Cost Share Helping Florida Farmers Shore up Water Management
April 19, 2018 St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) officials have approved ranking of nine more agricultural projects designed to help improve water conservation and reduce nutrient runoff in North Central Florida. According to the SJRWMD, the proposed projects will share in more than $918,000 and are anticipated to collectively conserve an estimated 616,438 gallons of water each day and reduce total nitrogen by an estimated 2,084 pounds per year and total phosphorus by 10,695 pounds per year.
Projects slated to receive funds are:
- Cherrylake Inc.
- Bernard A. Eagan Groves
- Hammond Station Growers, Inc.
- Caldwell Citrus Groves (two projects)
- Triple J Farms
- IMG Enterprises Inc.
- Legacy Farms and Ornamentals
- Estes Groves Inc.
On a related note, SJRWMD Governing Board also decided to move forward with contracts for three agricultural projects — totaling nearly $419,000 in cost-share funds — that will reduce water use by 218,537 gallons per day and reduce nutrient loading in Northeast Florida’s Tri County Agricultural Area (TCAA). Though part of the SJRWMD, the TCAA has its own separate funding program for agricultural projects.
Farms selected to receive TCAA Water Management Partnership funds are:
- Picolata Produce Farm
- Singleton & Sons Farms
- Florida Spuds
These projects, along with several more, were initially approved this past October to share nearly $1.5 million in funding and are anticipated to contribute to the improved health of the St. Johns River through on-farm and regional best management practices.
In all, SJRWMD officials report receiving 13 applications for projects seeking funds through the Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Districtwide Ag Cost-Share Program in the 15 counties outside the TCAA.
The Districtwide Ag Cost-Share Program has approved and provided funding for 75 projects since July 2015. Similarly, more than 85 projects have received backing since 2012 via the TCAA Water Management Partnership Cost-Share Program.
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