About the District

Water Protection and Sustainability Program

• Program overview
• Program goal
• Project priorities
• Amount of cost-share funding
• Project eligibility
• Factors to be considered in project selection for cost-share funding
• Additional factors to be considered
• Project selection process for cost-share funding
• Cooperative Funding Report

Program overview

The Florida Water Protection and Sustainability Program was created through passage of Senate bills 360 and 444 during the 2005 legislative session and their subsequent signing into law by Gov. Jeb Bush. The purpose of this program is to provide cost-share funding for construction of alternative water supply projects. The St. Johns River Water Management District will implement the program within its region as described below.

Cost-sharing will be on a reimbursement basis for construction costs of alternative water supply development projects. To be considered eligible for the cost-share funding program, projects must first be identified in the District Water Supply Plan (DWSP). After projects are incorporated into the DWSP, they will be further evaluated as to their suitability for this funding program. The identification of water supply development projects in the DWSP does not guarantee funding assistance through this funding program.

Projects will be evaluated for cost-share funding based on consideration of the 12 factors described in 373.1961(3)(f) and (g), Florida Statutes (2005). Also, the District may add evaluation factors as appropriate. District staff will evaluate the potential projects and recommend projects for inclusion in the cost-share funding program. The District's Governing Board will select the projects for inclusion in the program.

Cost-share reimbursement will be up to 40 percent of construction costs. Projects selected for this program may be allocated less than 40 percent reimbursement. The District's Governing Board will determine the percentage of reimbursement on a case-by-case basis. The entity constructing the project shall be required to pay at least 60 percent of the project construction costs.

For more information about Florida Statutes 373, Senate Bill 444, click HERE.

Program Goal

The District’s goal in implementing the WPSP is to cost share on construction of alternative water supply projects that have the greatest certainty in supplying the projected water needs through the year 2025, such that:

• Existing or projected water resource problems associated with priority water resource caution areas (PWRCAs) are solved or avoided
• Identification of new PWRCAs is avoided in the future

A PWRCA is an area that is projected to not be able to meet all future needs from current sources without resulting in unacceptable impacts to the water resources. PWRCAs are identified in the District Water Supply Plan. ( PWRCA map )

Project priorities

The District will allocate the majority of the funds to projects that provide significant quantities of alternative water supplies to directly help meet the projected demands. These types of projects include large, multijurisdictional projects, such as the use of surface water from the St. Johns River, and brackish groundwater projects.

The second funding priority is reuse projects that indirectly help meet demands by sustaining our current supplies or delaying the time until alternative supplies are needed.

Amount of cost-share funding

Program funding is dependent upon continued legislative support and annual funding appropriations for this program. It is anticipated that in future years, additional allocations will be approved to complete the projects that previously have received cost-share funding. Also in future years, new projects will likely be added to the list for funding.

Florida Water Protection and Sustainability Program cost-sharing fact sheet

Project eligibility

First, projects must be identified in the DWSP before they can be considered for cost-share funding. For projects to be considered eligible for inclusion in the DWSP, the water produced from the projects must contribute to the solution of projected water supply problems in a PWRCA, or the implementation of the project is needed to keep an area from being identified as a PWRCA.

After projects are incorporated in the DWSP, they will be further evaluated as to their suitability for this funding program. The identification of water supply development projects in the DWSP does not guarantee funding assistance through this funding program. Projects will be evaluated for cost-share funding based on consideration of the 12 factors described in 373.1961(3)(f) and (g), Florida Statutes (2005). Also, the District may add evaluation factors as appropriate. District staff will evaluate the potential projects and recommend projects for inclusion in the cost-share funding program. The District’s Governing Board will select the projects for inclusion in the program.

It is anticipated that the DWSP will be updated to include new projects identified by the District and local governments from ongoing county-level planning efforts and from requests offered by water supply entities.

For more information about project consideration for inclusion in the DWSP, contact Tom Bartol, director of the Division of Water Supply Management, at (386) 312-2304, or by e-mail at tbartol@sjrwmd.com.

Factors to be considered in project selection for cost-share funding

Recommendations by District staff and decisions by the Governing Board on project eligibility, project selection and project funding levels will be based on the factors described in 373.1961(3)(f) and (g), Florida Statutes (2005). Additional factors, as deemed appropriate, may apply.

Factors described in 373.1961(3)(f) and (g), Florida Statutes (2005)

• Whether the project provides substantial environmental benefits by preventing or limiting adverse water resource impacts
• Whether the project reduces competition for water supplies
• Whether the project brings about replacement of traditional sources in order to help implement a minimum flow or level or a reservation
• Whether the project will be implemented by a consumptive use permittee that has achieved the targets contained in a goal-based water conservation program approved pursuant to F.S. 373.227
• The quantity of water supplied by the project as compared to its cost
• Projects in which the construction and delivery to end users of reuse water are a major component
• Whether the project will be implemented by a multijurisdictional water supply entity or regional water supply authority
• Whether the project is part of a plan to implement two or more alternative water supply projects, all of which will be operated to produce water at a uniform rate for the participants in a multijurisdictional water supply entity or regional water supply authority
• The percentage of project costs to be funded by the water supplier or water user
• Whether the project proposal includes sufficient preliminary planning and engineering to demonstrate that the project can reasonably be implemented within the time frames provided in the regional water supply plan
• Whether the project is a subsequent phase of an alternative water supply project that is under way
• Whether and in what percentage a local government or local government utility is transferring water supply system revenues to the local government general fund in excess of reimbursements for services received from the general fund, including direct and indirect costs and legitimate payments in lieu of taxes

Additional factors to be considered

While the statutory factors cover many of the aspects relevant to meeting the District’s goals, several additional factors will be considered.

• Construction start date will be considered to determine when funding should be allocated from existing and expected WPSP revenues.
• Construction duration will be considered to determine when funding should be allocated from existing and expected WPSP revenues for subsequent year funding of the project’s construction costs.
• Endorsement of county-level planning efforts will be considered to determine if the project meets the collective needs of the water users. The District is committed to regional water supply planning and cooperative efforts to develop alternative water supply projects that meet the collective needs of water users. It is anticipated that the projects formulated through county-level planning efforts will be the best use of funds to solve regional water supply problems.
• Type of project will be considered in light of the District’s WPSP goal. Projects that utilize new sources of water (brackish groundwater, seawater, surface water) that are essential to addressing the water supply deficits will be considered for higher funding levels than reclaimed water projects.

Additional factors to be considered

While the statutory factors cover many of the aspects relevant to meeting the District’s goals, several additional factors will be considered.

• Construction start date will be considered to determine when funding should be allocated from existing and expected WPSP revenues.
• Construction duration will be considered to determine when funding should be allocated from existing and expected WPSP revenues for subsequent year funding of the project’s construction costs.
• Endorsement of county-level planning efforts will be considered to determine if the project meets the collective needs of the water users. The District is committed to regional water supply planning and cooperative efforts to develop alternative water supply projects that meet the collective needs of water users. It is anticipated that the projects formulated through county-level planning efforts will be the best use of funds to solve regional water supply problems.
• Type of project will be considered in light of the District’s WPSP goal. Projects that utilize new sources of water (brackish groundwater, seawater, surface water) that are essential to addressing the water supply deficits will be considered for higher funding levels than reclaimed water projects.

Project selection process for cost-share funding

The District will consider funding assistance on an annual basis. Projects identified in the DWSP for which the associated water supply entity is prepared to enter into an agreement committing to the construction and operation of the project will be further evaluated as to the suitability of the projects for this funding program. If the entity is a public supply utility, the utility must be prepared to develop and/or maintain rate structures for water customers in its service area that will promote the conservation of water and promote the use of water from alternative water supplies. The identification of water supply development projects in the DWSP does not guarantee funding assistance through this funding program.

The District will contact, in writing, each water supply entity that has selected for implementation a water supply development project listed in the DWSP. The entity will be required to provide information needed by the District to consider the statutory and District requirements for program eligibility. District staff will evaluate the projects. During the selection process, a public meeting will be held to solicit input on the eligible projects.

District staff will recommend projects and the cost-share percentage to the Governing Board. Staff recommendations will be based on consideration of the 12 factors required by 373.1961(3)(f) and (g), Florida Statutes (2005) and any additional factors the District deems appropriate. Recommendations may also be based on the number of projects qualifying for funding assistance. Reimbursement will only be provided to those projects that incur actual project construction costs.

The District will contact those entities whose projects have been selected for inclusion in the program.

The District will enter into cost-sharing agreements that:

• Obligate the entity to construct and operate the facility
• Allow for payment of construction on a percentage of completion basis, up to 40 percent (or other designated percentage) of actual construction costs and within a stated not-to-exceed maximum dollar amount
• Provide for payment on a quarterly basis
• Require proof of actual construction expenditures before funds are dispersed
• Require entities to report project progress to the District through the program manager

( Sample agreement )

For more information about the WPSP, contact Tom Bartol at (386) 312-2304, or by e-mail at tbartol@sjrwmd.com. You also may contact John Wester at (386) 329-4457, or by e-mail at jwester@sjrwmd.com.