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Prompted by a severe drought in 1970 and 1971,
policymakers adopted a broad, statewide approach designed to
protect and allocate Florida's water. The Water Resources
Act of 1972 created five water management districts to
regulate the use of water by large-scale consumers, such as
public utilities, agriculture and industry.
Working under the general supervision of the Department
of Environmental Protection, the Water Management Districts
are responsible for allocating water within their designated
regions as well as developing and implementing effective
plans to minimize and manage the effects of droughts and
floods. Getting the water from the source to your faucet is
the responsibility of regional water authorities and local
utilities.
In addition to overseeing the Water Management Districts,
the Department of Environmental Protection's primary
responsibilities are to restore, maintain, and protect the
quality of water resources, as well as promote the
development of new sources of water, such as seawater
desalination. This work requires the use of each of the
primary management strategies available to the Department.
- research (including regular monitoring) to help
establish water quality standards
- permitting discharges to protect water quality
- enforcement of regulations to address activities
that negatively affect water resources
- education: to promote protection, conservation,
efficient use and re-use
- and acquisition and management to preserve the
integrity of natural systems
In Florida, water is a public resource. Like the air we
breathe, water cannot be privately owned. That's why it's
important for all Floridians to conserve water, use water
efficiently, and take measures to prevent pollution of our
state's water supplies.
Many of these conservation practices are voluntary.
However, in times of drought some water restrictions are
mandatory. Water management districts can set water
restrictions and local governments have the right to impose
even stronger restrictions. If your local government does
not have its own restrictions, follow those of your water
management district.
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What is managed:
Florida’s Watersheds: Water's natural boundaries are commonly
identified as watersheds. A watershed is an area of land that
acts as a basin for the water flowing and draining within it.
Watersheds include water on the surface, such as lakes and
rivers, as well as the water flowing underground in springs and
aquifers. If water follows natural boundaries, then water
resource protection and management should be organized and
coordinated along natural boundaries. A watershed management
approach does just that. The Department of Environmental
Protection plans and implements many of its water resource
protection functions by major watersheds.
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Florida’s Ecosystems: Natural systems, particularly wetland
ecosystems, can ease the extreme effects of droughts and floods.
Originally, more than half of the state was covered by wetlands.
The most recognized wetland ecosystem in America is the
Everglades - The River of Grass. Wetland ecosystems (including
swamps, marshes, bayheads, bogs, cypress domes and strands,
sloughs, wet prairies, mangrove swamps, ponds, lakes, creeks,
streams and rivers) not only help regulate water flow, but
provide a myriad of economic, ecological and aesthetic benefits.
Protecting and preserving these natural systems helps generate
benefits that we eat, drink and breathe on a daily basis.
Florida's Department of Environmental Protection works with the
Water Management Districts to protect and restore Florida's
wetland systems - from the Everglades to Lake Apopka to the
Upper Basin of the St. Johns River to the Panhandle and Tate's
Hell Swamp.
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Florida’s Lakes: Florida has more than 7,500 freshwater
lakes, including the second largest inland lake in the country -
Lake Okeechobee. Lakes sustain an abundant and diverse
assortment of aquatic plant and animal species and provide ideal
spots for people to swim, fish, and enjoy nature. During
drought, water levels in lakes can drop significantly, and some
can even dry up completely. While low water levels can cause a
decline in plants and wildlife, many are adapted to the cycle of
drought. In fact, periodic dry spells can benefit the life of a
lake - keeping it healthier and living longer. The Department of
Environmental Protection developed one of the first and best new
approaches in the country for identifying and cleaning up water
pollution. Known as the Impaired Waters Rule, the Department
identifies polluted water bodies and then directs resources to
clean the dirtiest water bodies first. As part of that effort,
the Department establishes Total Daily Maximum Loads (TMDL),
which is the maximum amount of pollutant a water body can
receive and continue to meet water quality standards. DEP also
works with the Water Management Districts and local governments
to monitor water quality and perform biological assessments, as
well as develop and implement protection plans.
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Florida’s Springs: Florida has over 600 freshwater springs.
Most of Florida's springs are located in the northern half of
the state. They originate from the Floridian aquifer - a natural
underground reservoir that supply close to 90% of the state's
drinking water. Florida has 33 "first magnitude" springs, more
than any other state in the country, producing 64.6 million
gallons of water per day. Nearly 9 billion gallons of water flow
out of Florida's springs every day. In 2000, the Department of
Environmental Protection implemented an initiative to coordinate
existing programs to maximize agency efforts to restore and
preserve the state's freshwater springs. The Florida Springs
Initiative applies a combination of strategies designed to meet
the needs of each site, including regulation, monitoring and
research, land acquisition and restoration, and education.
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Florida’s Aquifers: Freshwater - both on the surface and in
the ground - is Florida's lifeblood. Surface water, such as
streams and lakes, provide scenic beauty, recreation, and water
for industry and irrigation. Ground water lies unseen beneath
the land in huge reservoirs contained in layers of porous
underground rock called aquifers. More than 90% of the state's
freshwater supply is pumped from ground water aquifers. Aquifers
are natural reservoirs. The Florida Department of Environmental
Protection promotes natural recharge of these reservoirs and
ensures that supplemental storage does not adversely affect this
underground environment.
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Florida’s Estuaries: Brackish water is the mixture of
freshwater and seawater. In Florida, brackish water is found
naturally - above ground in estuaries (the mouth of rivers) and
below the ground in aquifers. During drought, less rain means
less freshwater moving from the land toward the ocean. This
allows saltwater from the ocean to move inland, farther up
rivers and deeper into aquifers. This mixing zone of fresh and
saltwater in coastal estuaries and aquifers is the front line in
the protection of coastal freshwater resources. Natural systems
like coastal wetlands help prevent saltwater intrusion. The
storage and percolation of freshwater in these areas helps
counter the encroachment of saltwater from the ocean or from
below. Under the state's $3 billion land conservation program,
Florida Forever, the Department protects large expanses of
natural areas where rainwater can permeate the ground to
naturally replenish aquifers. These include aquifer recharge
areas and coastal wetlands.
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2010 State of Florida