Homosassa and Chassahowitzka Springs Groups BMAP StoryMap

The Priority Focus Area (PFA) comprises 77,732 acres and includes a region in the western part of the Homosassa Springshed (36,961 acres) and Chassahowitzka Springshed (40,771 acres) that are subareas within the BMAP boundary. The PFA represents the area in the basin where the aquifer is most vulnerable to inputs and where there are the most connections between groundwater and the springs.

Find more information on the PFA  here .

Based on the Nitrogen Source Inventory Loading Tool (NSILT) estimates, the tables and pie charts in the links below depict the estimated percentage of nitrogen loading to groundwater by source in each springshed. For the BMAP area, agricultural sources represent 39%, urban turfgrass fertilizer (UTF) sources represent 22%, and onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) or septic systems represent 16% of the total loading in the BMAP area (combined springsheds). Stormwater loading to groundwater is incorporated in the various source categories.

Homosassa Springshed- Nitrogen Loading by Source 

The pie chart in the link above provides a visual representation of the estimated percentage of nitrogen loading to groundwater by source in the Homosassa Springshed. Agriculture (farm fertilizer and livestock waste) represents 42% of the nitrogen source, urban turfgrass fertilizer represent 24%, and septic systems represent 16%. Stormwater loading to groundwater is incorporated into the various source categories.

Chassahowitzka Springshed- Nitrogen Loading by Source

The pie chart in the link above provides a visual representation of the estimated percentage of nitrogen loading to groundwater by source in the Chassahowitzka Springshed. Agriculture (farm fertilizer and livestock waste) represents 35%, of the nitrogen source, urban turfgrass fertilizer represent 19%, and onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) or septic systems represent 15%. Stormwater loading to groundwater is incorporated into the various source categories.

Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal System (OSTDS) Remediation Policy

• Installation of New OSTDS
  • This OSTDS remediation plan prohibits new conventional systems on lots of less than one acre within the BMAP, unless the OSTDS includes enhanced treatment of nitrogen or unless the OSTDS permit applicant demonstrates that sewer connections will be available within five years.
• Modification or Repair of Existing OSTDS –
  • The remediation policy for existing systems applies to all existing OSTDS within the PFAs lots of all sizes.
  • Upon the need for repair or replacement, an existing OSTDS must include at least one of the following nitrogen reducing enhancements listed in the BMAP document, unless the OSTDS permit applicant demonstrates that sewer connections will be available within five years.
  • All conventional OSTDS in areas subject to the remediation policy for existing systems are required to adopt enhanced treatment of nitrogen or connect to sewer no later than 20 years after BMAP adoption.

Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) Effluent Standards

• The Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act prohibits new domestic wastewater disposal facilities within the BMAP, including Rapid Infiltration Basins (RIBs), with permitted capacities of 100,000 gpd or more, except for those facilities that provide advanced wastewater treatment (AWT) that reduces total nitrogen in the effluent to 3 mg/L or lower, on an annual permitted basis. DEP requires the nitrogen effluent limits listed below in any new or existing wastewater permit, unless the utility/entity can demonstrate reasonable assurance that the reuse or land application of effluent would not cause or contribute to an exceedance of the nitrate concentrations established by the TMDL.
• The nitrogen effluent limits listed in the table will be applied as an annual average to all new and existing WWTFs with a DEP-permitted discharge or disposal area within the BMAP. New effluent standards will take effect at the time of permit issuance or renewal or no later than five years after BMAP adoption, whichever is sooner.

Agriculture

• Subsection 403.067, F.S., requires agricultural nonpoint sources in a BMAP area either to implement the applicable Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)-adopted Best Management Practices (BMPs), which provides a presumption of compliance with water quality standards, or conduct water quality monitoring prescribed by DEP or Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) that demonstrates compliance with water quality standards.
• Based on the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act, Subsection 373.811(5), F.S., prohibits any new agricultural operations within the BMAP that does not implement applicable FDACS BMPs, measures necessary to achieve pollution reduction levels established by DEP, or groundwater monitoring plans approved by a Water Management District (WMD) or DEP.
• FDACS will work with applicable producers within the BMAP area to implement BMPs.
• Further reductions may be achieved through implementing additional agricultural projects or practices, including land acquisition and conservation easements.

Monitoring

Monitoring is required by all BMAPs. The purpose of the Outstanding Florida Spring (OFS) monitoring network is to support the evaluation of progress made toward achieving the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) target nitrate concentration for the impaired OFS. 

BMAP implementation involves an iterative process, therefore, the monitoring efforts are related to primary and secondary objectives. The primary objectives focus on achieving water quality targets, while the secondary objectives focus on water quality parameters that can be used to provide information for future refinements of the BMAP. The monitoring strategy may be updated as necessary.  

Documenting water quality improvements for the OFS will require periodic surface water sampling at the spring vent, groundwater monitoring, and biological monitoring. Surface water quality data are collected to determine if TMDL nitrate targets are being achieved. Flow data are collected in support of the secondary objective of calculating total nitrogen (TN) loading and tracking changes in TN loading in the basin. Groundwater well data are collected because the Upper Floridan Aquifer (UFA) well network is expected to respond to changes in nitrate concentration before the spring vents and rivers and will help identify the response of the UFA nitrate levels to different land uses and recharge rates. 

At a minimum, the core parameters will be tracked to determine the progress that has been made towards meeting the TMDL and/or achieving the numeric nutrient criteria (NNC). For this BMAP, nitrate is considered to be the key core parameter measured to track progress in decreasing nitrogen concentrations in groundwater and the water surfacing at the spring vent. The other parameters are considered supplementary parameters for the BMAP, as they build information about water quality in the groundwater and at the spring vent but are not direct measurements of impairment. 

Biological responses to BMAP implementation may also be tracked. A significant amount of time may be needed for changes to be observed. 

DEP uses several monitoring tools designed to measure direct biological response to the water quality improvement or decline in springs. Rapid periphyton surveys (RPS) are conducted to assess the extent and abundance of attached algae (periphyton) and evaluate the autecological information associated with the dominant algae. Linear vegetation surveys (LVS) are conducted to assess the types and density of vegetation present and to identify the native versus non-native species. The LVS was designed to evaluate the ecological condition by determining how closely a site’s flora resembles that of an undisturbed system. Stream Condition Index (SCI) will be conducted to measure the number of different organisms present in the river and/or springs. In addition, habitat assessments (HAs) are conducted to assess the conditions and habitat present to support the SCI evaluation. Water quality samples should also be collected with the biological monitoring. 

DEP continuously monitors the effectiveness of the monitoring network to fulfill the objectives stated in the BMAP and will continue to coordinate within and across jurisdictions to achieve water quality targets. 

Water Quality

The Protecting Florida Together water quality map delivers statewide water quality information. On this site, you can explore the Florida regions that are of interest to you. Individual waterbodies are color-coded based on the assessment status of nutrients and whether they are meeting standards. 

The water quality map has information on impairments under the “Water Impairment” tab based on the DEP watershed assessment process, in accordance with the Impaired Waters Rule. When sufficient data is available, you can click the button called “View Waterbody Trends” to see a graph of annual geometric mean concentrations (AGMs) for each parameter over the last 10 years. Additionally, the “Get More Data” button below the graphs allows users to search for additional monitoring data from the statewide database,   Watershed Information Network  . 

The Protecting Florida Together water quality maps and graphs can be accessed at the following link. 

   Water Quality Status Dashboard | Water Quality Dashboard (protectingfloridatogether.gov) 

Stakeholders submitted management strategies to the department with the understanding that the strategies would be included in the BMAP, thus requiring each entity to implement the proposed strategies in a timely way and achieve the assigned load reduction estimates. While the 20-year planning period for this BMAP is 2018 to 2038, projects completed since January 1, 2014, count toward the overall nitrogen reduction goals. The management strategies are ranked with a priority of high, medium, or low. Projects used in this BMAP that could have a significant impact in reducing nitrogen loads to the springs include extensive septic to sewer projects, wastewater treatment facility upgrades, and implementation of farm fertilizer, livestock waste, and golf course BMPs.

Examples of stakeholder projects for the Homosassa and Chassahowitzka BMAP to reduce nitrogen sources:

• Construction of stormwater ponds for flood storage and treatment of stormwater runoff with enhanced nitrogen removal technology to reduce nitrogen loading.
• Connection of septic to central sewer
• Upgrade of wastewater treatment plants for better nitrogen removal.
• Decommission package plants by connection to larger wastewater treatment facilities.
• Cost share programs with agriculture to improve irrigation efficiency and reduce fertilizer use.
• Muck removal and restorative dredging projects.
• Hydrologic restoration of wetlands to establish natural flows to the aquifer and improve recharge rates.

The BMAP implementation process uses adaptive management to adjust when circumstances change, or monitoring indicates the need for additional or more effective restoration strategies. Adaptive management measures may include recommending additional restoration projects, updating the information in the water quality model, updating the model itself, adjusting allocations, or including new statutory requirements.

Information on progress in the Homosassa and Chassahowitzka Springs Group BMAP can be found in the latest  Statewide Annual Report .

Annually, DEP works with stakeholders to track BMAP project implementation and to review progress. The updated project list for the prior calendar year is presented by July 1 in the Statewide Annual Report. A complete project list can be downloaded from this site, for those interested in detailed project information.  To promote progress and implementation, BMAP stakeholders meet annually to follow up on plan implementation, share new information, and continue to coordinate TMDL restoration–related issues. 

In this BMAP, the following statements summarize the progress of the overall reductions and provide an indication of the challenges related to reducing pollutants from different sources.

Overall

• Total nitrogen reductions are not on track to meet the next milestone.

Urban Turfgrass Fertilizer (UTF)/Sports Turfgrass Fertilizer (STF)

• Local entities have struggled to identify and fund additional urban stormwater projects to achieve the necessary reductions.
• Implementation of source control measures is needed to decrease the amount of nutrient loading. Examples of source controls include public education and local ordinances to address residential fertilizer, over-irrigation, and pet waste.
• Additional programs are needed to track and implement BMPs specifically for golf courses and other sports turfgrass.

Farm Fertilizer/Livestock Waste

• Some agricultural producers are not compliant in their requirements to enroll in appliable BMPs or conduct water quality monitoring.
• Since owner-implemented BMPs are also cost effective, these BMPs may have been implemented prior to enrollment and are, therefore, not a new reduction in loading.
• Agricultural cost-share implementation may be needed to address these sources.
• As agricultural loadings are the prevailing source of loadings in this BMAP, substantial regional projects and advanced BMPs, which are the responsibility of the state, need to be identified and implemented to reduce agricultural loads.
• More information is needed on agricultural practices that improve loads to groundwater for springs protection.

 Wastewater

• The wastewater provisions in the BMAP have not yet been fully implemented but will be added as permits are renewed.
• Some important infrastructure projects are underway but may not result in immediate reductions because of the time it takes to design, permit, and build these projects. Only WWTF projects that are completed and have post-project water quality data are included in the reduction totals.

 OSTDS

• This BMAP has additional requirements for OSTDS enhancement or septic-to-sewer conversions that have recently gone into effect and have not been fully implemented.
• Some important septic-to-sewer conversion projects are underway but may not result in immediate reductions because of the time it takes to design, permit, and build these projects. Only septic-to-sewer conversion projects that are completed are included in the reduction totals.
• Expanding the BMAP requirements for OSTDS enhancement or additional septic-to-sewer conversion projects may be necessary in future iterations given the magnitude of OSTDS loads in this springshed.