The takeaway message
One way Florida’s water management districts help protect Florida’s water is by purchasing conservation land surrounding water bodies. But, sometimes increasing property values can lead districts to rethink their purchases.
What’s going on?
The Southwest Florida Water Management District plans to sell hundreds of acres of conservation land it acquired in Hernando County from 1998 to 2010. Eventually, the project hoped to link the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area to the Withlacoochee State Forest, but development in the area and increasing property values has led the District to change the original plan. The revised plan will instead keep properties already connected to protected areas and sell the rest as surplus.
With the sale, District officials posit that the more focused approach to acquisitions will still meet conservation goals, while surplus land sold to private owners will generate tax revenue for the county. But, the change in plans isn’t without skepticism.
Why it matters.
Florida is home to five water management districts that are responsible for flood control and managing the state’s water resources. One of the tactics they use to do this is purchasing conservation land around lakes, rivers, wetlands and estuaries. These purchases set the land aside so that it can act as a natural buffer that filters pollution from runoff before it enters our waterways. These lands also play an important role in recharging the aquifer, which provides 90% of the state’s drinking water.
This becomes increasingly important as the state faces water future water shortages from pollution, a growing population, aging infrastructure, saltwater intrusion and climate change.
What can I do?
- Get involved with your water management district.
- Support land trust organizations that help conserve land in your region.
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Featured image: Pkleinhenz / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)