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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is celebrating February as Florida Hiking Trails Month by inviting the public to explore the more than 850 miles of hiking trails on District lands. Florida Hiking Trails month, recognized by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, encourages Floridians to take advantage of Florida's extensive trail system. Many trails on District lands are nearby and are also open for related activities such as nature…

Governor Charlie Crist recently appointed one and reappointed two other members to the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Hillsborough River Basin Board.John Nicolette is the owner of Crooked Creek Ranch in Dade City. He was appointed to succeed Gary Reckart. His term ends March 1, 2011. He served on the Coastal Rivers Basin Board before being reassigned to the Hillsborough River Basin Board.George R. Burt is a self-employed investor who lives in Auburndale. He…

Todd Pressman was elected Wednesday by his peers to serve as Governing Board chair of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Other Governing Board officers selected today include Ronald E. Oakley, vice chair; Hugh Gramling, secretary; and Sallie Parks, treasurer.Chair Todd PressmanPressman of Oldsmar was first appointed to the Governing Board in April 2005, and is also co-chair ex officio of the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. He has also served…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close the following District-managed lands Monday, Oct. 8, in anticipation of impacts from Hurricane Michael. The following properties will be closed until further notice or per specified date:

• Annutteliga Hammock
• Chassahowitzka River – Burnt Bridge Road entrance
• Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve
• Masaryktown Canal
• Panasoffkee Outlet
• Weekiwachee…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ and the "City of Lake Alfred(City of Lake Alfred)":http://www.mylakealfred.com are offering Lake Alfred Utilities customers rebates of up to $100 for replacing their high-flow toilets and faucet aerators.Replacing older high-flow toilets with water-efficient toilets, which use 1.6 gallons per flush or less, or high efficiency toilets, which use 1.28 gallons per flush, and…

Governor Charlie Crist recently appointed Burton Eno and Alan Grubman to the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Withlacoochee River Basin Board(Withlacoochee River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/withlacoochee.php.Eno is from Dunnellon in Marion County. He is a retired University of Central Florida professor, and has been appointed to succeed John "Jack" Dennis, for a term beginning Sept. 15, 2010, and ending…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting the public to participate in a workshop aimed at updating the management plan for the Chassahowitzka Riverine Swamp Sanctuary property.The workshop will be held at the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park visitor center on U.S. 19 (4150 South Suncoast Blvd.) on Tuesday, July 26, at 6 p.m.The Sanctuary property encompasses approximately 5,700 acres, which protects an extensive area of coastal floodplain and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board has approved a contract for the purchase of a significant portion of the eastern bank of the Rainbow River. The parcel proposed for acquisition consists of nearly 115 acres and includes nearly a half mile of river frontage. The contract also contains provisions to protect an additional 620 feet of shoreline associated with existing private landholdings.Rainbow Springs is the largest first magnitude…

Two Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) projects received funding from the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) conservation cost-share program. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) will provide $151,758 to pay for these projects. The following projects, located in Polk County, are estimated to save approximately 49,500 million gallons per day:

• The Polk Regional Water Cooperative’s rebate program will offer various…

h3. District lands offer a fun, easy and low-cost way to spend time with family and friends in 2010 Why make a New Year's resolution to join a gym in 2010, when you can "Get Outside!" on more than 343,000 acres of public recreation lands to hike, bike and camp for little or no cost?The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently revised its 152-page Recreation Guide, which features more than 50 parks and preserves in the region owned by the District and its…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is joining with the Science and Environment Council (SEC) to celebrate Sarasota’s watersheds and promote watershed awareness by declaring Oct. 13 through 19 as “Watershed Awareness Week.”The District’s Manasota Basin Board is co-sponsoring Watershed Awareness Week in an effort to foster good watershed stewardship.The SEC is a group of nonprofit and government organizations that operate to support…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to an informational meeting on the Chassahowitzka Headsprings Restoration Dredging project. The meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, June 13, 2011 at Citrus County's Lecanto Government Building, 3600 W. Sovereign Path in Lecanto.The District is preparing to conduct a restoration dredging project on the Chassahowitzka Headsprings. The project is…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Starkey Wilderness Preserve, which includes J.B. Starkey Wilderness Park and the Serenova Tract, will close early at 4 p.m. Dec. 1-3 for nighttime hog hunts.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the preserve from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.J.B. Starkey Wilderness Park is located at 10500 Wilderness Park Boulevard in New Port Richey. The Serenova Tract is located…

The District is nearing completion of its effort to upgrade the datum, or starting point, used to record water level elevation. The upgrade will improve accuracy of water elevation, which is measured in feet above the mean sea level.Staff are projected to finish the upgrade by completing the southern regions of the District in 2016.  The datum is being upgraded from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988…

Twelve Pinellas County projects were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 49 grants Districtwide for a total of $171,444. This is the 10th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to…

Water Management on the Move A cooperative project between Pinellas County and the District has restored the natural flow of water between two back bays at Fort DeSoto Park near the mouth of Tampa Bay. Restoring the circulation will help improve water quality and habitats in the estuary. When the park was being developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s, a dredge-and-fill project connected a series of small mangrove islands from the mainland to a barrier…

ORLANDO, Fla., May 26, 2015 – Two public meetings are scheduled for next week to provide an opportunity for the public to learn about and comment on the "Central Florida Water Initiative ":http://cfwiwater.com/ (CFWI) draft 2035 Water Resources Protection and Water Supply Strategies Plan (Solutions Plan) and minor changes to the draft 2015 Regional Water Supply Plan. The two draft documents will set a path forward for meeting water supply needs in central Florida for the…

A groundwater reuse and conservation project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Lowry Park Zoo will save approximately 38,000 gallons of groundwater a day.The Zoo uses 38,000 gallons of groundwater each day to fill the Zoos animal exhibition water features, such as the hippo pool and the pond at the lion exhibit. At the end of the day, the water is discharged into a retention pond on Zoo grounds and eventually flows into the Hillsborough River…

The Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) Steering Committee recently accepted the amended Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP) and the draft 2035 Water Resources Protection and Water Supply Strategies Plan (Solutions Plan). That action sends the documents to the Governing Boards of three central Florida water management districts for consideration. The RWSP charts a long-term course for water supply in Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and south Lake counties through 2035.…

The "Central Florida Water Initiative":http://cfwiwater.com/ (CFWI) Steering Committee today accepted the amended Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP) and the draft 2035 Water Resources Protection and Water Supply Strategies Plan (Solutions Plan). Today's action sends the documents to the Governing Boards of three central Florida water management districts for consideration.The RWSP charts a long-term course for water supply in Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and south Lake…