Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency last year. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns in November and December at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in Sarasota County.

Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract are located west of North Port, east of the Myakka River, and north and south of Interstate 75. Approximately 800 acres will be burned in small, manageable units.

Some major benefits of prescribed fire include:

•           Reducing overgrown plants, which decreases the risk of catastrophic wildfires

•           Promoting the growth of new, diverse plants

•           Maintaining the character and condition of wildlife habitat

•           Maintaining access for public recreation

The District conducts prescribed fires on approximately 30,000 acres each year. Click here to learn more about why igniting prescribed burns now prepares lands for the next wildfire season.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 9 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North.

To view the Governing Board meeting online, visit WaterMatters.org and 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.

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

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is reminding residents to check the timers on their irrigation system controllers this weekend, which is the end of daylight saving time.

Saturday night is when we will turn our clocks back one hour. The time change is also a good time to make sure irrigation system timers are set correctly to ensure that the systems operate consistently with year-round water conservation measures.

All 16 counties throughout the District’s boundaries are on year-round water conservation measures, with lawn watering limited to twice-per-week unless your city or county has a different schedule or stricter hours. Local governments maintaining once-per-week watering by local ordinance include Hernando, Pasco and Sarasota counties and the City of Dunedin.

Know and follow your local watering restrictions, but don’t water just because it’s your day. Irrigate your lawn when it shows signs of stress from lack of water. Pay attention to signs of stressed grass:

• Grass blades are folded in half lengthwise on at least one-third of your yard.
• Grass blades appear blue-gray.
• Grass blades do not spring back, leaving footprints on the lawn for several minutes after walking on it.

For additional information about water conservation, please visit the District’s website at WaterMatters.org/Conservation.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Chito Branch Reserve in Hillsborough County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Nov. 6-8.

Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 10 permits for these hunts have been sold.

Chito Branch Reserve is located at 11254 Browning Road in Lithia.

This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District lands to control the damage being caused to the natural habitats.

The District only allows hogs to be controlled through hunts when the damage they cause exceeds unacceptable levels, and damage is occurring more frequently and with increasing severity.

Feral hogs live throughout Florida in various habitats, but prefer moist forests and swamps, as well as pine flatwoods. They are omnivorous and feed by rooting with their broad snouts, which can cause extensive damage to the natural habitats. In fact, they can leave an area looking like a plowed field.

Feral hogs are not native to Florida and are believed to have been introduced by explorer Hernando DeSoto as early as 1539. They can weigh more than 300 pounds and travel in herds of several females and their offspring.

For more information, please call the District’s Land Management section at 1-800-423-1476 or (352) 796-7211, ext. 4467.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a public workshop Thursday, Nov. 8, to share information about the Weeki Wachee Natural System Carrying Capacity Study. The meeting will take place at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Meeting Hall, located at 4340 Calienta St. in Hernando Beach.

The workshop will be an open-house style allowing the public to arrive at their convenience between 4 p.m. and approximately 6 p.m.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate how recreational use affects the natural system along the Weeki Wachee River. During the workshop, staff from the District, Hernando County and members of the independent third-party consultant group conducting the study will be available to explain the intent of the study and how the data will be collected.

The yearlong study will identify areas of the river impacted by recreation. Some methods of the study include counting recreational use on the river through time-lapse cameras, documenting direct impacts to the natural systems, such as prop scars, uprooting of vegetation and unnatural movement of sand, and documenting impacts of human activity like docking, wading and trampling.

Once the study is completed, the results will be published for public view. The study will not set a specific limit to recreation or address public safety but will provide the science to governing agencies with authority to make future management decisions.

To learn more about the study, visit WaterMatters.org/projects/springs/weeki-wachee-natural-system-carrying-capacity-study.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Alston Tract at Upper Hillsborough Preserve in Pasco County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Oct. 30 through Nov. 1.

Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 11 permits for these hunts have been sold.

The Alston Tract is located at 42144 Deems Road in Zephyrhills.

This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District lands to control the damage being caused to the natural habitats.

The District only allows hogs to be controlled through hunts when the damage they cause exceeds unacceptable levels, and damage is occurring more frequently and with increasing severity.

Feral hogs live throughout Florida in various habitats, but prefer moist forests and swamps, as well as pine flatwoods. They are omnivorous and feed by rooting with their broad snouts, which can cause extensive damage to the natural habitats. In fact, they can leave an area looking like a plowed field.

Feral hogs are not native to Florida and are believed to have been introduced by explorer Hernando DeSoto as early as 1539. They can weigh more than 300 pounds and travel in herds of several females and their offspring.

For more information, please call the District’s Land Management section at 1-800-423-1476 or (352) 796-7211, ext. 4466.

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

To view the Governing Board meeting online, visit WaterMatters.org and 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.

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

Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials will deactivate the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) from a Level 2 to a Level 3 at 6 p.m. today. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities before, during and after an emergency weather event. District officials had raised the activation level of the EOC Oct. 8 as Hurricane Michael moved through the Gulf of Mexico.

Level 3 activation is a general state of monitoring used during potential emergency weather events, including hurricane season. Level 3 is a monitoring–only activation level, and the EOC will:

• Place all District emergency personnel on standby, while the situation is monitored during normal business hours.
• Check equipment and resources to ensure all is ready if needed.
• Monitor water levels and operate water control structures on water bodies throughout the District’s 16–county area as needed.
• Maintain direct communications with the state EOC as needed.
• Ensure current emergency management information is distributed to all District staff.

The EOC also directs District field crews, responds to requests from the state EOC, and provides water resource updates to state and local emergency management agencies, the media and the general public. The District EOC will expand to include additional emergency personnel as the situation demands.

We tried everything we could to find a peaceful resolution, but the Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC) seems intent on fighting a legal battle.

The PRWC filed a legal challenge to a proposed permit that would allow the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (PRMRWSA) to withdraw additional quantities from the Peace River. An administrative law judge ordered all parties to meet in an effort to amicably resolve the litigation. The parties agreed to engage in mediation which was held on Oct. 8^th but were unable to reach an agreement. Now the focus of the parties turns to fighting a legal war rather than working together to develop water supplies.

That’s a missed opportunity and a shame. We have tried to focus on the real issue, developing water supplies, rather than wasting money on legal bills.

At the PRWC’s Sept. 19^th meeting, I asked the members to put their litigation on hold to give the parties time to explore a new water supply possibility for Polk County. We’ve been working with Hillsborough County on a regional water supply solution that could benefit all parties, including the PRWC. This is a regional effort that has great potential, but it requires everyone to come to the table. We need time to discuss options and work out details, but collaborative discussion is difficult while in a hail of legal claims and counterclaims.

And if the project didn’t prove feasible, the PRWC could have simply resumed its litigation.

On Oct. 3, members of the PRMRWSA voted unanimously to put litigation on hold to work out a solution. That same day, we held an informational meeting to discuss additional details about the project being considered. Hillsborough County, the city of Tampa, Tampa Bay Water and PRMRWSA representatives, among others, attended the meeting. Unfortunately, the only PRWC members to attend were two representatives from Davenport.

Prior to the mediation session, we sent a proposed stipulation for all parties to consider that would put all litigation on hold for 12 months to allow for the further development of the water supply project with Hillsborough County. The PRWC has not agreed to this proposal.

Despite the impasse at mediation, the District remains open to substantive discussions toward resolution. However, based on our experiences to this point, that doesn’t appear to be the path being taken by the PRWC. Without the litigation on hold, we have no choice but to focus all our resources on the legal permit challenge rather than the potential water supply project. We’ve been down this road before and we know how it ends – millions of dollars wasted in payments to attorneys without generating any new water supplies.

Now we all have to be prepared to open our checkbooks again and again. The only people who profit from water wars are people who are paid to fight water wars. And that’s not in the best interests of the taxpayers or ratepayers.

Brian J. Armstrong, P.G.

Executive Director

Southwest Florida Water Management District