WaterMatters Magazine Archive

Florida-Friendly Fever Gardeners of all skill levels learned about Florida-friendly landscaping and water-conserving irrigation practices at a recent “Florida-Friendly Landscaping 101” workshop. The half-day…

Understanding the Lake Hancock Projects Local government representatives and members of the District’s Governing Board and Alafia River, Hillsborough River, Manasota and Peace River basin boards recently…

Conservation Takes Center Stage April in Florida… It’s an ideal time to enjoy a little fun in the sun and to remind Floridians about the importance of water conservation. The state Legislature designated…

Managing District Lands A war is being fought on District-managed lands and water bodies … a war against invasive species potentially invading more than 300,000 acres of publicly owned land and 25 major…

New Governing Board Member Sworn In New Governing Board member Pat Symons is getting used to her role at the District. Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Symons in March. Patsy C. Symons of Arcadia is owner/…

Board Elects New Officers During the spring election, the Governing Board chose four people to provide the Board’s leadership during the next year. Watson L. Haynes, II was elected chair. Haynes was…

District Honored For Medard Reservoir Rehabilitation Project The District’s Operations Department has some new “hardware” to show off. The District recently received the American Public Works Association (…

District Volunteers Participate in Antiterrorism The Brooksville Airport looked as if chaos had broken out. Workers and equipment were stopped in the field while a plane with smoke coming out of the side…

Partnership Between District and Middle School Students Benefits All Woodworking class at D. S. Parrott Middle School is about more than making spice racks and bird feeders. Approximately 40 seventh- and…

One-Stop Well Construction Permitting The District has expanded its online permitting services. The District began offering services online last year when water use permit (WUP) holders were allowed to submit…

Water Management on the Move Representatives from the City of Lakeland, Florida Southern College and the District recently celebrated the completion of a stormwater treatment wetland at Anchor Park. The…

Generous Spirit District staff opened their hearts and wallets during the holiday season to help those less fortunate. This is the tenth year the employee committee has coordinated the District’s efforts…

Water Management on the Move A cooperative project between Pinellas County and the District has restored the natural flow of water between two back bays at Fort DeSoto Park near the mouth of Tampa Bay.…

Super Support Two organizations recently recognized the District for its continued support of Nature’s Classroom, an environmental education center located on the District-owned Lower Hillsborough Flood…

Youth View The hard work and dedication District staff exhibited after Hurricane Charley left an impression on the citizens of Fort Meade. District Operations staff spent several days working in Fort Meade…

Fellowship, Day in the Woods Highlight Hunt It doesn’t matter if you go home with game or not,” said Jay Leonard, a hunter from Crawfordville, Florida. “I just enjoy getting out in the woods.” Leonard’s…

Water Wise Winners Two homebuilders each walked away with the equivalent of an “Academy Award” for incorporating water conservation landscaping into their designs. The Gibraltar Homes’ Caterina III model…

Restoration Project Gives Site A New Look Looking at the 15 acres of restored habitat to the west of the Northside Christian School athletic fields in Pinellas County, one would never know the area was once…

The Problem With Lake Persimmon... Air it Out! A simple solution seems to be the temporary answer to Lake Persimmon’s poor water quality. A study in 2000 showed that the Highlands County lake experiences…

Tampa Bay Regional Reclaimed Water and Downstream Augmentation Project The Tampa Bay area already leads the nation in the reuse of reclaimed water. An innovative new project will make a good system even…

Attention-Grabbing Exhibit A unique exhibit aimed at getting the word out about water conservation will hit the road again in 2004. “The water conservation restroom trailer proved to be an effective tool…

Education Goes Outdoors A watershed education program is giving Pasco County middle school students and teachers the opportunity to learn about Florida’s watersheds, including the Springs Coast Watershed.…

Explaining ASR Technology Too little or too much? With an average of 50-plus inches of rainfall per year, Florida is one of the wettest in the nation. It’s all about timing, however. Ironically, more than 60…

Defining Moment In an effort to make conservation more “user-friendly,” the Governing Board has adopted the term “Florida-friendly” to use in the District’s landscape management outreach and education…

Taking Top Honors The District received four Crystal Awards at this year’s Florida Government Communicators Association Award Banquet. The FGCA Crystal Awards recognize excellence in government…