For the past several years, Florida’s three largest water management districts along with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department of Agriculture, and stakeholders in Central Florida have been working to find a solution to future water shortfalls in the area in a process known as the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI). They recently marked a major milestone towards achieving that goal, even as they embarked on a new regulatory initiative that will redefine water use regulations in the CFWI region.
The CFWI region covers five counties, including Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and southern Lake County. Groundwater, i.e., water pumped from the ground, is the major source of irrigation and drinking water in central Florida, as elsewhere in the state, and the supplies of groundwater in the CFWI area are approaching their sustainable limits. The agencies and stakeholders have been working on various aspects of solving this problem for many years.
At their most recent meeting, the CFWI Steering Committee approved a Joint Regional Water Supply Plan for the CFWI region and recommended the governing boards of the region’s three water management districts adopt the plan for resolving the looming water shortage in central Florida. The Plan looks 20 years into the future and identifies projects that when funded and built can meet the predicted water supply shortfall. Each of the three water management districts will vote on the plan at their next monthly meetings. Some controversy is expected.
Despite the accomplishment, CFWI Steering Committee was quick to point out that the work is not over. The area is currently at the intersection of the three largest water management districts; consequently, a patchwork of regulations determine whether and how permits for water use are issued. A uniform set of regulations for the region will reduce the uncertainty for farmers, ranchers, local governments, and businesses such as manufacturers, home builders, and miners that rely on water. The CFWI entities will now attempt to develop uniform regulations for the region.
Greg Munson is the former General Counsel and Deputy Secretary for Water Policy at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the former chairperson of the CFWI Steering Committee. Since 2013, he has been a shareholder practicing environmental law at the Gunster law firm, and working in Tallahassee, Florida.
Beth Ross was a lawyer for the South Florida Water Management District for over 30 years where she specialized in many of Florida's water policy and water resource related issues, including consumptive use permitting, water supply planning and alternative water supply development. She was instrumental in the recent accomplishments of the CFWI. She joined Gunster in November.
