Here’s what we’re doing in Brevard County
The work of the St. Johns River Water Management District is all about water. Our staff work each day on your behalf to protect water. This work is focused on four core missions: water supply, water quality, flood protection and natural systems enhancement and protection.
Brevard County is just one of the 18 counties where we do our work. Following is an overview of some of the ways that your tax dollars benefit not only the residents and visitors to the county, but also its natural and water resources.
Have you seen construction projects in your community or wonder where your water comes from? Chances are, the District issued a permit through its regulatory programs. The Consumptive Use Permitting Program reviews requests for water use and determines the amount of water available to be withdrawn from groundwater or surface water for uses such as public supply utilities, agricultural operations, commercial uses and power generation. Environmental Resource Permits authorize new construction in a way to prevent harm to water resources (such as causing adverse flooding), manage surface water and protect water quality, wetlands and other surface waters.
- Visit the interactive map dashboard to see what District permits have been issued in your county. Search by county, city or street address.
- Map-based GIS permit search tool (within the ePermit portal)
- Click here to search our ePemit portal for permits or applications.
- Overview of our permitting program.
Water supply planning and our regulatory and water conservation programs are examples of how we apply our water supply core mission each day.
- In Brevard County, you are included in the Central Springs / East Coast Water Supply Plan, which identifies water supply challenges and water resource development projects to meet current and anticipated demands for water.
- Watering restrictions help save water. Know your watering day.
- Florida Water Star program – Overview of building water efficiency into your home or business
- See map of “green homes” in Brevard County
Strategies to protect and restore water quality include a commitment to comprehensive monitoring to guide impairment determinations, manage restoration projects and evaluate effectiveness.
- What’s happening with the water in my area right now? See our continuous water quality monitoring portal.
- Surface water quality, searchable map of status and trends.
- Groundwater quality, searchable map of status and trends.
- Springs water quality, searchable map of status and trends.
Flood protection comes in many forms, such as water storage in natural wetlands and your neighborhood stormwater pond or flood control structures built in strategic locations.
- Water control structures. The Jane Green detention area is part of the flood control project in the headwaters of the St. Johns River. See “levee system summaries” here.
- Flooding in hurricanes or tropical storms. Here’s a list of local government contacts, state agencies and helpful website links for before, during or after a storm.
- Map of flood control areas in Brevard County.
- Location of controlled water levels in your county. Upper St. Johns River Basin project area data.
Natural systems benefit from lands the District has purchased for conservation and restoration. These lands are open for free for your enjoyment. On lands not owned by the District, natural systems benefit from effective permitting, water quality improvement projects, minimum flows and levels and cost-share projects.
The District owns or manages the following public lands in your county:
- Buck Lake Conservation Area
- Canaveral Marshes Conservation Area
- Micco Water Management Area
- River Lakes Conservation Area
- Seminole Ranch Conservation Area
- Three Forks Conservation Area
Prescribed fire helps maintain fire-dependent public lands.
Public lands help protect Florida’s endangered plants and animals.
Minimum flows and levels balance people’s and nature’s needs. Learn more about MFLs.
The District constructs large, regional projects that often benefit multiple counties and benefit more than one of the District’s core missions. Some of the projects in your county include:
- Crane Creek / M-1 Canal. The project is focused on reducing nutrients flowing to the Indian River Lagoon from the Melbourne, West Melbourne and Melbourne Village within Brevard County.
- Eau Gallie River and Elbow Creek restoration and dredging project. This was the first-ever muck removal project in the Eau Gallie River (completed in 2019) to help improve water quality in the river, creek and ultimately the Indian River Lagoon. More than 600,000 cubic yards of muck (containing nutrients that feed algal blooms) were removed from the waterway through a partnership among the District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), Brevard County and the city of Melbourne.
The District’s cost-share programs help local governments, agricultural entities, disadvantaged communities, and other non-governmental organizations undertake projects to benefit one or more of the District’s core missions and benefit your community. Such projects include upgrades to water treatment facilities, expansion of reclaimed water lines, creating stormwater treatment ponds and parks, etc. Here are examples of this work in your county.
- Brevard County Oyster Reef Living Shorelines — Constructed six oyster reefs totaling 2,360 linear feet in the Indian River Lagoon. Project is completed. (Estimated nutrient load reduction: 639 lbs./yr. total nitrogen (TN) and 48 lbs./yr. total phosphorus (TP)
- Brevard County S-17 Lift Station — Rehabilitated older portions of the county’s sanitary sewer collection system in the South Beaches sewer service area. Project is completed. (Estimated nutrient load reduction: 1,374 lbs./yr. TN and 243 lbs./yr. TP)
- Brevard County S-9 Lift Station — Rehabilitated older portions of the county’s sanitary sewer collection system in the South Beaches sewer service Project is completed. (Estimated nutrient load reduction: 1,374 lbs./yr. TN and 243 lbs./yr. TP)
- Brevard County South Patrick Drive Baffle Box — Installed a second-generation baffle box with the addition of a denitrification bioreactor to treat stormwater runoff from a 74-acre residential area. Project is completed. (Estimated nutrient load reduction:
243 lbs./yr. TN and 48 lbs./yr. TP) - Read about our cost-share program.
- See other projects
The District collects a wealth of data that is used to make science-based decisions in all our work. This includes data on how much rain your county has received, the water levels in area lakes and rivers, the amount of nutrients in natural waterways, planning to address future water supply needs and much more.
- Has your area received rain? See the rainfall dashboard.
- Surface water levels near you: Blue Cypress Lake.
- Hydrologic data, interactive map.
The Blue School Grant Program provides funding to teachers within the District in support of their efforts to engage students in understanding and appreciating Florida’s freshwater and estuarine systems.
Blue School Grant Program winners from Brevard County.
- Eau Gallie High School
- Edgewood JRSR HS
- South Lake Elementary School
- Stone Magnet Middle School
- South Alternative Learning Center
- Sculptor Charter
Encourage your child’s teacher to apply for a grant.
Contact us about a speaker for your group. We’d love the opportunity to speak with you about our work. Speaker’s bureau
Free materials you can read or download at home or school.
Staff in our Governmental Affairs Program provide water resource information, assistance and support to federal, state and local elected officials and their staffs, and collaborate on water resource issues, programs and projects. One of the ways you may have met team members is during the annual Water Conservation Month observance when your local governments approved proclamations recognizing the observance.
