St. Johns River Water Management District
The St. Johns River Water Management District ("SJRWMD") is one of five Florida water management districts that is responsible for managing groundwater and surface water resources in Florida. SJRWMD covers an 18-county region in northeast and east-central Florida.[1] The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has general supervisory authority over the water management districts.
It employs approximately 600 people at offices in Palatka, Jacksonville, Maitland and Palm Bay. The district's headquarters is located in Palatka.
The budget for 2013-14 is $135.5 million.[2]
History
The five water management districts were established in 1972 by Chapter 373, Florida Statutes, as independent special districts and were empowered by the electorate in 1976 to assess ad valorem taxes to fund the management of the state’s water resources, and related land resources, to benefit people and the environment.[3] Each water management district is administered by a Governing Board composed of residents appointed by the Governor and approved by the Florida Senate.[4] The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has general supervisory authority over the water management districts.[5]
In 2013, the District lost a case before the U.S. Supreme court in Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management District.
Core Missions
Core Missions[6]
- •Water supply — To implement a regional strategy to provide sufficient water for users and the environment.
- •Water quality — To protect and improve water quality.
- •Natural systems — To protect and improve natural systems.
- •Flood protection — To prevent increases in flooding and operate and maintain SJRWMD’s regional flood control projects.
Area of Jusidiction
The counties which are entirely within SJRWMD are: Brevard, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Lake, Marion, Nassau, St. Johns, Seminole, Putnam, and Volusia. Partial counties include: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Okeechobee, Orange and Osceola, [1] SJRWMD covers 12,283 square miles (31,813 km²), or 23 percent of Florida. As of 2012, 4.73 million people (about 21 percent of the state’s population) made their home in SJRWMD.[7]
The major river within SJRWMD is the St. Johns River. The two major tributaries are the Econlockhatchee River and the Ocklawaha River. Other major waterways are the St. Marys River, which serves as the boundary between Florida and Georgia; and the Nassau, Ocklawaha, Matanzas, Halifax and Indian rivers. SJRWMD contains 96 springs and more than 1,400 lakes.[8]
See also
- Northwest Florida Water Management District
- South Florida Water Management District
- Southwest Florida Water Management District
- Suwannee River Water Management District
References
- ↑ Florida Statutes Section 373.069
- ↑ "FY2013-2014 Adopted Budget Overview". 2013-10-01.
- ↑ Florida Statutes Section 373.503
- ↑ Florida Statutes Section 373.073
- ↑ Florida Department of Environmental Protection website: Water Management Districts
- ↑ http://floridaswater.com
- ↑ http://floridaswater.com/images/Floridas-WMDs_800px.jpg
- ↑ http://floridaswater.com/images/Watershed_map_800px.jpg
