Repaired Boat Navigation Lock Now Open to the Public

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has completed the Wysong-Coogler structure improvement project in Sumter County.

The extended dry conditions along the Withlacoochee River created an opportunity to perform the improvements to the structure, including replacement of the structure’s air bladders, installation of larger air flow pipes, and several other enhancements to streamline future maintenance. 

These improvements will allow the structure to operate more efficiently, reduce required staff time to operate, and restore function to the boat navigation lock, which has not been operational for several years. In addition, the self-service boat lock now functions much faster due to these improvements.

The Wysong-Coogler structure is located on the Withlacoochee River, downstream of Lake Panasoffkee, between Citrus and Sumter counties. Under normal conditions, the gates at Wysong are kept raised to help store water upstream, while still allowing river flows to pass downstream.

Although the project is complete, water levels remain very low along the Withlacoochee River and in area lakes due to extended drought conditions resulting in a 15-inch regional rainfall deficit. A surplus of rainfall is still needed over a long period of time to bring water levels and flows back up to normal conditions.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will temporarily close the Moccasin Slough Bridge at the Flying Eagle Preserve to conduct bridge deck maintenance. This maintenance activity will result in trail and campground closures.

The bridge is located on the property at 11080 East Moccasin Slough Road in Inverness. The Moccasin Slough airboat slide will not be impacted by the bridge maintenance, but could be impacted by low water levels.

Maintenance activities are expected to begin Aug. 3, and are scheduled to be completed by early September.

For more information, please call the Operations Section at the District’s Brooksville Headquarters at 1-800-423-1476 or (352) 796-7211 or email Recreation@WaterMatters.org.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, July 28 at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. 

To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the live video stream link. The video stream link becomes active and the live video feed begins approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting time.

Public comment will be taken only at the meeting location. Public input for issues not listed on the published agenda will be heard shortly after the meeting begins.

The meeting agenda and materials are posted one week before the meeting and can be found online at WaterMatters.org by clicking on the “Meeting & Events Calendar.” 

All residents remain under one-day-per-week watering restrictions with strict watering hours through Oct. 1, 2026

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board voted today to extend the Modified Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage through Oct. 1, 2026, due to ongoing drought conditions throughout the region, which requires all residents, including those on private wells, to continue following one-day-per-week watering restrictions with strict watering hours.

Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, watering hours remain reduced to 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Properties less than one acre in size may only use one of these windows. 

The restrictions apply to all of Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla Island in Charlotte County.

The District received below-average rainfall during its 2025 summer rainy season and at the time the Modified Phase III was declared, had a 13.7-inch regional rainfall deficit compared to the average 12-month total. The rainfall deficit for May 2026 was 11.4 inches. In addition, water levels in the District’s water resources, such as rivers and lakes, are continuing to decline and many are severely abnormal. Moreover, public water supplies are extremely low.

Outdoor water use accounts for more than 50 percent of water consumed by households and residents should know and follow their local watering restrictions as well as conserve water wherever possible. Residents should check with their city or county for their allowable day and times as many have different schedules or stricter hours in effect. Below is the standard schedule:

• If your address (house number) ends in...
  • ...0 or 1, water only on Monday
  • ...2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
  • ...4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
  • ...6 or 7, water only on Thursday
  • ...8 or 9*, water only on Friday
  • * and locations without a discernible address
• Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, properties one acre or larger may only water before 4 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
• Low-volume watering of plants and shrubs (micro-irrigation, soaker hoses, hand watering) is allowed any day but is limited to before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

Other restrictions listed in the Modified Phase III Water Shortage Order include:

• Pressure washing in preparation for painting and sealing is allowed.
• No HOA or other entity shall enforce deed restrictions or other community standards requiring an increase in water use, including replacement of plant material to meet aesthetic standards or pressure washing.
• Car washing at home (non-commercial) is only allowed on your lawn watering day and you must use a hose with a shutoff nozzle.
• Aesthetic fountains are limited to four hours a day. The regular hours of operation can be selected by the owner but must be posted.

• Restaurants are required to only serve water upon request.

  Public Water Supply Utility Requirements:

  The order also requires local utilities to continue implementing water conservation efforts, including customer education about the current water shortage and ways to conserve water. Water utilities and other local enforcement officials must continue their enforcement efforts, including responding to citizen complaints and monitoring water use through patrols or customer records. Utilities and other local enforcement officials are to continue issuing citations first without issuing a warning.

  The District continues to monitor the drought conditions and is coordinating with its utility and regional water supply partners such as Tampa Bay Water and the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority.

  The District also extended three emergency orders to ensure water supply availability during the ongoing drought. All three orders expire Oct. 1, 2026.

• An emergency order was extended to Tampa Bay Water to lower the Middle Pool of the Tampa Bypass Canal (TBC) from 12 feet to 10 feet and to lower the Lower Pool of the TBC from 6 feet to 4 feet to continue augmenting the City of Tampa’s Hillsborough River Reservoir.
• An emergency order was extended to the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority to modify its diversion schedule to allow increased withdrawals from the Peace River.
• An emergency order was extended to the City of Punta Gorda to temporarily withdraw up to an additional 2.2 million gallons per day from Shell Creek to provide to the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority.

For additional information about the Modified Phase III Water Shortage Order, visit the District’s website WaterMatters.org/Restrictions. For water conserving tips, visit WaterMatters.org/Water101.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a virtual meeting Thursday, June 25, at 5:30 p.m. The purpose of the virtual meeting is to allow for public comment on recommended minimum flows for the Upper Peace River. 

The Upper Peace River is the northernmost portion of the Peace River that begins at the junction of Saddle Creek and the Peace Creek Canal, just north of Bartow. It flows south through Polk County and into Hardee County, reaching Zolfo Springs before ultimately discharging into Charlotte Harbor. The Peace River has a number of large tributaries and is the primary river system in the Peace River Watershed.

Members of the public may join the meeting via Microsoft Teams through this link https://bit.ly/UPRMFLMeeting. The Google Chrome browser is recommended for best compatibility with Microsoft Teams. For telephone-only participation, dial 1-786-749-6127 and when prompted enter the conference ID: 582 314 917#.

Minimum flows are limits established by the District’s Governing Board, as required by state law, to protect flowing water bodies from significant harm caused by groundwater and surface water withdrawals. To support these recommendations, District scientists collect data, develop models, and perform detailed analyses. Their work is then evaluated by an independent peer review panel. 

During the meeting, District staff will present the scientific and technical basis for the recommended minimum flows for the Upper Peace River. Recommended minimum flows for the Upper Peace River were summarized in draft reports and are available for review at WaterMatters.org/documents-and-reports.

All public comments are compiled and provided to the District’s Governing Board for its consideration when reviewing the recommended minimum flows. A virtual public comment card is open now through Aug. 18 for the public to submit comments to the District via the Upper Peace River webpage.

District staff anticipate presenting the recommended minimum flows for the Upper Peace River at the August Governing Board meeting, where the Governing Board may choose to initiate rulemaking for adoption of the minimum flows into District rules. Governing Board meetings are open to the public, and brief oral comments are permitted on meeting agenda items.

For more information regarding the recommended minimum flows, please contact Lei Yang, Chief Professional Engineer with the District’s Environmental Flows and Levels Section at (352) 269-5947. Written comments regarding the minimum flows are also welcome and can be submitted via mail or email no later than Aug. 18, to Lei Yang, Chief Professional Engineer at 2379 Broad St, Brooksville, FL 34604 or Lei.Yang@WaterMatters.org.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, June 23 at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. 

To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the live video stream link. The video stream link becomes active and the live video feed begins approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting time. 

Public comment will be taken only at the meeting location. Public input for issues not listed on the published agenda will be heard shortly after the meeting begins.

The meeting agenda and materials are posted one week before the meeting and can be found online at WaterMatters.org by clicking on the “Meeting & Events Calendar.”