Southwest Florida Water Management District Withlacoochee River Basin Board FY2007 Accomplishments On October 19, 2006, the Withlacoochee River Basin Board held its annual planning workshop for the purpose of reviewing recent accomplishments, identifying emerging issues and setting strategic budget priorities for fiscal year 2008. These priorities provide guidance to District staff and the Basin Board’s cooperators in identifying projects for potential Basin Board funding. At the workshop, the Board agreed on the following set of strategic budget priorities. Strategic Budget Priorities for Fiscal Year 2008 • Watershed Management Program • Withlacoochee River Feasibility Study • Western Terminus-Greenway • Springs Protection/SWIM • Tsala Apopka Task Force • Alternative Water Supply Development • Public and Youth Education While the above priorities were developed to help ensure that the most critical needs of the Withlacoochee River basin are addressed, the Basin Board funds a wide variety of projects to assist in the achievement of the mission of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. These include projects that fall within each of the District’s four areas of responsibility: water supply, flood protection, water quality and natural systems. Southwest Florida Water Management District Water Supply Natural Systems Basin Board funding for the Partnership Agreement (F025) The Withlacoochee River Basin Board has substantially has been completed. The Withlacoochee River Basin Board completed funding in FY2007 to evaluate the has been a long-standing participant in the reductions in restoration alternatives for the portion of the pumpage at the 11 northern Tampa Bay well fields with Withlacoochee River downstream of the Inglis Dam $65,829 allocated in its FY2007 budget. In the last ten years, (B124). This basin initiative was intended to investigate more than $700,000 has been budgeted by the Basin Board the alternatives to mitigate some of the water quality to emphasize its commitment to partnering in the and natural systems impacts created after the development of efficient and sustainable water supplies in construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal. The the northern Tampa Bay area. draft report with the restoration alternatives was presented during the July Basin Board meeting. A total The Withlacoochee River Basin Board also completed project budget of $302,445 was funded by the funding for the Marion County Water Resource Assessment Withlacoochee River Basin Board. and Management Project (WRAMP) in FY2007. This project (H042) was a cooperative effort among the District, Education the St. Johns River Water Management District and Marion The District’s communications and education program County to conduct a 50-year water resources assessment. uses various methods to inform and educate the public The Marion County WRAMP has concluded that public and youth about the importance of managing and supply will increase from 87 mgd in 2005 to approximately protecting water resources to ensure they remain 201 mgd in 2055. The total project funding for the expanded healthy, productive and sustainable. study was $617,299, with the Basin Board contributing $91,121. Youth Education Some of the significant projects and the numbers Flood Protection reached are listed below. Watershed management plans and best management practices generated by the Watershed Management Program • Springs Coast Environmental Education Center (WMP) are critical in correcting some of the flooding, (Hernando County) field trip program: 1,325 erosion and habitat loss in the basin created by the impacts students and teachers of development. The Basin Board funds the water • Marine Science Station Summer Camp (Citrus management programs as a means to plan for and prioritize County): 57 students and teachers projects to address historic flooding problems with water • Legacy Programs (Marion and Levy counties): 400 quality benefits. Recent projects include Sumter County students and teachers (L787), Inverness (L660), Hernando County (L776) and the • Nine Splash! mini-grants reached 5,106 students and basin initiative to fund the Maintenance of Watershed teachers Parameters and Models element of the District’s Watershed • Teacher training provided to 19 basin participants Management Program (B206). • 46,236 pieces of Youth Education materials distributed Water Quality • In partnership with the United States Geological In addition to the water quality benefits received from Survey and the American Ground Water Trust, projects that focus primarily on flood protection (listed provided a series of two-and-a-half-day Ground above) and natural systems (listed below), the Water Institutes this spring; the Crystal River Withlacoochee River Basin Board has largely completed Institute included 11 teachers from the basin funding the Blue Sink watershed management plan in • Youth Education section began a three-year program Hernando County (K358). The information from this evaluation to determine successful program project will provide a method to evaluate the capacity of a elements, to identify ways to improve impact and to watershed to protect, enhance and restore water quality, develop effective ways to impart behavior change; natural systems and flood protection. three-year evaluation will conclude in FY2010 Southwest Florida Water Management District Withlacoochee River Basin Southwest Florida Water Management District 27 41 Bronson 75 27ALT Williston LEVY MARION 27 41 Ocala 19 Rainbow River Yankeetown eau Dunellon Gulf of Lake Rouss 200 Mexico W i th la co o c h e 301 e Tsala Apopka Lake River Wildwood Inverness Lake 44 Citrus Sumter Withlacoochee River basin 471 within the Southwest Florida Water Management District Bushnell 41 Center Hill Webster 50 Brooksville 98 Hernando 75 Pasco 98 301 Dade City 0105 scale in miles Balancing Water Needs … Protecting Water Resources Public Education Through a series of five workshops, landowners, Public Education provides water resources education in a developers and citizens were educated about the Transfer variety of ways to a variety of audiences. Some of the of Development Rights (TDR) program and the Farmland significant projects are listed below. Preservation Area in northwest Marion County. These programs support existing efforts of the Marion County Landscape Education Planning Department. The educational goal was to equip people with the knowledge to practice watershed The Water-Wise Landscape Recognition Program was protection through private land conservation by introduced to the Citrus County Builders Association for demonstrating the economic, environmental and use in their 2007 Fall and 2008 Spring Parade of Homes community value of TDR. The seminars reached 500 events. The program spotlights builders who incorporate landowners, developers and citizens. Florida-friendly landscapes in new home designs. The program will also be brought to the Hernando County Watershed Education Builders Association in FY2008. The Crystal River, Kings Bay and Rainbow River The Florida Yards & Neighborhoods programs in Watershed Education program’s (W466) goal is to lessen Hernando County, Citrus County, Marion County and impacts to the water quality that are a result of The Villages reached more than 85,000 people in FY2007, inappropriate fertilizing techniques and improper septic not including media outreach, which numbers in the tank maintenance. In FY2007, outreach was expanded millions of potential impressions. Special programs from the original Crystal River/Kings Bay area to include included the Florida-Friendly Landscaping – Grow Smart all of Citrus County and the Rainbow Springs area of Workshop in Hernando County, which attracted 75 Marion County. Rivard Reding, the education outreach participants; a week-long summer camp for children in coordinator, reached more than 1,300 people through Citrus County, which centered around water special events and speaking engagements and distributed conservation and the hydrologic cycle; and the 3,000 pieces of educational materials. In FY2007, he Florida-Friendly Landscaping Spring Festival in Marion added outreach to homeowner associations, educating six County that attracted 6,300 people. communities about proper fertilizer use and other Florida-friendly landscaping principles. Staff is currently Community Education Grants conducting focus groups and a pre-evaluation survey to gather information before designing and implementing Six projects were funded with $15,000. One project of the FY2008 phase of the program. particular note was the one-day Lake Panasoffkee Celebration. This community event focused on the Notable accomplishments of the Pasco Adopt-A-Pond preservation and conservation of water resources, program (L731) in FY2007 include pond walks, pond including Lake Panasoffkee itself. More than 600 people scouting activities, pond maintenance, education attended the event, which was held at Marsh Bend outreach presentations, distribution of door hangers and “Outlet” Park on May 5, 2007. Local officials and 119 stormdrain marking activities. The Adopt-A-Pond festival attendees signed the Lake PanPal Pledge. program will reach more than 5,500 residents by FY2008. This information will be made available in accessible formats upon request. Please contact the Communications Department at (352) 796-7211 or 1-800-423-1476 (FL only), ext. 4757; TDD only at 1-800-231-6103 (FL only). VISPT0077 10-07.