Water management plan : Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve : Florida

National Park Service

Units of the national park system are not required to develop a water resources management plan. However, where water resource issues or management constraints are particularly numerous, complex, or controversial, a water resources management plan is useful in providing an identification and analysis of water-related information and issues, and presenting a coordinated action plan to address them. The water resources management plan is complementary to and consistent with the general management plan for the preserve. The water resources management plan is similar to the preserve's resources management plan, but includes a more thorough review of existing information, an in-depth analysis of water resources issues, and the development of an action plan to address them. Water resources issues identified as most pressing include the following: (1) coordinating efforts among government agencies and academic institutions with interest in preserve water resources; (2) protecting water resources from degradation through land use planning in and around the preserve; (3) preserving and/or restoring the surface water hydrology within the estuary; (4) preserving and/or restoring good surface water quality within the preserve; (5) preserving and/or restoring good groundwater quality and quantity; (6) preserving Spanish Pond hydrology and water quality; (7) preserving a healthy salt marsh system; (8) preserving healthy freshwater wetlands; and, (9) tracking park development. Management recommendations, in the form of project statements, have been developed to address these water resources issues. Project statements are standard National Park Service programming documents that describe a problem or issue, discuss actions to deal with it, and identify the additional staff and/or funds needed to carry out the proposed actions. They are planning tools used to identify problems and needed actions, and programming documents used to compete with other projects and park units for funds and staff.