I I


RElCEVEl

FEB25 1976


By------.....__.



ST. PETERSBURG TIMES i FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1976


Water district

staff to review

questioned rules
By PATRICK McMAHON
St. Petersburg Times Staff Writer
BROOKSVILLE The legal staff of the Southwest
Florida Water Management District will review and recom-
mended changes in the district's regulations after a legisla-
tive committee's report that some of the rules may exceed
the district's authority.
The rules were challenged by Pinellas County, which
said that the district, commonly known as Swiftmud, had
gone beyond the law to set up rules and regulations used to
restrict the county's well drilling and water pumping.
On Feb. 9, the Administrative Procedures Committee, a
joint House-Senate committee, agreed.
WHILE THE committee's decision has no immediate
effect on Swiftmud rules, L. M. "Buddy" Blain, a Swiftmud
board attorney, told the Swiftmud board Wednesday that
the staff should review the rules and recommended appro-
priate changes.
Several changes recommended by the committee are
"simple" and don't "emasculate our rules," Blain told the
'board.
"As long as we don't do that," replied Board Chairman
Derrill S. McAteer.
There was no indication that the Swiftmud board plans
a major change in its water-crop theory used in the rules to
decide who can take how much water from the land, with
which the committee found fault.
PINELLAS COUNTY opposes the water-crop con-
cept as too restrictive, expensive and unreasonable in limit-
ing the withdrawal of water to 1,000 gallons of water per
day per acre of land owned or controlled by the governmen-
tal agency.
Blain said the staff would recommend changes to the
Swiftmud board at its March meeting, when public
hearings could be authorized on the changes.
He suggested that Swiftmud invite members of the com-
mittee or the committee staff to attend the meeting.
Board member Lewis H. Homer of Pinellas added that
it might be worthwhile to invite Pinellas, Hillsborough and
Pasco county officials and legislators as well.