Water Supply Assessments

As required by Florida law (section 373.036, Florida Statutes), the District conducts Water Supply Assessments (WSAs) to provide a regional evaluation of water supply sources and projections of future demands for the 16 counties of northwest Florida. Water demand projections are provided for the following use categories: public supply, domestic self-supply, agriculture, recreational irrigation, industrial / commercial / institutional (ICI), and thermoelectric power generation.

Water Supply Assessments help the District efficiently and effectively meet the future needs of the citizens of northwest Florida, while sustaining our natural resources and the environment. The information included in each WSA update should aid in developing future utility infrastructure plans and in meeting the water supply planning requirements of local comprehensive plans.

To better evaluate and plan for our long-term water supply needs, the District is committed to coordinating our efforts with local governments, utilities, self-suppliers, other stakeholders and the public.

2018 Water Supply Assessment Update

The 2018 Water Supply Assessment Update, which extended the water demand projections through 2040, was presented at the District’s Governing Board meeting on December 13, 2018. Pursuant to Section 373.709, Florida Statutes, and based on the findings of the 2018 WSA, the Governing Board determined:

1. The regional water supply plan (RWSP) for Region II (Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties) shall be continued;
2. The RWSP for Region III (Bay County) shall be discontinued; and
3. No new RWSPs are required.

The Governing Board re-evaluates the determination of the need for regional water supply planning every five years.

Public Involvement

Pursuant to Section 373.709(1), Florida Statutes, the planning and development of the water supply assessment was conducted in an open public process. This process included:

1. Seeking input through outreach surveys sent to public supply, ICI, and power generation self-suppliers in Spring 2017. More than half of the permittees reviewed data and responded.
2. Presenting an Informational Item to the Governing Board’s Resource Management Committee on June 14, 2018.
3. Conducting a series of technical and public workshops in July 2018.
4. Releasing the Draft 2018 Water Supply Assessment Update report on October 22, 2018 for further public review and comment. Public comments were received through November 27, 2018.
5. Presenting the findings of the 2018 Water Supply Assessment and recommendations for regional water supply planning at the Governing Board meeting on December 13, 2018.

The District coordinated and cooperated with local governments, regional water supply authorities, government- and privately-owned water, wastewater, and reuse utilities; multijurisdictional water supply entities, self-suppliers, state agencies, members of the public; and other interested parties.

Workshops presented and the 2018 WSA Update report included information about the technical data and modeling tools used to support regional water supply planning. Workshops were held in July 2018 in Ft. Walton Beach, Panama City, and Midway (District Headquarters). A combined presentation of the information presented at all workshops is available here.

Contact Paul Thorpe by email or (850) 539-5999.

Water Supply Assessment Archives

2013 Water Supply Assessment

During its February 2014 meeting, the District’s Governing Board determined that the Region II and Region III Regional Water Supply Plans (RWSPs) should continue, that the Region V RWSP should be discontinued, and that no new regional water supply plans were needed in the Northwest Florida Water Management District. The water demand projections were updated to 2035.

2008 Water Supply Assessment Update

The District’s Governing Board approved the Water Supply Assessment Update on May 28, 2009.

2003 Water Supply Projections Report

The District’s Governing Board approved the Water Supply Assessment Update on June 12, 2003.

1998 Water Supply Assessment

The 1998 Water Supply Assessment provided the first comprehensive assessment of water supply needs and sources for the Northwest Florida Water Management District. This assessment provides estimates of 1995 water use and water use projections for the 2000-2020 planning period.  Detailed regional assessments of water resource availability were also prepared to evaluate the need for regional water supply planning. The 1998 WSA concluded that water supply planning was only needed in Region II (Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties).