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Current Situation and Objectives
Watershed education is a critical component of achieving
lasting water quality improvements. Many segments of
society do not fully understand the watershed concept
and its importance in environmental management and
protection. Extension outreach programs aimed at
specific audiences are effective in transferring
information and technologies to local stakeholders,
improving decision-making and the use of management
practices that diminish nonpoint source pollution. The
Watershed Education Network, comprised of Extension
professionals and partner agencies, will facilitate
regional coordination, increased sharing of successful
programs among states, and development of effective
educational resources that can be implemented
regionally.
Background
A watershed is a land area
defined by the watercourses
that drain water to a common water body or drainage
basin. Thus a watershed is identified by its drainage
basin, and all its land area is an integral part of it.
The health of a watershed is directly related to the
health of its surrounding environment. It has
two major functions - hydrological and ecological.
The hydrological function of a watershed involves
collection, storage and release of water. A watershed
provides sites and conditions for many different
chemical processes and habitat to various species of
plants and animals.
Florida has been divided into five large watersheds
for management purposes - 1)
Northwest; 2) Suwannee River; 3) St. John's River; 4)
Southwest; and 5) Kissimmee-Everglades. The state's five
water management districts are responsible for water
quantity and quality in each of these regions.
Wetlands and aquatic systems play an important role in a watershed.
They act
like a filter, removing nutrients from surface
and groundwater through physical and biochemical processes
like sediment retention and nutrient transformation.
Watershed Management Program
The
Florida Department of Environmental Protection has
developed a
Watershed Management Program under
the
Florida Watershed Restoration Act. The program has
six components: 1) Watershed Planning and
Coordination, 2) Watershed Monitoring and Data Management,
3) Watershed Assessment, 4) Groundwater Assessment, 5) Nonpoint
Source Management, and 6) NPDES Stormwater permitting program.
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