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Comprehensive Plan Conservation Element approximately eight feet over much of its area. During prolonged dry spells, lake water is sometimes used as a source for agricultural irrigation. The Upper St. Johns River Basin falls under the jurisdiction of the SJRWMD and is managed cooperatively by the SJRWMD and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The Basin serves a major function in floodwater control, and is of importance as a water source to a number of counties to the north of Indian River County. Recently, the SJRWMD completed a major restoration project for the Upper St. Johns River Basin. This project involved construction of a number of water control structures and reversion of agricultural lands to wetlands. A benefit of the project is that it reduces the need for freshwater discharge into the IRL via the C-54 canal. By reducing the amount of freshwater flow from the C-54 canal to the IRL, the restoration project has improved water quality in the IRL. From 1996 through 2006, the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) acquired ±12,000 acres within the Upper St. Johns River Basin for water management purposes. In 2007, the SJRWMD acquired an additional 6,000 acres in the upper basin from Fellsmere Joint Venture as part of a 10,000 acre project called the Fellsmere Water Management Area (FWMA). According to SJRWMD staff, the FWMA project, once constructed, will provide improved water quality in the upper St. Johns River, as well as provide treatment for agricultural runoff, while reducing the occurrence of freshwater releases through the C-54 canal to the Indian River Lagoon. SJRWMD staff estimates that the FWMA project will reduce freshwater discharge through the C-54 to the Lagoon from about one discharge in 25 years to one discharge in 50 years. In addition to flood water control and irrigation uses, the Upper St. Johns River Basin is utilized for many recreational activities, such as hunting, fishing, camping, boating (which includes canoeing and airboating) hiking, and nature observation. The FWC manages the Upper St. Johns River Basin for wildlife and fisheries and is the principal regulator of recreational activities in the area. • Indian River Lagoon Combined with the Mosquito Lagoon and the Banana River, the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is part of the longest estuarine system in the State of Florida, extending approximately 156 miles from the Ponce de Leon Inlet to Hobe Sound. Due to its geographic location, the IRL is the most ecologically diverse estuarine system on the North American continent. As such, the Indian River Lagoon has been given the distinction of being designated an "Estuary of National Significance". Within Indian River County, the IRL extends roughly 22.4 miles, and covers approximately 16,300 acres at an estimated average depth of three feet. Originally, the Indian River Lagoon's natural drainage basin extended westward to the Atlantic Coastal Sand Ridge, which roughly parallels and is Community Development Department Indian River County 15