Middle St. Johns - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Water Quality Assessment Report: Middle St. Johns
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• The development of master plans, including stormwater retrofit
projects, for the portions of the Wekiva River watershed in Orange
and Seminole Counties.
• The purchase of environmentally sensitive lands or restoration lands
in the Wekiva River watershed.
• A number of ecosystem/water quality improvement projects in the
Wekiva watershed, including the restoration of the STS site on the
Wekiva River, an erosion control project in Wekiwa Springs State
Park, Tram Road removal in the Wekiva Basin GEOpark, and
possibly some additional land acquisition.
• The retrofit of a stormwater treatment system known as the Votaw
Road Pond that drains into the Wekiva Basin GEOpark.
• Restoration work in the Sweetwater Oaks/Cover Lake tributary to
the Wekiva River.
• The design and construction of surface water restoration projects
listed in the Little Wekiva River Watershed Management Plan.
Agricultural Best Management Practices
The Florida Watershed Restoration Act (FWRA) authorizes the Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) to develop
interim measures and agricultural BMPs. Additional authority for agricultural
BMPs is provided in legislation on nitrates and groundwater (Section
576.045, F.S.), the Lake Okeechobee Protection Program (Section
373.4595, F.S.), Agricultural Water Conservation (Section 570.085, F.S.),
and Florida Right to Farm Act Amendments (Section 823.14, F.S.). While
BMPs are often adopted by rule, they are voluntary if not covered by regulatory
programs. If they are adopted by rule and the Department verifies
their effectiveness, then implementation provides a presumption of compliance
with water quality standards.
Over the last several years, DACS has worked with agriculturists, soil
and water conservation entities, the University of Florida’s Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), and other major interests to improve
product marketability and operational efficiency by implementing agricultural
BMPs, while at the same time promoting water quality and water
conservation objectives. In addition, programs have been established and
are being developed to create a network of state, local, federal, and private
sources of funds for developing and implementing BMPs.
Best Management Practices Manuals
To encourage growers to use BMPs, BMP manuals have been published
for a number of agricultural industries, including container-grown
plants, blended fertilizer plants, agrichemical handling and farm equipment
maintenance, cow/calf operations, aquaculture, and landscaping. Many
of these manuals can be downloaded at http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water.
Manuals for row crops, equine or horse farms, and ornamental nurseries are
currently being developed. The use of a BMP manual alone, however, does
not presume compliance with the Department’s water quality standards.