The current $183.7 million Southwest Florida Water Management budget includes money for a long list of water supply and water quality projects within the area where our members live.
The bulk of the projects are in Polk County. The largest individual projects include a group of projects to extend reclaimed water lines in the Four Corners area around Interstate 4 and U.S. 27.
Other Polk projects include $100,000 for restoration work in the Crooked Lake West Area, $50,000 for restoration of the Audubon Saddle Creek property near Lakeland, $362,500 for a pair of projects proposed by Polk County and Haines City to study use of reclaimed water to recharge the aquifer to restore minimum levels and $1 million for ongoing efforts to restore Lake Gwyn in Wahneta.
Money is going to Desoto County for a pair of $120,000 projects to expand use of reclaimed water at the golf course and develop a watershed management plan in Arcadia.
Money is going to Highlands County for a hydrologic investigation of the Lake Jackson watershed ($53,882), a watershed management plan for Jack Creek ($150,000), Lake June-in-Winter watershed protection plan ($140,250) and a stormwater improvement plan for Lake Verona in Avon Park ($75,000).
Sumter County will get $160,000 for a watershed management plan for Little Jones Creek.