July 1, 2025

VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL ONLY
To:	Board of Supervisors
County Line Drainage District c/o Special District Services, Inc. The Oaks Center
2501A Burns Road
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
Subject: Engineer’s Annual Report for Year 2024 – 2025

Dear Board of Supervisors,
Garcia Professional Services, LLC (dba Garcia Engineering and Environmental Services) is pleased to submit the following engineer’s report summarizing the progress of projects and initiatives within the County Line Drainage District (CLDD) during the past year.

County Line Ditch Pump
The permanent surface water pump located at the northeast corner of Section 1 (installed in September 2014) was not used this past year to discharge offsite into County Line Ditch under the permitted operations plan. The pump provides additional drainage relief to offset water flowing into the CLDD from lands lying to the north through the five inflow structures when “off-peak” flooding conditions exist in County Line Ditch. CLDD continues to maintain and exercise the pump when not in use.
Babcock Water Storage Project
Construction of the project was completed in June of 2018. CLDD continues to maintain the berm improvements. Water levels on the north side of the berm are being monitored and recorded in a log. The monitoring data is available to evaluate the project’s effectiveness in terms of extending the duration of wetland hydroperiods within the water storage area on Babcock Ranch Preserve and reducing flows into CLDD (which ultimately goes to the Caloosahatchee Estuary).

Caloosahatchee River and Estuary Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP)
In January 2020, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) adopted a revised BMAP for the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary. The revised BMAP includes an expanded watershed boundary that now includes the freshwater portions of the watershed from Lake Okeechobee to the Franklin Lock (S-79), whereby the CLDD is now included within the BMAP boundary. The BMAP sets out a plan to achieve water quality targets for impairments due to specific pollutants such as total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) identified by FDEP. For the portion of the watershed where CLDD is located, the pollutant of concern is TN. As CLDD is comprised of agricultural land uses, there is not a specific TN load reduction target assigned to CLDD or the agricultural lands within. That it is to say, FDEP will not routinely measure nutrient loads in the discharge waters coming from CLDD to determine if they meet a certain standard. Instead, the BMAP assumes water quality standards are being met through implementation of best management practices (BMPs). Both CLDD and private land

owners within CLDD have requirements for implementing BMPs.

Included in Appendix C of the BMAP Report, there is a specific BMP Plan for CLDD (copy attached) for activities within CLDD maintained canals and right-of-ways. It requires a canal cleaning program, maintenance of water control structures, public education/outreach, and prohibits direct land application of nutrients within CLDD’s right-of-ways. As required by the BMAP, in January 2025 the District Engineer reported a summary of BMP activities completed by CLDD during the prior calendar year to the FDEP for inclusion in the State’s annual BMAP report.

The BMAP requires agricultural landowners within CLDD to implement best management practices (BMPs) adopted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to help achieve load reductions or demonstrate through monitoring, per Chapter 62-307, F.A.C., that water quality standards are already being met. When land ownership changes occur in the future, new owners will be required to enroll in the BMP program, as the agreement to participate does not automatically transfer.

Sincerely,

Kyle D. Grandusky, P.E. Florida P.E. License No. 68395
Vice President, Garcia Engineering and Environmental Services Florida Engineering Business Registry No. 38811

Attachment: Water Control District BMP Plan for County Line Drainage District

Proposed Water Control District BMP Plan for County Line Drainage District
for
Caloosahatchee River and Estuary Basin Management Action Plan October 2019
The County Line Drainage District (CLDD) is a Chapter 298 District established in 1967, and presently codified pursuant to Chapter 99-417, Laws of Florida. The CLDD encompasses approximately 3,732 acres of agricultural lands within Lee County. The CLDD collects stormwater runoff and discharges the runoff into canals flowing to the C-43.
A map of the CLDD drainage canals and associated rights of way/ easements is shown below. There are approximately 25.0 miles of canals and rights of way that are maintained by the CLDD.

A map generally depicting the agricultural producers enrolled within the CLDD is on file with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). All stormwater entering the CLDD canals is subject to the applicable FDACS best management practices (BMP) program.

The CLDD canals receive runoff from adjacent private lands within the water control district. Additionally, the CLDD canals receive runoff from offsite lands (namely the Babcock Ranch Preserve) to the north of the water control district via water control structures through CLDD’s northern perimeter berm. The CLDD canals transmit both the onsite and offsite runoff to discharge points at the south end of the water control district. This practice of transmitting water does not increase the nutrient load in the runoff. The CLDD is proposing BMP’s to remove nutrients sequestered in vegetation and sediment during the transportation process.
The CLDD proposes that the listed BMP’s will be implemented and reported as activity based strategies. A specific allocation or nutrient reduction target will not be established. Rather the CLDD's activities will serve to assist in the control of nutrients as part of the efforts described in the Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP). Implementation of the BMP’s shall provide compliance with the BMAP and Chapters 373 and 403 F.S.
In selecting the BMP’s, in coordination with FDEP, the function, operation and budget of the CLDD has been considered and these listed BMP’s should not be considered as cost- effective, technically practical or applicable to any other water control district within the BMAP. Each BMP includes a description and the required records.
The CLDD will provide FDEP an annual report confirming these activities are as identified below. Detailed records of same will be kept in the CLDD's offices.
Public Education and Outreach
Description: The CLDD shall include as part of its annual meeting, an agenda item to alert its landowners of the existence of the BMAP and requirements for agricultural landowners. FDEP and FDACS will assist with the preparation of the agenda materials.
Report: Annual Landowners' Agenda. A copy of the agenda and background materials shall be on file.
FDACS BMP Assistance
Description: The CLDD will provide assistance to the FDACS, when requested. The CLDD will identify current landowner or producer and their contact information based on the CLDD records. The CLDD will contact landowners identified by FDACS to encourage the landowner or producer to participate in the FDACS BMP programs and recommend they contact FDEP to learn more about the program.
Report: Number of landowners/producer information by FDACS and responses provided.
Nutrient Controls
Description: No nutrients imported via direct land application for application on the CLDD's rights of way.

Report: Annual verification by CLDD
Canal Cleaning Program
Description: The intent of this BMP is to provide for a systematic review and field evaluation to determine when such sediments are able to be removed in a practical and cost effective method. Not less than every five years, analysis of the canals to determine if sedimentation has accumulated in the canal and is causing increased water velocities. Analysis to be made by visual inspection of the flow and canal condition, probing, and canals may be cross-sectioned (larger canals targeted) at critical points to document sedimentation volumes and impact to flow velocity. If excessive sediments are identified, then establish a schedule to remove the excessive sediments from the canals and/or stabilize the ditch banks. The schedule to remove should then be followed. When removing the sediments, care to be taken to not create steep banks that will continue to erode and add sediments into the canals. When cleaning canals, the canal banks and side slopes will not be disturbed where practical. Spoil material removed from the canals will be placed away from the canal banks where the canal easement has available space. The CLDD will attempt to work with adjacent landowners for disposal of sediment material on adjacent fields.
Report: Records used to identify sediment; schedule for the removal, when identified; work records or purchase orders for sediment removal. Dates when maintenance was performed, maps showing the location of the activities.
Control Structures
Description: Maintain existing water control structures to regulate storm water discharges during storm events and to allow nutrients and sediments to settle out in the canals where they can be removed. Evaluate the cost benefit impact of new structures as identified to improve water quality.
Report: Structure type, location, and operation. Identify proposed structures analyzed and the results.