Suwannee River Water Management District

The Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) is the smallest of five Florida water management

Water management

Water management is the activity of planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources. In an ideal world. water management planning has regard to all the competing demands for water and seeks to allocate water on an equitable basis to satisfy all uses and demands...

districts that is responsible for managing groundwater

Groundwater

Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...

and surface water

Surface water

Surface water is water collecting on the ground or in a stream, river, lake, wetland, or ocean; it is related to water collecting as groundwater or atmospheric water....

resources in a 15-county region in north-central Florida. SRWMD employs 68 people at the district headquarters in Live Oak, Florida

Live Oak, Florida

Live Oak is a city in Suwannee County, Florida. The city is the county seat of Suwannee County and is located east of Tallahassee, Florida. The population was 6,480 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,828 ....

History

The five water management districts were established in 1972 by Chapter 373, Florida Statutes, and were empowered by the electorate in 1976 to assess ad valorem tax

Ad valorem tax

An ad valorem tax is a tax based on the value of real estate or personal property. It is more common than a specific duty, a tax based on the quantity of an item, such as cents per kilogram, regardless of price....

es to fund the management of the state’s water resources, and related land resources, to benefit the citizens and the environment. Each water management district is controlled by a Governing Board composed of citizens appointed by the Governor and approved by the Florida Senate. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is the Florida government agency charged with environmental protection.-History:...

has oversight responsibility for the five water management districts.

Function

SRWMD’s hydrological activities include regulating the consumptive use of water, regulating the construction and maintenance of stormwater

Stormwater

Stormwater is water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt that enters the stormwater system...

management systems that serve developed properties in order to protect water quality

Water quality

Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...

and prevent flooding, regulating the construction of water wells and the licensure of water well contractors, conducting water supply planning, conducting research on water resource issues, buying and managing environmentally sensitive land, and the operation of flood control

Flood control

In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...

structures.

Scope

The Florida counties which are entirely within the SRWMD are: Columbia

Columbia County, Florida

Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 56,513. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 64,040 . Its county seat is Lake City, Florida....

, Dixie

Dixie County, Florida

Dixie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 13,827. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 14,647 . Its county seat is Cross City, Florida.- History :...

, Gilchrist

Gilchrist County, Florida

Gilchrist County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 14,437. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 16,402. Gilchrist County has only one traffic light in the entire county and has no road with more than one lane of traffic...

, Hamilton

Hamilton County, Florida

Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 13,327. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 13,983 . Its county seat is Jasper, Florida.- History :...

, Lafayette

Lafayette County, Florida

Lafayette County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 7,022. It is the second least populated county in the state, having one more resident, according to the 2000 census, than Liberty County, Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is...

, Madison

Madison County, Florida

Madison County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 18,733. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 19,902. Its county seat is Madison, Florida. Madison County is one of Florida's five dry counties....

, Suwannee

Suwannee County, Florida

Suwannee County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 34,844. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county was 38,624 . Its county seat is Live Oak, Florida. Suwannee County was a dry county until August, 2011.....

, Taylor

Taylor County, Florida

Taylor County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 19,256. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county was 19,622 . Its county seat is Perry, Florida.- History :Taylor County was created in 1856...

, and Union

Union County, Florida

Union County is a county located in the state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county was 14,916. The county seat is Lake Butler.- History :...

. Partial counties include: Alachua

Alachua County, Florida

Alachua County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 227,120. Its county seat is Gainesville, Florida. Alachua County is the home of the University of Florida and is also known for its diverse culture, local music, and artisans...

, Baker

Baker County, Florida

Baker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 22,259. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county is 26,164 . Its county seat is Macclenny, Florida. While primarily rural, the county is included in the Jacksonville Metropolitan Area.-...

, Bradford

Bradford County, Florida

Bradford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 26,088. The 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimate for the county was 28,118 . Its county seat is Starke, Florida. Bradford County is the home of the Florida State Prison as well as several other state...

, Jefferson

Jefferson County, Florida

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population is 12,902. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 14,490 . Its county seat is Monticello, Florida....

, Levy

Levy County, Florida

Levy County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 34,450. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 37,998. Its county seat is Bronson, Florida. Levy is pronounced lee vee.- History :...

and Putnam

Putnam County, Florida

Putnam County is a county located in the state of Florida. The entire county makes up the Palatka Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 70,423. The U.S. Census Bureau 2009 estimate for the county was 72,893 . Its county seat is Palatka, Florida. The county is centrally...

.

The major river under the district's control is (obviously) the Suwannee

Suwannee River

The Suwannee River is a major river of southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long. The Suwannee River is the site of the prehistoric Suwannee Straits which separated peninsular Florida from the panhandle.-Geography:The river rises in the...

. The major tributaries are the: Santa Fe, Alapaha

Alapaha River

The Alapaha River is a river in southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a tributary of the Suwannee River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico.- Course :...

and Ichetucknee

Ichetucknee River

The Ichetucknee River is a spring-fed, pristine river in North Central Florida. The entire of the river average wide, deep and most of the 6 miles lie within the boundaries of the Ichetucknee Springs State Park while the rest is to the south of US Highway 27...

. Other rivers include the Withlacoochee, Fenholloway, Aucilla

Aucilla River

The Aucilla River rises close to Thomasville, Georgia, USA, and passes through the Big Bend region of Florida, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico at Apalachee Bay. The river is long and has a drainage basin of . The Wacissa River is a tributary...

, Steinhatchee

Steinhatchee River

The Steinhatchee River is a short river in the Big Bend region of Florida in the U.S.A.. The river rises in the Mallory Swamp just south of Mayo in Lafayette County and flows for out of Lafayette County, forming the boundary between Dixie County and Taylor County to the Gulf of Mexico. It has a...

, Econfina

Econfina River

The Econfina River is a minor river draining part of the Big Bend region of Florida, U.S.A. into Apalachee Bay. The river rises in San Pedro Bay near the boundary between Madison and Taylor counties, and flows through Taylor County to Apalachee Bay. It has a watershed of .- References :* Marth,...

, Waccasassa

Waccasassa River

The Waccasassa River is a small, isolated river in Levy County, Florida, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. The river is long, and has a drainage basin of . Three-quarters of the river is accessible only by canoe or kayak.- References :...

and Wacissa

Wacissa River

The Wacissa River is a large, spring-fed stream located in south-central Jefferson County, Florida. Its headwaters are located about a mile south of the town of Wacissa, where the river emerges crystal clear from a group of large limestone springs...

History

Function

Scope

See also