TheNorthwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) stretches from theSt. Marks River Basin in Jefferson County to thePerdido River in Escambia County. The District is one of five water management districts in Florida created by the Water Resources Act of 1972. The District has worked for decades to protect and manage water resources in a sustainable manner for the continued welfare of people and natural systems across its 16-county region. It serves Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla, Walton, Washington and western Jefferson Counties.
Within the District's 11,305-square-mile (29,280 km2) area, there are several major hydrologic (or drainage) basins:Perdido River and Bay System,Pensacola Bay System (Escambia, Blackwater and Yellow Rivers),Choctawhatchee River and Bay System,St. Andrew Bay System,Apalachicola River and Bay System andSt. Marks River Basin (Wakulla River).
A nine-member Governing Board, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by theFlorida Senate, guides District activities. Board members serve four-year terms without compensation and may be reappointed. An Executive Director oversees a staff of approximately 100 that includes hydrologists, geologists, biologists, engineers, planners, foresters, land managers and various administrative personnel.
The district reports having acquired more than 85 percent of the floodplains along theChoctawhatchee River,Escambia River andEconfina Creek have been acquired by the district.[1]
Land Management
Recreational opportunities are available on NWFWMD land along the following waterways: springs, and pristine bottomland hardwood and associated upland forests.[1]
Conservation acreages by basin are:[2]