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Audubon of Florida honored a District employee this fall for his role in saving the land that makes Florida a special place to live, work, visit and explore.
Henry Dean, Audubon board member and former executive director of the St. Johns River and South Florida water management districts, presented the Florida Audubon Special Places Award to Fritz Musselmann, land resources director, during Audubon’s Annual Assembly.
“In the face of decades of explosive growth, he…
The Florida Senate has confirmed the appointments of seven Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board members.
- Bryan K. Beswick represents DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties and his term ends March 1, 2020.
- John Henslick represents Manatee County and his term ends March 1, 2021.
- James G. Murphy represents Polk County and his term ends March 1, 2021.
- Joel Schleicher represents Charlotte and Sarasota…
Word Glossary
Alternative Water Supply (AWS)
Includes the use of a nontraditional source of water to help meet different freshwater needs of a community. Examples include reusing wastewater or treating seawater through a desalination plant.
Aquifer
An aquifer is an area underground that holds water in the gaps between rock, sand or gravel, sort of like an underground lake or stream.
Compost…
The "Central Florida Water Initiative's":http://cfwiwater.com/ (CFWI) Steering Committee has released two updated draft documents that will set a path forward for meeting water supply needs in central Florida for the next 20 years.During several public meetings over the summer, the public was invited to learn about and comment on the draft 2035 Water Resources Protection and Water Supply Strategies Plan (Solutions Plan) and minor changes to the draft 2015 Regional Water…
table(webalert). |Who:|The Starkey family, Pasco County School Board, Pasco County Parks and Recreation Department, West Pasco Audubon Society, Twin Rivers District of the Boy Scouts of America, Tampa Bay Water and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.||*What:*|Celebrate the completion of exhibits inside the Starkey Environmental Education Center, located at the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park. The exhibits will enhance watershed education for Pasco County students…
August 2024Q: What are stormwater ponds and why do we need them?A: A stormwater pond is designed to collect and manage runoff from rainwater. When rainwater lands on rooftops, parking lots, streets, driveways and other hard surfaces, the rainfall that doesn’t soak into the ground (stormwater runoff) flows into your neighborhood stormwater pond through grates, pipes, shallow swales or ditches. Stormwater ponds are required for…
The Southwest Water Management District (District) will host an open house and community meeting regarding the Medard Reservoir Thursday, Jan. 23, at Durant High School located at 4748 Cougar Path in Plant City. The open house portion of the meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by a presentation from 7 to 8:30 p.m.During the open house, District staff, along with representatives from Hillsborough County and the National Weather Service, will be available to answer…
The Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) regional water supply plan team will present a free, interactive webinar about the development of a regional water supply plan for the central Florida area at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 29.The webinar will include an overview of the CFWI, highlights of the regional water supply planning process, a question and answer session and information on how to become involved in the process. The webinar is sponsored by the Polk County Board of County…
More than 500 volunteers who spend thousands of hours a year helping the Southwest Florida Water Management District maintain and improve public lands, as well as restore Tampa Bay, were honored this weekend during the District’s Annual Volunteer Appreciation Day.The celebration was held at the District’s Lake Panasoffkee property and featured an awards presentation, exhibits, live music, a picnic lunch and a nature hike.Approximately 450 volunteers are involved with the…
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $108,937 in grants to 51 educators within the District as part of the Splash! school grant program. The program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources in grades K-12.Splash! grants encourage hands-on student learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities as well as engagement of the greater school community through awareness…
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $97,640.28 in grants to 43 educators within the District as part of the Splash! school grant program. The program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources in grades K-12.
Splash! grants encourage hands-on student learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities as well as engagement of the greater school community through…
Beginning June 21, 2014, mountain bike enthusiasts will have a new place to pedal. The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) in partnership with Pasco County and a local bike organization known as the Southwest Association of Mountain Bike Pedalers (SWAMP,) have developed a new mountain bike trail network in the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, located at 10500 Wilderness Park Boulevard in New Port Richey.In response to…
Governor Charlie Crist recently reappointed one member and appointed a new member to the Coastal Rivers Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board area includes the coastal regions of Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.Randy Maggard of Zephyrhills has been reappointed. His term ends March 1, 2010. Maggard is vice president of Sonny’s Discount Appliances.John Nicolette of Dade City has been appointed to succeed…
Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful staff and volunteersWhat:A volunteer river cleanup is being coordinated at Hillsborough River State Park. Volunteers will be provided with canoes, gloves, garbage bags and trash pickers to collect trash along the river. If there are enough participants, volunteers will also collect trash along the park’s trails and parking areas.The river cleanup is part of “Hillsborough…
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $104,941.81 in grants to 48 educators within the District as part of the Splash! school grant program. The program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources in grades K-12.
Splash! grants encourage hands-on student learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities as well as engagement of the greater school community through…
The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently signed an agreement with Pinellas County for a project to improve water quality and restore habitat in Sutherland Bayou.Pop Stansell Park is a 4.5-acre park that sits on Sutherland Bayou. Approximately 57,000 people visit the park each year, which is also used for marine access to St Joseph Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. Years of unrestricted public access as a launching point for boating, canoeing, kayaking and…
The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect officers for the 2024-2025 term. Michelle Williamson was elected chair of the Governing Board. Williamson represents Hillsborough County and is the operations manager of G&F Farms. Williamson was appointed to the Governing Board in August 2016 and reappointed in December 2020. John Mitten was elected vice chair of the Governing Board. Mitten represents Hernando and Marion…
Hispanic Outreach
Nearly 10 percent of the people who live in the District are Hispanic, and for many, Spanish is their first language. To reach that audience with a water conservation message, the District developed the Hispanic Outreach Program.
The idea behind the campaign began with the Governing Board’s Diversity Committee, said project manager John Walkinshaw.
Spanish-speaking District employees also showed an interest in promoting the outreach. Alberto…
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is releasing additional water from the Medard Reservoir into the Alafia River to protect the structural integrity of the reservoir.In preparation for potential impacts from Hurricane Milton, the District was releasing water and the Medard Reservoir was below normal operating level. However, the Medard Reservoir received nearly 7 inches of rainfall and the reservoir rose 6.5 feet as a result of Hurricane Milton. …