Florida's five water management districts are principally responsible for planning and managing water resources within the state. Created under the Florida Water Resources Act of 1972, the districts formerly operated under the general supervision of the Department of Environmental Regulation. In 1993 the Department of Environmental Regulation was combined with the Department of Natural Resources to form a new department - the Department of Environmental Protection. Water management districts deal with water quality and quantity problems, and coordinate their activities with the department in the areas of water pollution control, wetlands protection, and other water resource matters. The districts are managed by governing boards comprised of nine residents of each district, appointed by the governor.
Water management districts must balance competing water supply demands from commercial, industrial, agricultural, and municipal water users. They must also protect the critical water supply needs of environmentally sensitive areas. The districts regulate land development that affects wetlands and floodplains, and that causes stormwater runoff.
Water management districts help to protect the state's groundwater resources, which supply approximately 90% of Florida's drinking water. The districts prepare special plans to conserve water during water shortages, and to protect and restore surface waters in major lakes, rivers, and bays. They also help local governments in local land and water use planning activities.
The districts purchase land through the Save Our Rivers program for water management, supply, conservation, and protection. In 10 years since the program's inception in 1981, the districts spent $365 million to acquire approximately 450,000 acres of land, mostly in river floodplains.
