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The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating water lettuce on the Rainbow River in Marion County Jan. 22-25. Water lettuce infestations will be treated from the Rainbow River State Park to the Withlacoochee River.Water lettuce will be spot treated with the aquatic herbicide Reward. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Water use restrictions in areas treated with Reward…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently approved an agreement providing funding assistance for the Pinellas County Ultra Low-Flow Toilet Rebate Project.The project is a cooperatively funded effort between Pinellas County and the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. The goal of the fifth phase of the project is to promote water conservation by providing toilet rebates of up to $100 for each high-volume toilet replaced with a low-flow model.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hampton Tract will be reserved March 23-25 to allow disabled hunters the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors during a turkey hunt. The property, which is located at the intersection of Rockridge Road and Deen Still Road in Polk County, will be closed to the public.The hunt is organized by the National Wild Turkey Federation/Wheelin’ Sportsmen and is one of seven planned outdoor events held on District land…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Brooksville office has been certified by the Hernando County Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) Program as a Florida-friendly yard.The Florida-friendly yard certification recognizes landscapes that save water, reduce the use of fertilizer and pesticides, as well as reduce runoff and provide native habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.Work to obtain the certification began about two years ago when Jeff…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will be treating hydrilla on the Rainbow River during the week of Feb. 21–25.District workers will treat scattered infestations on the river from upstream of KP Hole Park to the Withlacoochee River.Workers will apply the aquatic herbicide Aquathol Super K and post warning signs in the treatment areas noting treatment dates and water use restrictions. Treated river water should…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $108,304 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…

table(webalert). |Who:|"Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/, "Tampa Bay Watch(Tampa Bay Watch)":http://www.tampabaywatch.org/ and *200 volunteers*.||*What:*|Tampa Bay Watch has organized volunteers to plant more than *20,000 plugs plants* at "Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve(Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve Description)":http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/terraceia/description/ located in Manatee County just north of…

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…

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) will reopen the Weekiwachee Preserve to the public effective Friday, May 8, 2020 for all uses. Weekiwachee Preserve is located in coastal Hernando County and has no affiliation with Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. In keeping with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ "Safe. Smart. Step-By-Step. Plan" to reopen Florida, visitors to the Weekiwachee Preserve should maximize physical distance from others and avoid socializing in…

Asks the public to help our water resources recoverThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted unanimously today to extend the current Water Shortage Order, which restricts lawn watering throughout the District to one-day-per-week, through Sept. 30.The Governing Board chose to extend the term of the water shortage order because impacts from the two-year drought continue despite the start of the annual rainy season. In…

Volunteers gather at the Mayor’s Beautification Program’s 22nd Annual Hillsborough River & Waterways Cleanup. District staff, Governing Board members and their families and friends were among the 1,300 volunteers at this year’s Mayor’s Beautification Program’s 22nd Annual Hillsborough River & Waterways Cleanup. The annual event is one of Tampa’s largest volunteer activities. Each year volunteers scour dozens of shoreline locations along the…

Ekker Preserve, top, before restoration. At bottom, the restoration project after completion of the final grading. A tropical fish nursery that was dominated by nonnative plants and mosquitoes was recently converted into a maturing 23-acre wetland habitat for many native species. The wetland habitat is part of the 85-acre Ekker Preserve in Gibsonton. The District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management Program recently completed construction of the…

h2. One-day-per-week watering limit remainsEditor's note: Contact Robyn Felix at Robyn.Felix@WaterMatters.org to receive a color map via email.The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board voted today to ease water restrictions for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. The Board voted to lift the Modified Phase III (or Extreme) restrictions for the Tampa Bay area because Tampa Bay Water has made substantial progress in reducing its groundwater…

District staff helped community leaders celebrate the completion of the Lutz Lake Fern Road Trailhead and new section of the Upper Tampa Bay Trail, which now connects to the Suncoast Trail. Hillsborough County recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new segment. The 4.35-mile section marks the completion of the northernmost segment of the Upper Tampa Bay Trail.  Colleen Kruk, the District’s lead land use specialist, spoke at the event, noting this…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will be treating hydrilla on the Rainbow River during the week of March 7–10.District workers will treat scattered infestations on the river from upstream of KP Hole Park to the CR 484 bridge.Workers will apply the aquatic herbicide Aquathol Super K and post warning signs in the treatment areas noting treatment dates and water use restrictions. Treated river water should not be…

Governor Ron DeSantis has reappointed Ed Armstrong and William Hogarth to the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board. Both Armstrong and Hogarth represent Pinellas County and were both reappointed for a term ending March 2026. Armstrong, of Dunedin, currently serves as treasurer of the Governing Board and was recently elected vice chair. He is a shareholder with…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during December, January and February on the Flatwoods Park and Oak Ridge Equestrian areas of the District's Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County.The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve is located just south of Morris Bridge Road and just east of I-75, approximately three miles northeast of Temple Terrace. Approximately 700 acres of land will be…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is joining with local governments to “campaign” against the drought.In this grass roots campaign, local governments and utilities are partnering with the District to raise public awareness of the drought and promote water conservation by placing water conservation signs in their communities. The signs are the size and shape of political yard signs.The participating governments and utilities are: Bartow, Bradenton,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored Kurt Vargo and Lorna Ransom from DeSoto County’s Parks and Recreation Department for their work on Water Education Day, an outstanding water resources education project. A total of 27 projects were recognized during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Lake Mirror Complex in Lakeland.“Water Education Day” targeted DeSoto County residents and their personal connection to the watershed. Participants…