A draft long-range water management plan for the Middle St. Johns River Basin identifies protecting Rock Springs and Wekiwa Springs, improving water quality and preserving natural floodplains as top priorities affecting the Apopka area. 

During a public workshop July 16 at the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Apopka Service Center, basin planning manager Cammie Dewey outlined the plan’s priorities and encouraged residents to provide feedback. 

In a follow-up interview Monday, Dewey said the district reestablished its basin management program in 2024 and divided the district into four strategic planning basins. 

“We kind of divided the district into four strategic planning basins, with the Middle Basin being one of those four,” she said. “It really helps make sure that each of those specific areas gets that focus, has that collaborative opportunity so that we make sure we address the needs and priorities of each of those specific basins.”  

For residents in the Apopka area, Dewey said the plan’s most significant focus is protecting the region’s Outstanding Florida Springs, which include Rock Springs and Wekiwa Springs and their springsheds.  

Dewey said one of the district’s primary objectives is reducing nutrient pollution entering the springsheds through stormwater runoff and groundwater, including from older septic systems. 

According to Dewey, those priorities include improving water quality in lakes and rivers, protecting Outstanding Florida Springs and preserving floodplains throughout the Middle Basin, including the Wekiva River, Econlockhatchee River and middle St. Johns River systems. 

Dewey said preserving floodplain wetlands provides a nonstructural approach to flood protection by allowing natural areas to store water during heavy rainfall and tropical storms. 

Protecting those natural flood storage areas is more cost-effective than relying solely on engineered flood-control structures, according to Dewey.  

At the workshop, staff showed satellite imagery comparing conditions before and after Hurricane Milton to illustrate how wetlands temporarily held floodwaters as lakes and the St. Johns River expanded beyond their normal boundaries. Officials also highlighted the district’s work on a flood forecasting model that is supported by a $1.5 million grant and is expected to be completed in 2027.  

“If that water isn’t stored, it’s got to go somewhere,” Dewey told the Chief. “It’s quite a bit more expensive to try to build structural-type protections as opposed to preserving our lands and preserving those natural floodplain areas.”  

The district also is collaborating with counties and municipalities as they update aging watershed studies and pursue regional water resource projects. 

“We are collaborating with those local governments because … to get a larger regional project underway, it takes multiple entities when you start to seek out funding,” Dewey said. “You have a much better chance at different possible funding opportunities.” 

The St. Johns River Water Management District, which also manages the Lake Apopka North Shore restoration area and the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, is accepting public comments through Aug. 13 on the draft. The draft is scheduled to be posted Thursday on the district’s website before being considered for approval by the Governing Board in September.