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The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 94,900 gallons per day (gpd) at a Manatee County farm.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project, proposed by FFD Land Company, Inc., is located upstream from Lake Manatee, which is a major source of drinking water…

Taking a trip to one of the Sunshine State's beautiful springs soon? If so, you may see a popular “sunny” fish while you're there. Almost 40 percent of all fish found in the Rainbow River System were the Spotted Sunfish, according to a recent paper published in the scientific journal, Florida Scientist, and written by District's Kym Holzwart a senior environmental scientist with the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The District contracted with the Florida…

Funding will help restore water quality and natural systems, and create sustainable water supplies in the Southern Water Use Caution AreaThe Florida Legislature passed the 2008-09 budget, including $15 million for the Southwest Florida Water Management District's West-Central Florida Water Restoration Action Plan (WRAP.)More than 1.5 million people in this region will benefit from water supply development and environmental restoration in the Southern Water Use…

Your Questions Answered  February 2021 Nearly one thousand people move to Florida every day. That population growth puts significant demand on the region’s water supply. To help meet these water supply needs, local governments, water managers, builders and developers are working cooperatively through the Florida Water Star℠ (FWS) program. Southwest Florida Water Management District Lead Communications Coordinator Robin Grantham has details about…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping at a nursery in southeastern Hillsborough County.The project will connect an existing 1.5-acre surface water reservoir to the irrigation system at Spring Valley Tree Farm, a 15-acre container nursery located along State Highway 574, west of Plant City, which is part of the Northern Tampa Bay Water Use Caution Area.The project will allow the Spring…

Nearly a decade of public workshops, water resource analyses, and policy debates culminated this week in approval of the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) Recovery Strategy by the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board.This is an historic moment for the District, the public and the water resources, said Executive Director David L. Moore. Many years of labor and collaboration by Board members, staff, representatives of all the types of water users…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alston Tract, which is part of the Upper Hillsborough property, will be the site of hog hunts Feb. 6-8 and Feb. 20-22. The tract will be temporarily closed to the public and only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.The Alston Tract is located southeast of Zephyrhills in Pasco and Polk counties. The entrance is off of Deems Road.The…

All residents remain under one-day-per-week watering restrictions with stricter watering hoursThe Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board voted today to declare a Modified Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage due to ongoing drought conditions throughout the region, which requires all residents, including those on private wells, to follow one-day-…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 200,000 gallons per day (gpd) at a Manatee County citrus grove.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project, proposed by CFI USA, Inc., is located upstream from Lake Manatee on its 332-acre citrus grove. Lake Manatee is…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a kickoff meeting on Tuesday, March 13 at 5 p.m. at Cornerstone Baptist Church located at 1100 W. Highland Blvd. in Inverness. The purpose of the meeting is to gather feedback about the upcoming development of the minimum flows for the upper and middle Withlacoochee River. Minimum flows protect rivers, streams and springs from impacts associated with groundwater and surface water withdrawals. They are one…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a kickoff meeting on Thursday, March 1 at 5 p.m. at the Ridge Manor Community Center located at 34240 Cortez Blvd. in Ridge Manor. The purpose of the meeting is to gather feedback about the upcoming development of the minimum flows for the upper and middle Withlacoochee River. Minimum flows protect rivers, streams and springs from impacts associated with groundwater and surface water withdrawals. They are…

The districts administer flood protection programs and perform technical investigations into water resources. They also develop water management plans for water shortages in times of drought, and acquire and manage lands for water management purposes. Delegated regulatory programs include management of the consumptive use of water, aquifer recharge, well construction and surface water management.  

Four Southwest Florida Water Management District projects will help DeSoto County agricultural operations reduce groundwater pumping by an average of 50 percent or more.These projects are part of the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program, which is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.Because three of these projects are expected to reduce withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping at a strawberry farm in southeastern Hillsborough County.The project involves installing an integrated irrigation system that will include a weather station, soil moisture sensors, and automated valves at Berry Bay Farms.Installing a weather station helps farmers irrigate more precisely, based on weather conditions. For example, during frost-freeze…

State Sen. J.D. Alexander presented the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board with a ceremonial check for $15 million for the District’s West-Central Florida Water Restoration Action Plan (WRAP.)Gov. Charlie Crist included WRAP in his budget request to the Legislature and Sen. Alexander and Rep. Bill Galvano carried the budget request successfully through the legislative process.“Without the support of the Governor, Senator Alexander…