- tion much easier. In addition, video teleconferencing has allowed staff to connect for meetings “Currently, more than 400 staff use GIS, and share information via video rather and almost all data are available to the than traveling to different locations. The public from the District’s Internet site,” District launched this feature in 2002 said Dicks. with four stations and currently has 14. Over recent years, GIS staff has focused on integrating GIS data with Mapping and GIS District scientific, permitting and Technology advances in mapping project management information Steve Camp, left, District professional geologist/ paired with the introduction of GIS soft- into a central location. The section engineer, and Mark Barcelo, District Hydrologic ware have enabled the District has been able to meet the District’s Evaluation Program director, use a computer to run 14 to collect, store and publish internal needs for information while a groundwater model in the late 1980s. wetlands as well as flows in rivers and springs.”

Groundwater models are used to determine groundwater availability in both the permitting and the regional water supply planning processes. District staff is working with other water management districts to develop models that can be used in the long-term water supply planning process in areas where they share common boundaries.

Desktop Publishing The Visual Communications Section welcomed new technology as the production of materials moved from pen and paper to photographic processes and eventually desktop publishing. Bob Evans, former District Mapping & GIS employee, hand traces a map from aerial photography. In the early 1970s, staff produced projects by hand, such as illustrations, monitoring water levels, rainfall and Today, LiDAR data is used in the maps and the District newsletter. For current weather conditions,” said Bartlett. simulation of the watershed’s response Governing Board presentations, the “We can begin lowering lake levels where to a rainfall event. With this data and illustrations were either photographed needed prior to the event, giving us a new techniques, staff is now able or presented as slides or hand-drawn on head start on our ability to aid in flood to produce more accurate, highly poster board and displayed on easels. control.” detailed and complex models that include features that could not be By the late 1980s, the majority of the In addition, 15 of the 35 mission-critical easily represented previously. artwork created by the visual arts automated structures have real-time section had transitioned from freehand video. This feature allows staff to moni- Groundwater Modeling to computer design, known as desktop tor the structure, confirm it is working Today’s advanced software applications publishing. Industry positions such as correctly and address any issues. allow staff to include much more specialized camera operators, typists detail about the hydrologic system in and plate preparation staff became Floodplain Mapping groundwater models. obsolete. New data collection methods have enhanced the process to evaluate the Groundwater models are computer “It was a time of rapid change,” said risk of flooding in areas throughout the models of groundwater flow systems. Dean Rusk, Visual Communications District. District scientists use models to manager. “The advent of desktop predict what will happen to water publishing allowed us to flex our Staff gathers terrain and conveyance levels in response to future ground- creative muscles.” data to develop watershed models water demands. that show where water will flood the In addition to computer-based design, land surface. For years, these model The advancements in technology help graphic software became even more results were hand-drawn on maps that to better predict the effect of withdraw- sophisticated. Artists were soon able displayed the flood inundation areas. als on natural systems such as rivers, to take information from other District lakes, wetlands and springs. data sources, such as GIS, and export it By 2003, LiDAR (light detection and to create 3-D maps, charts and graphs. ranging) was implemented at the In addition, staff can now analyze District and is considered to be a major more than just groundwater systems. By the late 1990s, web publishing advancement in floodplain mapping The integrated hydrologic model simu- software allowed the creation of the technology. LiDAR technology uses a lates detail about both groundwater District’s first website. laser to determine the ground elevation and surface water systems. and stores it digitally. Technology has revolutionized both “In the past, we had to make simplifying the District’s day-to-day operations “LiDAR has substantially enhanced the assumptions about surface water and long-term planning ability. Over ability to do floodplain mapping,” said systems,” said Mark Barcelo, District the past few decades, staff has Harry Downing, District senior profes- Hydrologic Evaluation Program direc- embraced the benefits of the electronic sional engineer. “Using LiDAR and tor. “New advancements allow us to world by expanding their own skills GIS software, we can produce a three- simulate the effects of groundwater while enhancing the District’s customer dimensional (3-D) digital terrain model.” pumping on water levels in lakes and service and shaping its future. 15 Weather Plays Crucial Role in Shaping District’s 50-Year History

rom devastating flooding caused by hurricanes to severe droughts Fto an unprecedented freeze, major weather events have played an important role in shaping the District’s policies and procedures during the last 50 years.

Flooding and Hurricanes The District was founded in response to a major weather event. In March 1960, a 27-inch, four-day rainfall event, followed by Hurricane Donna in September, caused massive flooding and damage to west-central Florida, especially to a small, relatively unknown community south of Brooksville. The drowning of thousands of chickens at several Masaryktown chicken farms was one of The District’s first executive director, the catalysts for the creation of the District. Dale Twachtmann, recalled how local Hernando County banker Alfred McKethan we were spending all this money on hurricane season. I was so impressed with responded to the event. flood control when our big problem is it’s the quality of our people. Everyone had a not raining?” recalls Twachtmann. “The dedicated, get-it-done attitude, and I think “Mr. McKethan pushed for a District partly public was right in asking those questions. it improved the public’s opinion of the because of the crisis that happened in The problem then was drought, not flood.” District as well.” Masaryktown,” said Twachtmann. “Tens of thousands of chickens drowned in the After Hurricane Donna, it was more From August 2004 through January 2005, Flood of 1960, and he saw firsthand the than 40 years before a major hurricane more than 100 staff members logged immediate financial burdens of those would hit the region again. In 2005, not nearly 22,000 hours on hurricane-related farmers.” one, but four hurricanes crisscrossed activities. These included operating struc- the state causing massive flooding tures for flood control, clearing debris and After the District was formed in 1961, and devastation. This time, the District roadways, assisting local governments plans quickly got under way for the mas- responded by helping the local com- with cleanups, transporting water and sive Four River Basins, Florida Project to munities that were hit hardest by the four supplies, securing generators, and man- alleviate future flooding events. However, storms. aging distribution centers. by late 1962, residents had stopped wor- rying about flooding and were beginning According to former District executive to focus their attention on the lack of director Gary Kuhl, who was Operations Droughts and Shortages While hurricanes and flooding have helped rainfall. director in 2004, the four hurricanes changed how the District responds to shape the District’s history, it’s droughts “I’d be out talking about the Four River an emergency as well as the public’s that have had the most impact, according Basins project and people would ask why perception of the agency. to District Hydrologic Data Manager Gran- ville Kinsman, who has been monitoring “Dave Moore (District executive weather for more than 25 years. director from 2003–2011) sent people out into the field “Flooding problems tend to be more to assist cities and counties localized, whereas droughts are usually for the first time ever,” recalls regional in nature and have the most Kuhl. “I remember we worked impact on our water supply,” said Kinsman. 21 straight days during the ‘04 The District has experienced numerous periods of drought throughout its 50-year The District responded to the history, including two major droughts 2004 hurricanes by sending during the last decade alone: the Drought out staff to clear debris and of the Century and the Four-Year man distribution centers. Drought. Thanks to the lessons learned

1960 Hurricane Donna causes massive 1977 Three-day freeze event creates rare flooding in west-central Florida conditions for snow to stick to the ground

1960 1970 1980

1970–1971 Severe drought leads to the creation of a statewide 16 water management system during the Drought of the Century, the District, along with local governments in the Tampa Bay area and the southern region, were better prepared for the Four- Year Drought.

“The city of Tampa was days away from running out of water during the Drought of the Century,” recalls Kinsman. “That drove changes to develop alternative water supplies and enhance conservation. The two reservoirs that were developed as a result made a huge difference during the last drought.”

As for the future, Kinsman suspects we The District imposed its tightest Phase IV water restrictions in the Tampa Bay area after could be seeing more droughts and other the C.W. “Bill” Young Regional Reservoir went dry in March 2009. extreme weather events.

“Weather patterns are really poorly few well complaints, and I thought we lessons learned over the past 50 years, understood,” said Kinsman. “But were in the clear,” recalls Moore, “And the District is much more prepared to extremes are becoming more common, then the bottom fell out.” meet these challenges. which is typical of climate change. The challenge is to ensure that our water During the crisis, the Tampa Service supplies will withstand these extremes.” Office set up a call center. Up to The Facts About El Niño 35 District employees took calls, and La Niña Freezes investigated complaints and contacted permit holders. Well construction staff Perhaps one of the most extreme weather El Niño and La Niña can have a major in Brooksville tracked sinkholes and impact on weather patterns in west-central events in the District’s 50-year history worked closely with homeowners to Florida and across the globe. But what do was the unprecedented 11-day January keep them informed about their well they really mean? 2010 Freeze Event. repairs and what it would take to get El Niño means “The Little Boy” in Spanish, them working. which refers to the Christ child. This name Cold snaps that last one to three days was used by fishermen off the coast of have been relatively common during South America for the tendency of the the District’s history. The crop protec- As a result of the 11-day event, the phenomenon to arrive around Christmas. tion withdrawals associated with such District examined all of its freeze El Niño is an oscillation of the ocean- short-term cold snaps generally have policies and procedures and revised atmosphere system in the Pacific Ocean its rules, including designating a new and is characterized by unusually warm had limited effects on nearby wells and water temperatures in the eastern Pacific, produced few sinkholes. The previous water use caution area, to reduce the which can result in above-normal rainfall record cold snap of six days in a row had potential for impacts from groundwater in the southern United States. El Niño can only occurred three times in the last 80 pumping during future freeze events. also reduce the number and strength of years of data. hurricanes. “I thought the organization couldn’t Meanwhile, the opposite weather However, during the record 11-day have performed any better,” said phenomenon is La Niña, which means “The freeze event, farmers in the Dover/Plant Moore. “We set up meetings with the Little Girl.” La Niña is characterized by City area pumped nearly one billion gal- community, we met monthly with all unusually cool water temperatures in the stakeholders and by July we had a eastern Pacific Ocean, usually resulting in lons of groundwater per day to protect drier-than-normal conditions in Florida. their crops, dropping the aquifer 60 feet management plan that would effec- and resulting in more than 750 dry wells tively solve the problem.” El Niño and La Niña conditions occur on an and more than 140 sinkholes. irregular three- to five-year cycle and can Looking ahead, it’s extremely likely vary in strength. One of the strongest El that major weather events and climate Niño events in the District occurred in 1998, “On the fifth or sixth day, I called into the causing flooding and spawning deadly office to see how we were doing. They change will continue to shape the Dis- tornadoes in central Florida. said there were no sinkholes and just a trict’s future. However, thanks to the

2010 Unprecedented 11-day freeze event 1998 Major El Niño event causes flooding and 2004 Hurricanes Charley, Frances, causes more than 750 dry wells and more than spawns deadly tornadoes in central Florida Ivan and Jeanne crisscross the state 140 sinkholes in the Dover/Plant City area

1990 2000 2010

2000–2001 The Drought of the Century causes 2009 Four-year drought peaks with C.W. “Bill” Young major water shortage in the Tampa Bay area Regional Reservoir going dry 17 Managing and Protecting Lands Through the Years

undreds of thousands of acres included flood control structures and protection programs. P2000 provided of conservation lands have been water detention areas. $3 billion over 10 years, of which the Hprotected and restored by the District received approximately District during the past 50 years. Through Four River Basins, the District $225 million. was able to acquire and manage the These lands are managed to protect vital land necessary for the Tampa Bypass P2000 allowed the District to acquire water functions and natural systems, Canal, Lower Hillsborough Flood and protect significant intact ecosys- which include Florida’s unique plant Detention Area (FDA), Green Swamp tems that protect water resources, and wildlife communities. This is done FDA, Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal and including groundwater, surface waters by mimicking the natural fire cycle that other projects. and other important hydrologic features. historically shaped Florida’s landscape An additional benefit of these efforts and restoring areas that have been Save Our Rivers included the protection of endangered altered by previous activities. The Save Our Rivers program, or and threatened species habitat and the Water Management Lands Trust Fund, preservation of archaeological sites. Staff administers prescribed burns, of 1981 helped to guide the District’s mechanically mows vegetation and future land management activities. It In total, P2000 helped the District oversees seeding and planting activities. stepped away from the flood-control- protect more than 150,000 acres of These management techniques are structure-focused Four River Basins conservation lands. important to the survival of most of project and allowed the District Florida’s threatened and endangered to acquire lands for the purposes species. Lands are also managed to of water management, supply provide flood protection and sources and protection. of recreation for the public. A number of projects and programs throughout District staff began to evaluate the years have guided the District on potential land purchases for a the acquisition and management of number of important factors, these important conservation lands. including the preservation and/ or restoration of natural systems, Four River Basins water quality enhancement, The District was created in 1961 to be recharge potential and potable the local sponsor of the Four River Basins water supply. project. This was a major flood control project sponsored by the U.S. Army “Around this time, people began to Corps of Engineers after Hurricane Donna realize that protecting ecosystems caused massive damage to southwest makes the most business sense for Florida in 1960. The project, which the taxpayers,” said Eric Sutton, encompassed a 6,000-square-mile area, former District Land Resources director. Florida Forever “Ecosystems are The Florida Forever Program was the best-engineered established by the state in 1999 to systems for water succeed P2000. Through this program, resources and the District used funds to build and protecting them in promote water resource and water sup- their natural state is ply development, restoration, Surface more cost-effective Water Improvement and Management than investing in projects, conservation and recreation. massive restoration efforts.” Florida Forever funding allowed the District to acquire and protect more than 55,000 acres of conservation land Preservation to help preserve residents’ quality of life. 2000 In 1990, the Florida Looking ahead, the District is focused on Legislature passed continuing to prioritize land protection. the Preservation 2000 (P2000) “Given the uncertain economic conditions Act to broaden in Florida, it is difficult to tell exactly the scope of land what the future holds for conservation acquisitions in the land acquisition,” said Sutton. “But we state. It allowed the do know that if the people of our state District to purchase continue to support the protection lands that would not of lands, when financial conditions have been covered improve we will be able to invest in under either of the those lands that provide the largest Originally purchased as part of the Four River Basins project, the Green previous two land Swamp is the headwaters of the Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha, Hillsborough benefit for our water resources.” and Peace rivers. Protecting the Green Swamp is vital to 18 protecting the quality and quantity of Florida’s water supply. Long-Term Employees Reflect on Their Time at the District

Kevin Stover, 33 years Richard Gant, 34 years Kevin Love, 35 years Mike Holtkamp, 35 years Grady Vance, 42 years Field Technician Supervisor, Field Technician Supervisor, Manager, Land Resources Director, Operations, Maintenance Aquatic Plant Management Resource Data & Restoration Resource Projects & Construction Division Supervisor, Operations Five Staff Members Share Memories at a Roundtable Interview Grady Vance: How would you describe the District distribution center in Arcadia. It was very The District’s when you first started working here? gratifying to work alongside law enforcement Longest-Serving Vance: It was like a family. My original department and the National Guard to help people. Employee director would call our staff together to give us a pep talk and say a prayer before we started a What is one of your fondest In the summer of 1968, large project. If there were ever any issues, he’d memories at the District? call me into his office and speak to me as if I Gant: My fondest memory is all the friendships sixteen-year-old Grady were his son. I had a lot of respect for him. that I made throughout the years. A lot of Vance was offered a good people have worked at the District temporary job with the Stover: It was very personal. Since I was still and that’s probably why I collect so many in high school when I was offered a full-time photographs. District’s fencing crew position, the Governing Board used to monitor making $1.25 an hour. my report card. Love: Back in the ‘80s, I brought a group of The interview consisted Florida artists to Orange Lake in the Green Gant: When I was hired, they took me around Swamp to show them some beautiful places of demonstrating the campus and introduced me to every single to paint. I remember standing there by the his skills at driving a employee. lake as everyone stood in awe of the scenery staple with a ball-peen and snapped photographs. Afterward, one of hammer. After receiving How did day-to-day business differ the artists gave me a painting of exactly how from today? it looked the day we went out. It’s still on my an “OK” from his father Gant: There were no computers and no copy wall today. and school, he was machines. Maps were drawn by hand with hired and later secured Holtkamp: My fondest memory is meeting paper and colored pencils. a full-time position. and falling in love with my wife, Loretta, Love: Field trucks didn’t have air conditioning who was a new hydrologist in the District’s Throughout more than and very few had two-way radios. If you got in Planning Department. Thirty years ago 40 years, Vance has trouble, you were on your own. I encouraged her to attend an American done a variety of tasks Society of Civil Engineers meeting at the from landscaping to Stover: Our only communication from the field University of South Florida. Afterward, we to the office was by using a calling card on a ran off to a pub, and the rest is history. gathering fish for the pay phone. District’s once-famous What are some of the District’s fish fries. Most recently, Talk about the opportunities you biggest changes or accomplishments he was the aquatic have had at the District. while you have worked here? plant management Holtkamp: In my early years at the District, Vance: One big change that I’m proud of is supervisor and oversaw I was extremely fortunate to be mentored how the District has moved from being just by an ex-construction engineer. His guidance a flood control agency to focusing on the the crews that treat on project management, contracts and protection and conservation of our waterways. invasive aquatic plants construction documents has been invaluable to in the District’s water me while working here. Holtkamp: When I look over the 35 years that bodies. Vance retired in I’ve been here, I think it’s fantastic that we’ve Love: I feel like I fell into the best job in the world. been able to protect so much land by putting September 2011. I’ve gotten paid to go out on some of the finest, it into public ownership through programs last remaining natural habitats left in Florida. such as Save Our Rivers, P2000 and Florida Stover: After Hurricane Charlie, our entire Forever. The preservation of that land is our department was called to help run the version of Central Park in New York City. 19 Balancing Water Needs … Protecting Water Resources

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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) does not discriminate on the basis of disability. This nondiscrimination policy involves every aspect of the District’s functions, including access to and participation in the District’s programs and activities. Anyone requiring reasonable accommodation as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the District’s Human Resources Director, 2379 Broad St., Brooksville, FL 34604-6899; telephone (352) 796-7211 or 1-800-423-1476 (FL only), ext. 4702; TDD 1-800-231-6103 (FL only); or email [email protected].

Employee Committee Marks 30-Year Milestone

s the District reaches its 50th the Committee supports employee anniversary this year, the appreciation activities and the United AEmployee Committee is also States Armed Services. celebrating a 30-year milestone. “Thanks to the amount of support we The District’s Employee Committee was receive from fellow employees, we created in 1981 to promote a positive are able to reach a variety of different work environment. groups in need,” said Cartwright.

“Having an Employee Committee is very The Committee has also supported important to the employees and the Big Brothers Big Sisters, the American organization, as well as the communities Heart Association and the American in which we belong,” said Lisa Cartwright, Cancer Society. secretary of the Employee Committee.

Since 2003, the Committee has raised more than $75,000 through bake sales, plant sales and raffles. About two-thirds of the amount is attributed to an annual Staff has contributed to the fundraising raffle and auction in which community through events senior staff donate items ranging from such as the American Cancer food items to various gifts and monetary Society’s Relay for Life and holiday gift-giving to families amounts. These funds are applied in need. toward a variety of benevolent activities such as assisting needy families, foster children, employees in need, food banks and animal shelters. In addition,

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