The Homosassa South Fork Watershed Management Plan is a cooperatively funded project between Citrus County and the District's Coastal Rivers Basin Board. This project is the third project in an ongoing effort to improve water quality in the Homosassa South Fork Watershed. The majority of the watershed's drainage area was developed prior to District regulations. As a result, storm water is not treated before discharging into the Homosassa River.
Storm water is water that flows over land during and immediately after a rainstorm.
The Environmental Protection Agency has identified stormwater runoff as the most serious water quality problem today. Pollutants associated with stormwater runoff include sediment, nutrients, heavy metals, oils, greases, pesticides and bacteria. Without proper treatment in developed areas, these pollutants in runoff adversely impact the quality of the receiving water. The goal of this project is to improve water quality within the watershed prior to reaching the Homosassa River, an Outstanding Florida Water. The project will include updating floodplain information for land use regulation, for obtaining building and surface water permits, and for identifying natural areas that should be protected, preserved, and restored.