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Citrus and Marion county residents will be treated to clean water events from Ocala to Crystal River during the upcoming Springs Awareness Week. The following events taking place during Springs Awareness Week are aimed at raising awareness about the health of the local springs and what people can do to protect them: h3. March 13–14, Ocala table(webalert). |What:|16th Annual Marion County Master Gardeners' Spring Festival. More than 140 plant-related vendors come together to…

The Governing Board declared April Springs Protection Awareness Month at today’s Governing Board meeting. The move is part of the District’s ongoing effort to restore and protect area springs and encourage community involvement. The Governing Board also recognized some of its springs community partners. They are:

• Alys Brockway – She organized the Hernando County Groundwater Guardian Committee since 2002. The group helps educate the public about the…

Three Marion 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…

Environmental Specialist Jeff Sowards has spent the past 15 years working to protect the Rainbow Spring System. That why he was recognized Tuesday by the District’s Governing Board as a 2017 Springs Community Partner. Sowards has served as Rainbow Springs Aquatic Preserve Manager since 2003, where he oversees ecosystem science, resource management, education and outreach. He conducts his work in partnership with government and private entities to benefit the unique…

Top: Volunteers install aquatic plants at Dunnellon’s Blue Run Park. Second from top: Master Gardeners Chet Olshewsky, left, and JoEllen Allen staff an Ask-An-Expert Booth in Inverness. Third from top: Boy Scouts from Troop 452 mark storm drains in Dunnellon. Fourth from top: Water Quality Monitoring Program staff lead a tour of Kings Bay. Bottom: Dave DeWitt, District senior geologist/engineer, center, takes a tour group into Dames Caves. Educational events held…

From left: Lake Panasoffkee, Rainbow River, Clam Bayou and Tampa Bypass Canal During the spring, the District has experienced an influx of new Governing Board members. This change in leadership has led to the need for informational tours throughout the District. “Board members can read about a project or a water resource, but actually getting out to see a particular site to learn about it and ask questions of our staff gives our Board members a better…

Guest speakers and songs will be featured at the 6th Annual Marion County Springs Festival, which is being held Saturday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Silver River State Park.A variety of experts will speak about Florida’s springs and springs protection during the festival, including Chris Zajac, an environmental scientist with the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Zajac will talk about the District’s projects on the Rainbow River. Other…

The District’s Governing Board, along with the Florida Legislature and Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, declared April Springs Protection Awareness Month. There are many actions you can take at home to help protect springs.  A spring only is as healthy as its springshed, which is the area of land that contributes water to a spring. Activities within springsheds impact groundwater, and therefore, affect the water flowing from a spring. Help…

The District’s Governing Board, along with the Florida Legislature and Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, declared April Springs Protection Awareness Month. There are many actions you can take at home to help protect springs.  A spring only is as healthy as its springshed, which is the area of land that contributes water to a spring. Activities within springsheds impact groundwater, and therefore, affect the water flowing from a spring. Help…

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and District have approved five springs restoration projects in Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties. These projects will receive more than $13.4 million in state funding from Governor Rick Scott’s 2015-16 “Keep Florida Working” budget. This funding is expected to leverage over $7 million in matching funds.  These five selected projects will benefit Homosassa, Kings Bay, Rainbow and Weeki Wachee springs. “I would…

Four Marion County teachers were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.Mary Margaret Hull, District lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Marion County to the strong partnership with Marion County Schools. Jacqua Ballas, science program specialist for Marion County Schools, serves as the District's liaison to teachers and helped get…

Sharing Science With Students Joseph Haber, staff hydrologist, accompanied Dunnellon Middle School students on a trip to Rainbow Springs where he instructed them on how to test for water quality. More than 100 students at Dunnellon Middle School participate in the PAWS (Promoting Awesome Watershed Stewardship) Legacy Program, a District-funded project that receives matching grant funds from Florida Learn and Serve. The program is a hands-on learning experience that…

Three Marion County projects expected to reach up to 11,000 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org. These grants offer up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources. This year the District awarded "35 grants Districtwide(2010 Community Education Grant Projects)":http://www.swfwmd.state.…

March 14 – 21, 2009The Southwest Florida Water Management District, together with Citrus and Marion counties and the cities of Crystal River and Dunnellon, will proclaim March 14-21 as the first Springs Awareness Week.Here is a list of events taking place during Springs Awareness Week. These events are aimed at raising awareness about the health of the local springs and what people can do to protect them.Nitrate pollution from overusing fertilizers is one reason the…

 Photo left: District staffers Bob Brady, senior field technician; Carol Kraft, staff hydrologist; Dave DeWitt, senior geologist/engineer; and Tim Crosby, field technician, check out Peace Sign cave. Photo center: An 87-year-old tour participant talks to Gary Williams, District senior environmental scientist, on the walk to the caves. Photo right: Tim Crosby, field technician, shows tour participants how the District collects water quality samples. This…

Residents have a new resource devoted to the area’s major springs systems. The District has launched WaterMatters.org/Springs, a one-stop-shop of information on the area’s five major springs systems in Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties and what the District is doing to monitor and restore them.  These five systems include: the Chassahowitzka, Homosassa, Rainbow and Weeki Wachee rivers, plus…

The District’s work with springs is receiving worldwide attention as a Paris production crew recently documented some of the District’s projects.  One Planet Productions, based in France, writes and produces films dedicated to science, society, nature and the environment. Their films are broadcast on French television, as well as National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.  The film crew spent about a week documenting springs in the District. They…

Four Marion County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s school…