The South Florida Water Management District protects the supply and the quality of water resources by regulating the management and storage of surface waters and the dredging or filling of wetlands with environmental resource permits. We also regulate ground and surface water withdrawals by major users such as water utilities, agriculture and nurseries, golf courses, mining and other industrial users. Other permits issued by the District include well construction, and Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) permits to property owners working to reduce nutrient/pollution flows into areas such as Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.
Ricardo Valera, Director LWC, Regulatory. Phone: (239) 338 - 2929, Ext. 7733; or E-mail at rvalera@sfwmd.gov
NEW: Florida Permitting Portal - Portal to all five water management districts' (WMDs) permitting. In counties where jurisdictions are split among WMDs, interactive features help you determine which district covers different parts of a county.
Environmental Resource Permits
Many of the activities of the Lower West Coast Regional Service Center focus on the regulation of water resources in the five-county area. The District regulates the management and storage of surface waters, including dredging or filling in wetlands, by requiring environmental resource permits. Any proposed surface water management system involving a project site 100 acres or more in size or with more than 1 acre of wetland impacts will require an Individual Permit. In most cases, project sites less than 100 acres in size with less than 1 acre of wetland impacts qualify for a Standard General, Noticed General or No Notice General Permit. The objective of the permitting program is to assure that the permitted activities are neither harmful to the water resources of the District nor inconsistent with the public interest. In certain basins where unique water management conditions exist, additional requirements must be satisfied.
Water Use Permits
The District also regulates water uses by requiring permits. The objective of the permitting program is to assure that each use is reasonable and beneficial; will not interfere with any presently existing legal water uses; and is consistent with the public interest. With the exception of domestic uses for potable and home irrigation and water used for fire fighting, water use permits are required of major water users such as industries, golf courses, nurseries and landscaping, agriculture, mining, and water utilities. Any water user who uses ten thousand gallons or more per day is required to have an Individual Permit. In most cases, a use of less than 100,000 gallons per day will qualify for a General Water Use Permit, unless the use is within a Reduced Threshold Area.
Big Cypress Basin
Permitting
