PALATKA, Fla., June 29, 2009 - The St. Johns River Water Management District will hold public meetings to encourage public participation in the development of the 2010 District Water Supply Plan (DWSP) and review of the draft 2008 District Water Supply Assessment (WSA).

The 2008 WSA and 2010 DWSP will be designed to meet the requirements of the water supply planning provisions of Florida Statutes.

The draft 2008 WSA projects water use through the year 2030 and identifies areas where current and anticipated sources of water and conservation efforts will not be adequate to meet projected needs and sustain the water resources and related natural systems. These areas are called priority water resource caution areas (PWRCAs), and they focus the District's planning efforts during the 2010 water supply planning process.

Approximately 97 percent of the District's 18-county region has been identified in the draft 2008 WSA as PWRCAs or potential PWRCAs. Through the planning process, the potential PWRCAs will be refined to determine whether they are indeed areas of concern or can be reduced in scope.

One of the meetings will focus on the technical methodology the District will use to develop the 2010 DWSP, addressing all counties within the District. The other public meetings will focus on the central, southern and northern water supply planning areas of the District.

The meetings are scheduled for:

• July 9, 10 a.m., technical methodology workshop for the development of the 2010 DWSP, Governing Board room, District headquarters, 4049 Reid St. (Hwy. 100 West), Palatka
• July 17, 9 a.m., central water supply planning area meeting, Orlando Utilities Commission Gardenia Facility, 1st floor conference room, 3800 Gardenia Ave., Orlando
• July 24, 9:30 a.m., southern water supply planning area meeting, Indian River County Commission Chambers, 1801 27th St., Bldg. A, Vero Beach
• Aug. 20, 9 a.m., Northern water supply planning area meeting, Alachua County Health Department Auditorium, 224 S.E. 24th St., Gainesville

District objectives for the 2010 water supply planning process are to allow review and further evaluation of projected water resource impacts, finalize identification of PWRCAs for the 2010 plan, complete the 2008 WSA and include it as an appendix in the 2010 plan, identify strategies to prevent unacceptable impacts and incorporate these strategies into the 2010 plan.

The District is taking every opportunity to ensure that all interested parties participate in this important planning process.

Visit the District's Web site at floridaswater.com/watersupplyplanning for more information.