Florida Farms Share Costs to Reduce Water Use

Source: St. Augustine Record

Three farms in St. Johns County will be splitting about $419,000 in cost-share funds from the St. Johns River Water Management District to reduce water use and nutrient loading.

The district announced this week it would be moving forward with contracts with Picolata Farms, Singleton Farms and Florida Spuds, in order to share funds provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the district and the Natural Resource and Conservation Service.

According to the district, the projects are all “sub-irrigation drain tile projects,” meaning irrigation water is delivered underground through perforated pipe in order to decrease runoff and limit evaporation.

“These systems use significantly less water than traditional seepage systems,” a written release from the district says.

It’s anticipated the three projects will reduce the farms’ water use by 218,537 gallons a day, nitrogen loading by 1,993 pounds a year and phosphorous loading by 474 pounds a year.

Steve Singleton, owner of Singleton & Sons Farms, said last week the cost-share funding will help him install tile drains in several of his fields, which could potentially cut his water use almost in half.

“It’s very efficient,” he said. “It’s a closed system. All the water is underground, with very little evaporation.”

He said considering it costs about $3,000 an acre to install that infrastructure, the cost-share program is a big help. The improvements will certainly help with the water bill, too.

“This makes it affordable,” he said, adding he’s already installed the drains on about 150 acres and he’s looking to do more.

The goal of the Tri County Agricultural Area Water Management Partnership is to reduce water use and nutrient loading in St. Johns, Putnam and Flagler counties. More than 85 projects have received funding since the partnership was initiated in 2012.

These three latest projects, along with six others approved by the district in October, will share about $1.5 million in funding this year.

The district says these projects are “anticipated to contribute to the improved health of the St. Johns River through on-farm and regional water management projects and practices that reduce the movement of nutrients to the river, improve water conservation and result in more efficient farm management while maintaining the long-term viability of agriculture in the TCAA.”

According to the district’s website, the cost-share could cover up to 75 percent of the engineering, design and construction costs of an approved project. Growers are expected to cover maintenance costs, but future requests for long-term maintenance items may be considered for funding.