All Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) offices will be open Friday, Sept. 30, as the District returns to normal operations after Hurricane Ian.
The District will lower the activation level of its Emergency Operations Center to a Level 3 at 8 a.m. Friday morning. Level 3 activation is a general state of monitoring during the hurricane season.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District has released as much water out of Lake Tarpon as possible in anticipation of heavy rainfall and storm surge from Hurricane Ian.
The Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal is one of 84 water-control structures throughout the District’s 16-county area. The three-mile canal extends from the south end of Lake Tarpon and empties into Old Tampa Bay. The structure is designed to prevent salt water from entering Lake Tarpon during high tides and protects the lake’s freshwater ecology.
The District started lowering the lake Sunday afternoon and the lake is down seven inches below normal level. Further reductions are not feasible due to the lake level being only slightly above sea level. Predicted storm surge is expected to top the structure on Lake Tarpon by several feet and the District will have no way of stopping the storm surge from going into the lake. This could contribute to localized flooding.
Lake Tarpon is also expected to receive stormwater from the surrounding area and it may take several days following the storm before the District will be able to reduce the lake levels to an acceptable level.
District Structure Operations staff have been monitoring and operating water levels on all of the agency’s water-control structures around the clock.
All Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) offices will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 28, and Thursday, Sept. 29, due to potential impacts from Hurricane Ian. The District will continue to monitor the progress of Hurricane Ian to determine if future closings are necessary.
The District is monitoring storm forecasts associated with Hurricane Ian throughout its 16-county region. In response to recent heavy rainfall, District staff have been closely monitoring and operating water control structures. In anticipation of rainfall from Hurricane Ian, District staff continue to operate structures, lowering water levels where possible.
Information regarding District-related meeting cancellations will be provided to the media and made available on the District’s website at WaterMatters.org. As a reminder, you can find the latest information on Twitter.com/SWFWMD.
Emergency Operations Center at Level 1 Activation
Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 1 as they continue to monitor Hurricane Ian. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities during an emergency weather event.
The District is monitoring storm forecasts associated with Hurricane Ian throughout its 16-county region. In response to recent heavy rainfall, District staff have been closely monitoring and operating water control structures. In anticipation of rainfall from Hurricane Ian, District staff continue to operate structures, lowering water levels where possible.
Level 1 activation is utilized when a specific weather situation has developed into an emergency. Level 1 is full activation, and the EOC will:
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.
Information concerning District-related meeting cancellations and office closures will also be provided to the media and made available on the District’s website at WaterMatters.org.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close all District-managed campgrounds and properties to include trails and day use areas throughout its 16-county region Tuesday, Sept. 27, at noon in anticipation of impacts from Hurricane Ian.
For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at WaterMatters.org.
As a reminder, you can follow along for immediate updates on social media at Twitter.com/SWFWMD.
District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population.
Feral hogs, which are not native to Florida, can cause damage with their broad snouts and can leave an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock and humans. Additionally, hogs may facilitate the spread of exotic plant species by transporting seeds and/or providing germination sites through rooting.
The District has a three-phased hunting system. The first two phases of hunts will have separate registration processes. The single top producer from each Phase 1 and Phase 2 hunt will be asked to participate in hog management activities for Phase 3.
All hunts will adhere to the hog-dog format. No still hunts will be available. The program works like this:
Phase 1 Hunts
Phase 2 Hunts
Phase 3 “As-Needed” Management Hunts
The District-managed properties will be temporarily closed to the public during the hog hunts. Only permitted hunters will be allowed access.
Prospective hunters can purchase permits for Phase I hunts beginning at 9 a.m. Oct. 4 on the District’s WaterMatters.org/HogHunts. Permits will be available on a first come, first serve basis until they are sold out. The cost is $75 for each permit. A complete list of hunts with locations and dates is also available online.
This is the 14th consecutive year for the hunts. Last year’s hunts removed 656 hogs on nine different tracts of land throughout the District.
Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 activation
Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring Tropical Storm Ian and have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities before, during and after an emergency event.
The District is continuing to monitor potential impacts from the storm that could occur throughout its 16-county region. District staff are operating structures based on current and anticipated water levels.
Level 2 activation is utilized when a specific weather situation has reached a point where the District may be adversely affected. Level 2 is a partial activation, and the EOC will:
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. For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at WaterMatters.org.
On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board adopted a $211.7 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2023, including approximately $90.6 million for the Cooperative Funding Initiative and District grants for water resources projects.
The budget reflects the District’s commitment to protect Florida’s water resources and to improve Florida’s economic vitality.
Some of the key initiatives in the District’s FY2023 budget include:
Through cooperative funding partnerships, District funds are typically matched up to 50% and will result in a total regional investment of more than $165 million for sustainable alternative water supply development, water quality improvements and other water resource management projects.
For the 11th year in a row, the District’s Governing Board has adopted a millage rate equal to or less than the rolled-back millage rate, for a cumulative rate reduction of 42.5%. The adopted FY2023 millage rate is 0.2260 mill, 10.8% lower than the current fiscal year which will help lessen the tax burden for Florida residents by saving taxpayers approximately $15.5 million in property taxes.
For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would be $22.60 a year, or about $1.88 per month. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 3 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North.
A public hearing on the FY2023 budget is scheduled for 5:01 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office.
To view the Governing Board meeting and the public hearing on the FY2023 budget 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 meeting agenda and 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, St. Johns River Water Management District and South Florida Water Management District have scheduled a virtual joint public meeting Sept. 1 at 10 a.m. to solicit stakeholder input on each District’s annual update of their priority list and schedule for the establishment of minimum flows and water levels as well as water reservations.
To join the virtual meeting, please pre-register at the following link:
https://sfwmd-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_g2Z7youUSU2yKVIdoBfSMA
Once registered, you will receive an email with the Zoom webinar information.
This workshop is being held to promote consistent water resource planning in the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) area. The CFWI encompasses five counties: Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and southern Lake. Through the CFWI, the three water management districts are working collaboratively with other agencies and stakeholders to implement effective water resource planning, including water resource and supply development and management strategies to protect, conserve and restore our water resources.
For more information, please contact Doug Leeper at 1-352-269-5863.
