South Florida Water Management District Future Directions Melissa Meeker, Executive Director September 15, 2011
District Overview Oldest and largest of five water management districts Covers 18,000 square miles based on hydrology and topography Includes all or part of 16 counties Encompasses expansive natural areas and agriculture 7.7 million residents in urban and rural communities 2
Governor Scott s Direction Effective and efficient water management essential to public and to economic health Focus on core responsibilities Be fiscally responsible and reduce tax burden on property owners Streamline/eliminate regulatory processes to help grow economy
Core Mission Operations and Maintenance Manage largest flood control system in the world More than 1,600 miles of canals and 1,000 miles of levees More than 500 structures and 700 culverts 60 pump stations Moves more than 20 million acre-feet (5.5 trillion gallons) of water annually 750,000 acres District owned lands Key Initiative: 50-Year refurbishment plan Challenges: Aging infrastructure, dam safety requirements
Core Mission Regulation & Water Supply Ensure sustainable water resources for South Florida s environment and economy Management of surface and groundwater through consumptive use & environmental resource permitting Agricultural, public water supply demand of 3 billion gallons/day Key Initiatives: Permitting, Water Supply Plans, Alternative Water Supply Challenges: Availability of regional water (Lower east coast, Central Florida)
Core Mission Everglades Restoration Restore the Northern and Southern Everglades Improve quantity, quality, timing and distribution of water to freshwater and coastal systems 1.7 billion gallons of water lost to tide/day Key Initiatives: Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (68 projects), Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program (Lake Okeechobee, St Lucie, Caloosahatchee), Kissimmee River Challenges: Federal coordination, cost
Core Mission Water Quality Improve water quality in the Everglades Key Initiatives: Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs), Best Management Practices (BMPs) 45,000 acres of Stormwater Treatment area constructed Additional 11,700 acres underway 3,500 tons (160 truck loads) phosphorus removed through BMPS and STAs Challenges: Federal litigation Judge Gold (STA permits) Judge Moreno (federal Consent Decree)
Developing a Fiscally Sound Budget Restructured organization Developed $576.1 million budget that focuses on core mission and reduces ad valorem taxes by 30 percent Provides flood control and hurricane response Continues progress of Everglades restoration and water quality improvement projects Meets on-going water supply and water resource development needs Streamlined regulatory programs Meets on-going debt service payments
Budget Highlights Operation & Maintenance More than $180 million to operate and maintain South Florida s flood control system Includes $50 million to refurbish the regional flood control network In Palm Beach County Hillsboro Canal bank stabilization Telemetry tower replacement S-5A pump station structure hardening & bridge repair
Budget Highlights Ecosystem Restoration $240 million to restore the Everglades, improve Lake Okeechobee and protect our estuaries and bays The Florida Legislature appropriated $26 million to help keep Everglades progress on track. Key local efforts include Continued construction on stormwater treatment areas to further improve the quality of water entering the Everglades Water storage enhancements to protect and restore Lake Okeechobee Loxahatchee restoration
Budget Highlights Regulation $15.9 million budgeted for regulatory and water quality source control projects Key efforts include Resource protection permit processing and customer support Continued partnerships to implement Best Management Practices, or BMPs, to improve water quality Additional enhancements to e-permitting our online application and extensive database service
Regulation Business Friendly Practices Governor called for comprehensive review of existing rules and regulations to determine whether any are duplicative or unnecessarily burdensome SFWMD looked at 467 existing rules About 80% associated with Environmental Resource, Water Use and Works of the District permitting Identified 57 that could be repealed or deleted; plus 69 that would benefit from revisions Developed first regulatory plan identifying rulemaking considerations for next year
Regulation Business Friendly Practices Request for Additional Information (RAI) process Implementation of AgTeam to serve as a regulatory, planning and technical point of contact Training for permitting and planning staff to better understand operational challenges of ag industry Pre-application meetings and guidance for businesses and growers Enhanced online access to permitting information and application processing/tracking
Regulation Proposals for Further Streamlining Faster permit review time for applicants who participate in pre-application meetings Incentives for complete epermitting submittals Self-certification implementation through epermitting for Exemptions and No Notice General Permits Additional/Revised Noticed General Permits to specifically authorize local government environmental restoration projects Revised threshold for Standard Permits and Conceptual Permits
Budget Highlights Water Supply $11.9 million for protecting/increasing supply Includes $1.5 million for cost-share funding of Alternative Water Supply and Water Conservation projects Updating Lower East Coast Water Supply Plan Identifies strategies to meet future water demands and the needs of the environment Active participation and coordination with County Commission/City Councils; Utility staff; Planning staff; Other stakeholders Local involvement crucial in helping determine projects/actions to meet future water demand
Water Supply Alternative Water Supply Partnerships From 1997 to 2011, alternative water supply projects totaling $1.2 billion in construction costs were provided partial funding Provided approximately $170 million toward 468 alternative water supply projects that produced 390 million gallons of water per day Locally the District has allocated more than $9 million to support construction of Palm Beach County capital projects that will collectively generate an additional 13 million gallons a day of additional water
Water Supply C-51 Reservoir Partnership Study Assessing feasibility of a reservoir in the C-51 basin that would capture and store excess stormwater for water supply and environmental restoration purposes while also managing freshwater flows into Lake Worth Lagoon Partners in the study include Lake Worth Drainage District, public water supply utilities and other stakeholders in Palm Beach and Broward counties
Water Supply New Tool for Facility Managers Businesses can learn how to reduce water use Hands-on, comprehensive Water Efficiency Improvement Self-Assessment Guide identifies your building's water use and helps develop a plan to increase efficiency without sacrificing performance Downloadable guide includes step-bystep instructions and spreadsheet calculators to walk you through the process
Water Supply Palm Beach County Sources & Demands Water Supply Utilities 39 municipalities; 17 providers Primary sources Biscayne & Floridan Aquifers Surface Water (WPB) Current pumpage = 230 MGD Current reuse = 34% Lake Okeechobee is back-up source for Lower East Coast
Water Supply Current Conditions & Drought Management Cumulative rainfall since October almost 10 inches below normal Deficit for eastern Palm Beach county is more than 20 inches! Despite recent rainfall, some surface and groundwater levels slow to recover Lake Okeechobee 3.5 feet below historical average for time of year
Water Supply Water Shortage Orders in Effect 2-day-a-week schedule for landscape irrigation in most areas One-day-a-week for West Palm Beach, South Palm Beach and Palm Beach 15% cutback for golf courses 45% cutback for farms and nurseries that use water from Lake Okeechobee Reduced irrigation days/times for farms and nurseries in South Dade
Water Supply Precipitation Outlook November - January La Niña effects Below normal rainfall expected Preparing for continued regional water shortage
Visions for the Future
Looking Ahead Public Private Partnerships Leverage limited funds Regional Utilities New Water Going to tide and lost forever
Questions?