District Board approves purchase of nearly 380 acres for water resource protection in Brevard County

PALATKA, Fla., Nov. 9, 2021 — The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board on Tuesday approved the purchase of two adjacent properties for water resource protection efforts in Brevard County. These acquisitions advance the conservation and protection of St. Johns River’s floodplain wetlands.

The first property is 267 acres located within the District’s Upper St. Johns River Basin, near the boundary of the River Lakes and Three Forks conservation areas in western Brevard County. Most of the acquisition (259 acres) is located north of U.S. 192, with the remaining 8 acres lies south of U.S. 192. The second property is just over 119 acres and straddles U.S. Highway 192, with 33 acres north and the remaining 86 acres south of the highway.

Combined, these acquisitions close a gap in the District’s floodplain ownership between River Lake and Three Forks conservation areas. Both properties are almost entirely comprised of wetlands, consisting of freshwater emergent wetlands and freshwater forested/shrub wetlands. Since 1982, the District has identified these properties as highly desirable for preservation.

Acquisition of the properties will further the District’s core missions by preserving additional land in the St. Johns River’s floodplain at the main stem of the river and support the District’s Crane Creek/M-1 Canal Flow Restoration Project.