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Reconnection/Water Farming August 2014 Page 7 Encouraged by local landowners in the regional area and bolstered by the support of the Water Management Districts, this re -connection concept was evaluated over a limited geographical region within the St. Lucie and Indian River County areas by an independent engineering firm hired by both the SJRWMD and the SFWMD. In the consultant's published final report of December, 2005, the consultant concluded that there were sufficient volumes of fresh water (stormwater) for capture and storage which would result in compounded benefits to multiple stakeholders. The medium estimates of available fresh water for this storage and subsequent water management use as collected and analyzed from selected tributaries was 204,661 acre-feet per year. The minimum amount associated with the results of this engineering feasability study was 82,978 acre-feet per year. The maximum yearly amount of potential acre-feet of storage available as pe the report's conclusions was 364,541 acre-feet. In August of 2009, in another joint funding partnership between the SJRWMD and the SFWMD, the published water resource study validated previous studies and further provided validation to not only the value of the idea for the re -connection and associated storage capabilities, but also as to the siting of this project in the western St. Lucie and Indian River and. Northeast areas of Okeechobee counties. This site validation coincided with the initial project location as designed and authorized in the earlier Flood Control Acts of 1948 and 1954. ANOTHER IDEA IS BORN WATER FARMING (Dispersed Water Management) While the idea of the re -connection was ongoing with feasability analysis and additional studies along with continual project promotion by the initial idea person and other groups such as the Indian River Citrus League and other public and private parties realizing the potential benefits, the reality that the size of a project of this nature; the associated estimated costs and the competition for limited funding by other projects of State and National importance, brought to the forefront that something had to be done to at least allow for a foot hold in the regional area for project development. Abandoned citrus lands in the Upper East Coast region of the SFWMD by the late 2000's were numbering in the 10,000 of acres, with some estimates in excess of 30,000 acres. Diseases, such as Canker, coupled with the Hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 followed by Tropical Storm Faye in 2008, followed by Citrus Greening disease were as close to a perfect storm of ill to the Citrus industry and major contributors to the abandonment. Also contributing was the abandonment of land removed for development purposes that were caught in the economic down turn commencing around 2007. 12