ASABE Technical Library - Abstract
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Water Quality/Quality BMPs for Flatwoods Citrus Operations in Florida
Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org
Citation: Pp. 244-249 in Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Environmental Regulations: Proceedings of the March 11-13, 2002 Conference, (Fort Worth, Texas, USA) 701P0102.(doi:10.13031/2013.7564)Authors: M.V. Thomas and B.J. Bowman
Keywords: TMDL, BMP, water volume, sediment, nutrients, pesticides, aquatic weeds, water quality
The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program requirements of the federal Clean Water Act are
requiring states to develop new initiatives for managing agricultural nonpoint sources. In Florida, public
agencies and the agricultural community are taking the lead in implementing a watershed-based process
for BMP development.
In 1998, Florida took the initiative to begin the development of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for
Indian River Area citrus groves. By adopting and enacting the BMPs, growers hoped to minimize the
effects of regulation, legislation, and litigation concerning the EPAs establishment of total maximum
daily loads for the estuary and lagoon. The BMP process has produced an extensive BMP manual,
initiated a series of workshops and on-farm demonstrations, and obtained funding to conduct a massive
on-farm outreach project. This paper explains the project and presents some lessons learned about
developing consensus among the diverse interests involved in developing BMPs.