Northern Region - Southwest Florida Water Management District

N441
WMP - Bushnell - Bushnell Watershed
Project Type
AORs
Flood Protection
Cooperative Funding
Strategic Initiatives
Floodplain Management
Bushnell
Cooperator(s)
Project Manager Gene Altman
Task Manager(s)
Status
Proposed Coop. Funding Application
Recommendation
Fund as a High priority. This funding request is for a proposed Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for the City of Bushnell's
Watershed.
Description
This proposed project is for implementing the Watershed Evaluation and Watershed Management Plan elements of the District's
Watershed Management Program (WMP) for the Bushnell Watershed. The project area is 16-square miles, located in Sumter
County, encompassing the City of Bushnell. A Watershed Management Plan provides a method to evaluate the capacity of a
watershed to protect, enhance, and restore water quality and natural systems, while achieving flood protection. The Watershed
Evaluation element is the collection and organization of detailed information such as land elevation, ditches, culverts and other
stormwater management features that affect how water moves within a watershed. The Watershed Evaluation tasks include the
collection of existing data, development of the geodatabase, Geographical Information System (GIS) processing, field
reconnaissance, and development of preliminary model features. The Watershed Evaluation establishes the complexity of the
watershed and provides a geodatabase that defines the watershed's natural conveyance and storage features, and stormwater
infrastructure. The Watershed Evaluation is the foundation for the Watershed Management Plan, the next element in the Watershed
Management Program. The Watershed Management Plan tasks include watershed model parameterization, computer modeling,
floodplain analysis, peer review of floodplain results, public notification, public meeting, Governing Board approval of floodplain
results, surface water resource assessment (SWRA), establishment of level of service (LOS), and Best Management Practices
(BMP) alternative analysis. With FY2013 funding, the Watershed Evaluation and Watershed Management Plan tasks through
Governing Board approval of floodplain results will be completed. Future funding will be required to complete the SWRA, LOS, and
BMP alternative analysis tasks of the Watershed Management Plan.
Benefits
Completing elements of the District's Watershed Management Program is one of the District's Strategic Priorities for managing the
water resource, and provides information to local governments to address land use changes and stormwater management within
a specific watershed. The information developed provides the science for the District's resource management and Environmental
Resource Permitting (ERP) responsibilities. It assists local governments with their land management responsibilities by
identifying the floodplain, establishing a level of service, evaluating BMPs to address level of service deficiencies, and providing a
geodatabase and projected results from watershed model simulations for floodplain management, and water quality
management. The City is committed to floodplain protection as required to participate as a community in the National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP). The City has included floodplain protection in it's Comprehensive Plan and Land Development
Regulations to enforce this protection. All development is required to receive building and site construction permits during which
flood plain issues are addressed.
Costs
The projected cost for this project is $142,000 of which the District's share is $71,000 and the City's share is $71,000. With FY2013
funding, work on Watershed Management Plan tasks will begin and should be completed through the Governing Board approval of
the floodplain results. When each element is completed, the project cost and scope may require refinement based on the
information gathered and unforeseen circumstances. The District funding amount shown in the table includes staff salaries.
Additional Information
The WMP includes five major elements: 1) Topographic information, 2) Watershed Evaluation, 3) Watershed Management Plan, 4)
Implementation of Best Management Practices, and 5) Maintenance of Watershed Parameters and Models. Implementing
elements of the WMP with local governments is one of the District's Strategic Priorities. The development of watershed models
and plans to identify potential projects or BMPs will help to resolve or mitigate water resource issues. The City does not propose to
revise the existing data and geodatabase schema formats into the GWIS 1.6 version schema. The District is managing the project
entering into agreements and purchase orders to accomplish project tasks. A cooperative funding agreement will be developed
contingent on the approval of funding for the project.
8