SFWMD completes a new Northern Everglades Water Quality Project in Osceola County
January 2025 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter
On December 16, 2024, the South Florida Water Management District joined the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Garcia Land Management, LLC and many other local, state and federal partners to celebrate the completion of a new dispersed water management project in Osceola County.
The El Maximo Ranch Northern Everglades Water Quality Project is a regional water quality improvement effort intended to reduce nutrients flowing into Lake Okeechobee. The project diverts water from the Kissimmee River and Blanket Bay Slough for treatment on approximately 7,000 acres of privately-owned land and is expected to remove over two metric tons of total phosphorus and seven metric tons of total nitrogen per year. The project consists of four pump stations, 19 water control structures and more than 27 miles of berms.
This is a great example of a proactive regional water management project made possible through public/private partnership. There are several other operational Dispersed Water Management Projects, including the Brighton Valley Dispersed Water Storage and Management Project, Bluefield Grove Water Storage Farm, Scott Water Storage Farm, ALJO Four Corners Rapid Infiltration Project, and the Doc Partin Ranch Project. These projects use private lands for water storage, helping to improve water quality and enhance plant and wildlife habitats.
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