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The Watershed Approach to Managing Florida's Water Resources

"Watershed management" is a comprehensive approach to managing water resources based on hydrologic units - that is, natural boundaries like river basins - rather than political or regulatory boundaries. It promotes the management of entire natural systems. The watersheds shown below have been defined by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to make environmental management easier and more uniform across programs.

For more information about watersheds, see Dr. Sanjay Shukla's EDIS publication Watersheds- Functions and Management.

Florida's Water Management Districts

Florida's watersheds have been grouped into five large basins that are managed by the state's water management districts:

1. Northwest - managed by Northwest Florida Water Management District

2. Suwannee River - Managed by Suwannee River Water Management District

3. St. Johns River - Managed by St. Johns River Water Management District

4. Southwest - Managed by Southwest Florida Water Management District

5. Kissimmee-Everglades - Managed by South Florida Water Management District

The Northwest region contains the largest number of rivers and streams among Florida's five districts. The region includes 16 panhandle counties. The water bodies that contribute to different watersheds in this region include the Perdido River and Bay system, Pensacola Bay (which includes the Blackwater, Escambia, and Yellow Rivers), Choctawhatchee River and Bay, St. Andrew Bay, Apalachicola River and Bay, and St. Marks River basin.

The Suwannee River region is the smallest of the five districts. It spans an area of 7640 square miles and covers 15 counties in the north-central part of the state. The region is home to watersheds defined by 13 river basins. Major rivers within the Suwannee River region are Suwannee, Santa Fe, Withlacoochee, Aucilla, Alapaha, Ichetucknee, Fenholloway, Steinhatchee, Econfina, Waccasassa, and Wacissa.

The St. Johns River region lies in the northeast and north-central part of Florida, encompassing 18 counties. The major water bodies that contribute to the watershed system are the St. Johns and Nassau Rivers, and the Indian River Lagoon. A part of St. Mary's watershed also lies in this region.

The Southwest region has been divided into nine large river basins: Withlacoochee,  Coastal Rivers, Green Swamp, Hillsborough, Pinellas-Anclote, Northwest Hillsborough, Alafia, Peace, and Manasota. The region extends across 16 counties in the southwest part of the state.

The Kissimmee-Everglades region, which falls under the jurisdiction of South Florida Water Management District, spans over 16 counties and has been divided into several river basins: Kissimmee River, Upper East Coast, Lower East Coast (including the entire southeast coast and the Everglades), and Lower West Coast (including Big Cypress and Caloosahatchee River). This region is the state's largest, and is home to 40% of Florida's population. The region also contains the Everglades (the largest subtropical wetland) and Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater lake in the United States. The lake is of national importance, as its water has diverse usage and a large number of people depend on it for agricultural and domestic purposes.