The department shall establish an agricultural water conservation program that includes the following:

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   (1) A cost-share program, coordinated where appropriate with the United States Department of Agriculture and other federal, state, regional, and local agencies, for irrigation system retrofit and application of mobile irrigation laboratory evaluations for water conservation as provided in this section and, where applicable, for water quality improvement pursuant to s. 403.067(7)(c).

   (2) The development and implementation of voluntary interim measures or best management practices, adopted by rule, which provide for increased efficiencies in the use and management of water for agricultural production. In the process of developing and adopting rules for interim measures or best management practices, the department shall consult with the Department of Environmental Protection and the water management districts. Such rules may also include a system to assure the implementation of the practices, including recordkeeping requirements. As new information regarding efficient agricultural water use and management becomes available, the department shall reevaluate and revise as needed, the interim measures or best management practices. The interim measures or best management practices may include irrigation retrofit, implementation of mobile irrigation laboratory evaluations and recommendations, water resource augmentation, and integrated water management systems for drought management and flood control and should, to the maximum extent practicable, be designed to qualify for regulatory incentives and other incentives, as determined by the agency having applicable statutory authority.

   (3) Provision of assistance to the water management districts in the development and implementation of a consistent, to the extent practicable, methodology for the efficient allocation of water for agricultural irrigation.

s. 56, ch. 2001-279; s. 8, ch. 2005-166; s. 15, ch. 2005