Laserfiche WebLink
Reconnection/Water Farming August 2014 <br />Page 11 <br />In the same sense, the decision to administer a tax rate on land now providing a revenue stream <br />from a previously abandoned no revenue position, must be applied in a consistent fashion from <br />County to County and not left to the individual interpretation of each county. Again the State <br />legislation must assure this application /interpretation consistency. <br />WATER QUALITY CREDIT TRADING <br />Briefly noted is the recently enacted legislation governing water quality credit trading. When the <br />water farming and regional attenuation concepts were first envisioned and time went on in the <br />developmental process, it became apparent, in concert with many other matters occurring in <br />regard to Numeric Nutrient Criteria; BMAPS; TMDL's etc, that the ability to hold water on <br />lands, typically in the western agricultural areas, can be beneficial to those coastal areas that will <br />be challenged to address future water quality compliance matters. Initial thoughts in this area <br />note that the ability to establish credits and a credit value similar to the fundamental of mitigation <br />banking, can further add to the overall benefits associated with on-site storage—alternative water <br />supply and water re -use. <br />CONCLUSION <br />As the project words (Re-Connection/Regional Attenuation and Water Farming) imply, the <br />regional water management system that was once a compete vast regional system that was <br />authorized, designed and to a degree constructed prior to the creation of the Water Management <br />Districts, was now disconnected legislatively and severed hydraulically. The development of this <br />re -connection and the associated components (Reservoirs/STAs/Water Farming), in the same <br />spirit and intent of the original Flood Control Acts, would today, better serve the State of <br />Florida and the regional areas through this multi -faceted project effort than initially contemplated <br />in those earlier acts. <br />Over the past years, this re -connection and the associated components as noted have received <br />support and continual endorsements from, but not limited to, groups such as the Indian River <br />lagoon National Estuary Program; Treasure Coast Council of Local Governments, <br />Environmental Organizations as well as the personal endorsements of leading State and <br />nationally recognized environmentalists. <br />16 <br />