Protecting and saving water

Partnership Overview

• Who we are

• Our accomplishments

• Our challenges

• Our priorities

Established to address water qualitywater quantity

63 Members -• Federal Agencies• State Agencies • Local Government• Conservation Districts• Agricultural Groups • State Universities • Industry Associations• Environmental Groups

Who We Are

• Involve everyone in the solution• Provide incentives to use BMPs• BMP Research to verify BMPs work• Develop implementation assurance programs

• BMP Follow-up

• Provide supporting education • Recognize participants

• Farmers (CARES)• Homeowners (FY&N)

• Regional and Farm water quality monitoring

Partnership Approach

Dairy BMPs

Lined Waste Storage

Solid Separator Systems

Manure Application

Waste Collection

Litter Storage

Dead Bird Composter

Litter Application

Manage Fertilizers•NRCS Conservation Practices

•Split Applications

•Proper Placement

•Recommended Rates and Timing

•Controlled Release Fertilizers

Crop Program

325+Irrigation systems improved

Estimated 1 Billion gallons water saved

BMP Participation MapFarmer Participation

Dairy 90%, Poultry 99%, Crop 75% - Crop manual being implemented on 145,000+ acres

BMP Tools & Equipment

Estimated Nitrogen Reduction from Farms Using Crop Tools

• 15 farms participating in the Progressive Farms program

• PF Data shows 50 lbs. N/acre reduction

• 162 Crop farms District-wide using tools on 103,563 acres

• At 50 lbs N/acre reduction – Estimated reduction in lbs of N applied

per year 5,178,150 (2,589 tons)

1997-1998

1998-1999

1999-2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

Total Nitrogen Sold Suwannee Basin

Time Period

To

ns

of

N S

old

(A

ll U

ses)

39% Reduction

Research and models show farms using BMPs**Have the potential to reduce Nitrate-N to ground water

Up to 77% on poultry & dairy operations

Up to 90% on dairy spray fields

Up to 50% on crop farms**FDEP Literature Review 2007

ResearchDocument BMPs Work

Overall Dairy BMP Implementation Assurance

76%

29%

8%

Highest Rating

Partial ComplianceUnsatisfactory

Overall PoultryBMP Implementation Assurance

86%

14%

Highest Rating

Partial Compliance

BMP Implementation Assurance

Farmer Education

Many farmer meetings have been held over the last ten years

CARES Program

328 farmers

Florida Friendly Landscaping

Water Quality Trends

Regional Network Designed to evaluate trends for

ground water, springs, and rivers

SummaryShowed decreasing, increasing, & no trendsMost likely influenced by climatic events, water age, & BMP effortsRecommended more time is needed

Springshed Protection

Our Challenges

• State Funding– Cost Share– Research

• Farmer O&M long term

• Documenting long term results

• Complexity of our system

Our Priorities

• Working one-on-one with farmers• Recruit new farmers

• BMP operation & maintenance

• Water quality

• Water conservation

• Education/outreach

• Implementation Assurance

Keys To Our Success

• Our leadership

• Our approach

• Funding

• Our people

Questions?