Regional Water Supply Planning
In 1998, the water management districts prepared
water supply assessments to determine the existing and future water
needs and evaluate the adequacy of existing and potential sources to
meet the reasonable-beneficial needs for the next 20 years. For those
areas where the sources were determined not to be adequate to meet the
future needs, the districts were required to prepare regional water
supply plans. The Suwannee River Water Management District’s (SRWMD )
water supply assessment concluded that supplies were adequate to meet
the 2020 needs. Periodically, the SRWMD will re-evaluate their needs
and supplies. The Northwest Florida, St. Johns River, South Florida and
Southwest Florida Water Management Districts determined that sources
were not adequate to meet all these future needs while sustaining the
natural resources. By August 2001, these four districts completed
regional water supply plans.
The regional water supply plans identified water
resource development and water supply development options
that could meet the projected reasonable-beneficial needs. Some of the
water supply sources identified in the water supply plans include
further development of fresh ground water and surface water,
demineralization of brackish ground water, desalination of seawater,
reuse of reclaimed water, and water conservation. The Districts are
also investigating the possibility of increasing water storage
capabilities through surface reservoirs and aquifer storage and recovery
(ASR) facilities. Three of the Districts are evaluating the feasibility
of recharging the aquifer by using stormwater runoff and reclaimed
water. Currently, the water management districts are preparing the
five-year updates of their regional water supply plans.
Each year the districts are required to prepare a
Five-Year Water Resource Development Work Program that describes
implementation strategies for the water resource development component
of regional water supply plans.
The Office of Water Policy provides guidance to the
districts as they develop their regional water supply plans. We also
coordinate reviews of these documents with other sections of the DEP.
Each year the Department prepares a status reports which provides a
summary of efforts toward implementing regional water supply plans.
