Water Supply Planning in the St. Johns River Water Management District, Florida

The St. Johns River Water Management District's (SJRWMD) is one of Florida's five water management districts. It is located in northeast Florida with a jurisdiction covering approximately 12,400 square miles. The Florida Legislature has established water supply planning requirements with the intent that sufficient water be available for all existing and future reasonable-beneficial uses and the natural systems, and that the adverse effects of competition for water supplies be avoided. The two primary elements of these requirements are (1) the preparation of districtwide water supply assessments and (2) the preparation of regional water supply plans. These assessments and plans are to be performed every five years and are to be based on 20-year planning horizons. SJRWMD's first regional water supply planning process, the Water 2020 process, was recently completed with the approval and publication of the District Water Supply Plan (DWSP). This process was a structured process designed to meet the water supply planning requirements imposed by the Florida Legislature. This process was based on two primary elements: 1) strong and defensible technical evaluations and 2) a consent-based, inclusive public process. According to the legislative mandate, the Water 2020 process was an open public process, conducted in coordination and cooperation with local governments, regional water supply authorities, government-owned and privately owned water utilities, self-suppliers, and other affected and interested parties. SJRWMD focused its water supply planning efforts within water supply planning work group areas. This paper describes SJRWMD's water supply planning process as well as future directions in planning for and implementing water supply solutions for the future.