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About the District 

The Northwest Florida Water 

Management District (NWFWMD or 

District) stretches from the St. Marks 

River Basin in Jefferson County to the 

Perdido River in Escambia County. The 

District is one of five water 

management districts in Florida created 

by the Water Resources Act of 1972. 

The District has worked for decades to 

protect and manage water resources in 

a sustainable manner for the continued 

welfare of people and natural systems 

across its 16-county region. It serves 

Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, 

Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, 

Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla, 

Walton, Washington and western 

Jefferson County. 

Within the District's 11,305-squaremile area, there are several major 

hydrologic (or drainage) basins: 

Perdido River and Bay System, 

Pensacola Bay System (Escambia, 

Blackwater and Yellow Rivers), 

Choctawhatchee River and Bay System, 

St. Andrew Bay System, Apalachicola 

River and Bay System and St. Marks 

River Basin (Wakulla River). 

A nine member Governing Board, 

appointed by the Governor and 

confirmed by the Florida Senate, guides 

District activities. Board members serve 

four-year terms without compensation 

and may be reappointed. An Executive Director oversees a staff of 

approximately 100 that includes hydrologists, geologists, biologists, 

engineers, planners, foresters, land managers and various administrative 

personnel. 

The Mission 

The Mission of the Northwest Florida Water Management District is to 

implement the provisions of Chapter 373, Water Resources, Florida Statutes, 

in a manner that best ensures the continued welfare of the residents and 

natural systems of northwest Florida. 

The Goals 

The Goals of the District are: 

- to ensure an adequate supply of water for all reasonable and beneficial purposes 

through the promotion of conservation, resource protection and development of 

alternative supplies 

- to provide for the protection and enhancement of natural systems through 

integrated land and water resource management programs 

- to minimize harm from flooding and otherwise protect the health, safety and 

welfare of the residents of the region 

- to protect, maintain and improve the quality of the water resource 

Organization 

 Douglas E. Barr

 Executive Director 

 

 Ron Bartel

 Director - Resource Management Division 

 

 William "Bill" Cleckley

 Director - Land Management and 

 Acquisition Division 

 

 Guy Gowens

 Director - Resource Regulation Division 

 

 Jean Whitten

 Director - Division of Administration 

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- to enhance public awareness, understanding and participation in comprehensive 

water resource management 

- to develop the District's overall water management capabilities, expertise and 

abilities to provide technical assistance for local needs 

Managing Our Water Resources 

A number of activities are undertaken to address the water resource issues 

facing this region. Managing these resources involves balancing varying water 

uses and demands with availability. Conflicting priorities often must be 

addressed to ensure that there are sufficient water supplies for human needs 

while maintaining water quality and viable, functioning natural systems. 

Resource Management 

Several programs are implemented through resource management. Some of 

these include stormwater monitoring, developing stormwater management 

plans, wellhead protection and surface and ground water quality monitoring. 

The Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program remains 

an important resource management program. Through the SWIM Program, 

begun in 1987, water bodies in need of restoration or protection are identified 

and water quality, water quantity, habitat and overall management of the 

system are assessed. SWIM plans have been developed for the Apalachicola 

River and Bay, Lake Jackson, Pensacola Bay System, St. Marks and Wakulla 

River System, St. Andrew Bay and Choctawhatchee River and Bay. 

Long-term planning is essential to protect these natural resources. In recent 

years, a District Water Management Plan was developed that will help guide 

water management decisions for the next 20 years. 

z ACT-ACF Comprehensive Water Resources Study 

z Consolidated Annual Report 

z Florida Forever Grant Program 

z Existing Hydrologic Conditions 

z Five-Year Water Resource Development Work Program 

z Minimum Flows and Levels 

z Surface Water Improvement and Management Program (SWIM) 

z SWIM Priority List March 1, 2006 (PDF) 

z Regional Wetland Mitigation 

z NWFWMD Map Modernization Website 

Regulatory Programs 

Several permitting programs are implemented District-wide. Through the 

Consumptive Use Program, the District's water supplies are allocated in a 

manner that is reasonable-beneficial, in the public interest and which does not 

have a deleterious impact on existing legal users or the resource. 

Well construction rules and permits help safeguard our water supplies. Proper 

construction of new wells and proper plugging of old or abandoned wells keep 

pollutants out of the ground water. In 2006, the Florida Legislature delegated 

the authority to implement the Environmental Resource Permitting program to 

the District. Other permitting programs regulate the construction and repair of 

dams, projects involving artificial recharge of water into any underground 

formation and agricultural, forestry and wetland projects that manage, store 

and drain surface waters. 

Land Acquisition and Management 

Land acquisition programs, such as Save Our Rivers, Preservation 2000 and 

Florida Forever, have allowed the District to purchase more than 200,000 

acres throughout the Panhandle so that the area's water resources can be 

permanently conserved and preserved. These acquisitions protect many 

important wetland and natural vegetation communities, including river 

floodplains, headwater wetlands, coastal marshes and springs and pristine 

bottomland hardwood and associated upland forests. More than 85 percent of 

the floodplains along the Choctawhatchee and Escambia rivers and the 

Econfina Creek have been acquired by the District. 

Every acre of District-owned land is available to the general public for a wide 

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variety of resource-based recreational purposes which take into consideration 

the environmental sensitivity of the land. District land may be used for birdwatching, nature study, photography, hiking, jogging, camping, fishing, 

hunting, swimming, canoeing, boating and other nature-related outdoor 

activities. Click here for more information about the Lands Acquisition 

Program. 

Ground Water 

Ground water provides most of the water supply for northwest Florida. More 

than 80 percent of the area's potable water is derived from ground water. Four 

major ground water systems can be found in this region: the Surficial Aquifer 

System (which includes the Sand and Gravel Aquifer), the Intermediate 

System, the Floridan Aquifer System and the Sub-Floridan System. The 

Floridan and the Sand and Gravel Aquifer supply most of the ground water in 

this area. 

The Floridan Aquifer is a thick series of limestones. Its top ranges from 

approximately 100 feet above sea level in Jackson County to 1,600 feet below 

sea level in southeastern Escambia County. Well yields from the Floridan 

average between 500 and 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) and range from a 

high of about 5,000 gpm in the Tallahassee area to fewer than 100 gpm in 

Gadsden County and in some coastal areas. For the most part, the Floridan 

yields water of excellent quality that requires little treatment. In Escambia 

and parts of Santa Rosa counties, the water from the Floridan is saline and 

potable supplies are obtained from the Sand and Gravel Aquifer. 

The process through which ground water is replenished is very important. 

Ground water replenishment varies from rainfall seeping very slowly through 

overlying sediments to a more direct recharge process where sediments of the 

aquifer lie at or near the land's surface and rainfall can move directly into the 

aquifer. Unfortunately, areas such as these are particularly vulnerable to 

pollutants from various land uses and land practices that occur on the surface. 

Surface Water 

Northwest Florida has some of the largest rivers in the state as well as a 

number of important streams, lakes, springs and estuaries. In terms of annual 

discharge (volume of flow), the area has three of the five largest rivers in the 

state: the Apalachicola, Choctawhatchee and Escambia. The Apalachicola, the 

largest derives most of its flow from the extensive basins of the Flint and 

Chattahoochee rivers in Georgia, which converge at Lake Seminole. Many of 

the District's major rivers originate in Alabama and Georgia and interstate 

water management relating to these rivers is an increasingly important issue. 

Most of the rivers within northwest Florida are in their natural state and have 

few structures to alter their floodplains and channels or control their flow 

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rates. However, those rivers originating in neighboring states are likely to 

have such structures. Rainfall, stormwater runoff and ground water contribute 

to the discharge into rivers and streams and primarily determine variations in 

flow. 

Flooding periodically occurs along major rivers in the region, although 

damages are held to a minimum because of the relatively sparse development 

within the floodplains of these rivers. District land acquisitions that target 

major river and stream corridors help reduce flood damage since these lands 

must remain in their natural state once they are purchased for water quality 

protection and for preservation purposes. Urban and low-lying coastal areas 

are where major flood damage is likely to occur. 

Within the northwest region are several first magnitude springs and second 

magnitude springs, most of which are popular recreation spots. The first 

magnitude springs include the Gainer Springs group, Blue Springs, Wakulla 

Springs, St. Marks Rise and the Spring Creek group. There are numerous lakes 

such as Lake Jackson, which is known for its bass fishing. 

The only location in the region where surface water is currently used as a 

source of public supply are Panama City (Deer Point Lake Reservoir). 

Future Water Needs 

Although an adequate supply of water is available now for most of northwest 

Florida, there are a few existing or anticipated water supply problems. These 

needs are being addressed through the development of alternative water 

supplies, creation of regional wellfields and supply systems, special permitting 

requirements and long-range planning. 

Areas within the District of particular concern are designated as Water 

Resource Caution Areas. For an area to be so designated, it must be 

experiencing or anticipated to experience significant or widespread reductions 

in water levels, saltwater intrusion or other degradation within the next 20 

years. There are two such areas now. One is the coastal area of Santa Rosa, 

Okaloosa and Walton counties where extensive development and significant 

withdrawals of ground water have occurred and the other is the upper Telogia 

Creek drainage basin in Gadsden County where surface water is used for 

agricultural activities. Establishing minimum flows and levels for both ground 

water and surface water systems will be essential for the effective future 

management of these resources. Concerns and issues relating to river systems 

that are shared with neighboring states as well as the transfer of water from 

one region to another will be in the forefront for years to come. The key to 

successful water management in the future is careful planning so that the 

area’s fragile ecosystems can continue to be protected. 

 

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