Leaks are the biggest water waster, both inside and outside of your home. You can use your water meter to check for leaks. Turn off all faucets and water-using appliances and make sure no one uses water during the testing period. Wait for the hot water heater and ice cube makers to refill and for regeneration of water softeners. Go to your water meter and record the current reading. Wait 30 minutes. (Remember, no water should be used during this period.) Read the meter again. If the reading has changed, you have a leak.

For more information about water conservation, please visit the District's website at WaterMatters.org/Water101.

***The District’s Surplus Lands Committee has been canceled. 

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, March 26 at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. 

At 10:30 a.m. or immediately following the Governing Board meeting, the District’s Surplus Lands Committee will meet. The Committee will hold a series of meetings to evaluate 44,672 acres of District land for potential surplus opportunities. District staff will present appropriate information for selected properties as requested by the Committee. The evaluation will follow applicable state law and Governing Board policies, with a significant emphasis to be placed on the District’s four areas of responsibility and public recreation opportunities.

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. The Surplus Lands Committee meeting is open to the public; however, it will not be live streamed.

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.” 

With more than 1,000 people moving to Florida every day, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has developed the Water 101 campaign, a program to educate new and existing residents as well as communities about how they can help protect local water resources and save water and money.

Water is a limited resource in Florida that we all play a role in protecting, which makes it important to understand your personal impact. The choices you make as a homeowner or community, from the plants in your landscape to how you water your lawn, can make a big difference on your overall water use. The District encourages everyone to do their part in protecting and conserving our shared water resources. 

Water 101 connects homeowners and community managers with helpful water conservation and water quality tips and resources. Residents can visit the Water 101 for Homeowners webpage to access a one-stop shop of tips and educational resources that can help reduce at-home water use, save money and protect nearby waterways. This includes information about the basics of irrigation, local water restrictions and Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ as well as instructional videos and an overview on stormwater ponds. Homeowners can also sign up for District newsletters via the webpage or learn where to follow along on social media for more information.

The Water 101 for Communities webpage provides resources to help communities lead by example, reducing their water use and encouraging residents to do the same. This includes free online classes hosted by the District with continuing education units for community association managers. It also includes educational materials that can be downloaded and easily shared in newsletters, websites and other community platforms, as well as funding opportunities for water conservation projects. 

In addition to the website, the District has created a Water 101 for Communities Facebook group that will provide up-to-date information on water conservation classes, water restriction reminders and helpful resources to share with community residents.

To learn more about how to save water and money, visit WaterMatters.org/Water101.

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

Saturday night is when we will turn our clocks ahead 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.

The District is currently under a Modified Phase I Water Shortage through July 1, 2024, which prohibits “wasteful and unnecessary” water use and limits outdoor irrigation to one-day-per week in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. Twice-per-week lawn watering schedules remain in effect except where stricter measures have been imposed by local governments in the remainder of the District’s boundaries, which includes Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Manatee, 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 Lee County.

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.

Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order remains in effect Districtwide

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board voted today to extend one-day-per-week watering restrictions for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties until July 1. This extension mirrors the existing water shortage order currently in effect for Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Manatee, 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 Lee County.

Despite having Districtwide above-average rainfall during the winter months (Nov.-Jan.), we still have a 12-month rainfall deficit of about 7.4 inches. While we have seen some short-term improvements with rainfall, most of the Tampa Bay area continues to experience drier-than-normal conditions. Additionally, Tampa Bay Water's (TBW) 15.5-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir is still approximately 8.5 billion gallons below its normal capacity. The District also approved a request today from TBW to temporarily increase its permitted withdrawals from the Alafia River from 10% to 19% above the baseline flow to store additional water in the reservoir for its use in the coming spring dry season.  

As a reminder, the Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order does not change allowable watering schedules for most counties, however, it does prohibit “wasteful and unnecessary” water use and twice-per-week lawn watering schedules remain in effect except where stricter measures have been imposed by local governments. Residents are asked to check their irrigation systems to ensure they are working properly. This means testing and repairing broken pipes and leaks and fixing damaged or tilted sprinkler heads. Residents should also check their irrigation timer to ensure the settings are correct and the rain sensor is working properly.

Once-per-week lawn watering days and times are as follows unless your city or county has a different schedule or stricter hours in effect (Citrus, Hernando and Sarasota counties, and the cities of Dunedin and Venice, have local ordinances that remain on one-day-per-week schedules):

• 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 under two acres in size may only water before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
• Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, properties two acres or larger may only water before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
• Low-volume watering of plants and shrubs (micro-irrigation, soaker hoses, hand watering) is allowed any day and any time.

The order also requires local utilities to review and implement procedures for enforcing year-round water conservation measures and water shortage restrictions, including reporting enforcement activity to the District.

For additional information about the Modified Phase I 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’s (District) Hampton Tract, including closed area tracts at Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve in Polk County, will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Jan. 30 – Feb. 1.

Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 30 permits for these hunts have been sold.

The Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve Hampton Tract is located at 14301 Rock Ridge Road in Lakeland.

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 150 pounds, measure over 5 feet in length and travel in herds with their offspring.

For more information, please call the District’s Land Management section at (813) 375-0665 or visit WaterMatters.org/HogHunts. 

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District)Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Jan. 23-25.

Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 25 permits for these hunts have been sold.

Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is located at 15430 SW Highway 484 in Dunnellon.

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 150 pounds, measure over 5 feet in length and travel in herds with their offspring.

For more information, please call the District’s Land Management section at (813) 375-0665 or visit WaterMatters.org/HogHunts.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Jan. 23 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.”