What is a Basin Management Action Plan?
A basin management action plan (BMAP) is a framework for water quality restoration that contains local and state commitments to reduce pollutant loading through current and future projects and strategies. BMAPs contain a comprehensive set of solutions, such as permit limits on wastewater facilities, urban and agricultural best management practices, and conservation programs designed to achieve pollutant reductions established by a total maximum daily load (TMDL). These broad-based plans are developed with local stakeholders and rely on local input and commitment for development and successful implementation. BMAPs are adopted by Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretarial Order and are legally enforceable.
As required by the Clean Waterways Act, DEP must prepare updates to its nutrient BMAPs by July 1, 2025. These updates require the DEP’s Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration to undertake a multitude of complex tasks essential to update each BMAP in a manner consistent with law. This dashboard July 1, 2025 BMAP Update Progress provides a visual representation of progress made towards the completion of each of these tasks and related sub-tasks leading up to the July 1, 2025 updates. Information on upcoming meetings can be found on the BMAP meeting calendar page.
Water Quality Protection Grant Portal for Fiscal Year 2024-25
DEP has launched an online grant portal to provide eligible entities the opportunity to submit proposals for water-related grant programs. Eligible entities include local governments, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations. The online grant application portal opened May 1, 2024. Closing dates for individual grant programs vary. Visit ProtectingFloridaTogether.gov to review the posted date for each grant program. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals to all grant programs for which they may be eligible.
Map including BMAPs adopted and in progress | Map of HB 1379 New and Existing OSTDS Requirements
Adopted BMAPS
Outstanding Florida Springs BMAPs
View the StoryMap to learn more about restoration plans developed with specific provisions for the protection and restoration of the state’s Outstanding Florida Springs.
Requirements for Existing Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems
Section 373.807, F.S., specifies that if, during the development of a BMAP for an OFS, DEP identifies onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) as contributors of at least 20% of nonpoint source nitrogen pollution in a Priority Focus Area (PFA) or if DEP determines that remediation is necessary to achieve the TMDL, the BMAP must include an OSTDS remediation plan. Ten BMAPs include an OSTDS remediation plan to address nitrogen loading from existing OSTDS that are impacting the water quality within the BMAP area.
The plan requires that upon the need for repair or replacement, an existing OSTDS must be upgraded to an enhanced nutrient-reducing OSTDS, unless the OSTDS permit applicant demonstrates that sewer connection will be available within five years for connection by the applicant. This requirement applies to all existing OSTDS within the PFA on lots less than one acre.
Before the requirement to upgrade could become effective, certain conditions had to be met, including:
- Completion of the master wastewater treatment feasibility analyses for DeLeon Spring;
- Completion of DEP onsite sewage rulemaking;
- Establishment of a funding program to help offset the costs to homeowners; and
- Coordination between DEP and Volusia County.
Deleon Spring in Volusia County - With these conditions having been met and extensive public outreach conducted by Volusia County over the last couple of years, the requirement for existing OSTDS to upgrade to enhanced nutrient-reducing OSTDS in the DeLeon Spring BMAP went into effect on Jan. 31, 2024.
Upper Wakulla River and Wakulla Springs in Leon and Wakulla Counties - With these conditions having been met and extensive public outreach conducted by Leon County and Wakulla County over the last couple of years, the requirement for existing OSTDS to upgrade to enhanced nutrient-reducing OSTDS in the Upper Wakulla River and Wakulla Springs BMAP will tentatively go into effect on May 1, 2024.
DEP is working with local governments in the remaining BMAPs with OSTDS remediation plans to identify target dates for implementation of the plans in those basins. Please check back regularly for updates. See Springs BMAP Upgrade Requirements for Repairs or Modifications of Existing OSTDS (Septic Systems) for an interactive map that shows existing system requirements.
For additional information, please visit Springs Protection and Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
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Restoring Bacteria-Impaired Waters
Restoring Bacteria-Impaired Waters: A Toolkit to Help Local Stakeholders Identify and Eliminate Potential Pathogen Problems
The toolkit is a restoration guide for municipalities, built from the department’s experiences across the state in collaborating with local stakeholders on pathogen source identification and elimination efforts. This document provides useful information for identifying sources of fecal indicator bacteria and examples of management actions to address these sources. It is useful during all stages of restoration plan development and implementation, whether the plan is a formal BMAP, a Bacteria Pollution Control Plan required by a stormwater permit or another approach.
Reducing Pathogens Story Map
View this Story Map to learn more about restoration plans focused on reducing pathogens.
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Clean Waterways Act 2020 Reports
During the 2020 Session, the Florida Legislature passed the Clean Waterways Act (Chapter 2020-150, Laws of Florida), which requires the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to report on water quality monitoring in the area of each nutrient BMAP and to summarize the costs and benefits of BMAP wastewater projects.
This report describes current monitoring; identifies monitoring gaps; proposes changes that would fill those gaps; and estimates the costs of the improvements.
This report explains the different types of projects and management strategies included in the BMAPs and provides detailed information about the BMAPs’ wastewater projects.
DEP developed this tool to identify and quantify the major contributing nitrogen sources to groundwater in areas of interest. This GIS and spreadsheet-based tool provides spatial estimates of the relative contribution of nitrogen from various sources, and takes into consideration the transport pathways and processes affecting the various forms of nitrogen as they move from the land surface through soil and geologic strata that overlie and comprise the Upper Florida aquifer.
For more information and final results, see the Nitrogen Source Inventory Loading Tool. These calculation methods are not designed for use with Environmental Resource Permits (ERPs). The appropriate permitting agency should be consulted for its approved calculation methods.
Guidance for Florida Friendly Landscapes, FYN, Golf BMPs, Green Industry BMP, Design Standards, Model Ordinances and Agricultural Pollution Prevention
For more information please email Moira Homann at Moira.Homann@FloridaDEP.gov.
For more information on the development of BMAPs, please email Moira Homann at Moira.Homann@FloridaDEP.gov
If you are interested in subscribing to updates for BMAP Meeting Notifications, visit the subscription page.
Watershed Quality Restoration Program
2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 3565
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400
850-245-7508