CONSERVE

SWIM

The Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Act was passed by the Florida Legislature in 1987 and is administered by the five Water Management Districts (WMDs) in the State.

Through this act, the WMDs developed plans to improve management of the surface waters of each watershed by identifying conditions and processes affecting water quality, restoration and protection strategies, and conducting research into the causes and effects of the degradation of the waters.

A SWIM Plan was made for each watershed and strides were made toward the objectives, but there hasn’t always been enough funding to meet those objectives.

Through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) is currently updating the SWIM Plans for each watershed within their district.

The Plans identify opportunities for partnering with local, state, and federal agencies for funding projects.  And, as a result of fines being paid by BP due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, there are grants the NWFWMD will apply for that can go toward Plan goals in the Panhandle.

In an effort to understand and support the priorities being studied by the NWFWMD, members of the Francis M Weston Audubon Society have been attending public workshops offered on the draft SWIM Plans for our area watersheds, the Perdido River and Bay Watershed and the Pensacola Bay Watershed.

The WMD is taking public comment on the draft SWIM Plans through March 10 at  SWIM@nwfwater.com.

We all live in a watershed.  If you’d like to learn more about the challenges faced by your watershed, follow this link to read the draft Characterization reports www.nwfwater.com/Water-Resources/SWIM/SWIM-Plan-Updates