Search Content

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state's recent drought. That's why the Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of July, August, and September on the Upper Hillsborough property in Polk County. The Upper Hillsborough property is in the area of Chancy Rd. and S.R…

Almost half of the counties within the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 16-county region are now under a Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage Alert.The District identifies four possible levels of water shortage, beginning with “moderate” and increasing in intensity through “severe,” “extreme” and “critical.”With river flows, aquifer levels, and lake levels remaining far below normal, the region…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved a project that will help a DeSoto County blueberry farm further reduce groundwater pumping.Island Grove Agricultural Products has three farms located in the Joshua Creek and Prairie Creek watersheds and are within five miles of each other. The project involves constructing an integrated, automated irrigation system for these three farms.The irrigation system includes two weather…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ Governing Board Tuesday adopted its fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rates for the General Fund and the seven "Basin Boards(Basin Boards)":/about/basinboards/.The "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard adopted a FY2011 millage rate of 0.3770 mill for the Districtwide General Fund, which is 0.0096 mill less than the current fiscal year's rate of 0.3866. This…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 178,000 gallons per day (gpd) at a Hillsborough County nursery. 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 Holmberg Farms, Inc., is located in central Hillsborough County. Fishhawk Creek flows through the…

Some of the cities and towns located in the Springs Coast Watershed include Brooksville, Crystal River, Dunnellon, Homosassa, New Port Richey and Spring Hill. The trademarks of this watershed are the many springs that discharge to form rivers, the extensive coastal swamps and salt marshes, high pine woodlands and lakes.There are more than 200 documented springs that occur throughout the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District). Five of these have a discharge of…

May 2023 Q:  What does the District do to prepare for hurricane season? A:  Year-round, the District operates 84 water control structures in its 16-county area. These structures assist with flood protection, manage lake water levels and prevent saltwater from flowing up freshwater streams and creeks. To prepare for hurricane season, staff conduct annual hurricane readiness checks of all the District’s structures to ensure they…

Pat Glass displays a plaque she received in recognition of her public service. With Glass are District Executive Director Dave Moore (right) and representatives from the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority and Charlotte and DeSoto counties. The District’s Governing Board and the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (Authority) joined together in December to recognize Patricia “Pat” Glass for her…

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…

Basin Board Members Appointed Governor Charlie Crist recently appointed new members to the Pinellas-Anclote River, Withlacoochee River and Peace River basin boards. Roland Dove and Janet Hoppe were appointed to the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. Dove, from New Port Richey in Pasco County, succeeded Mitch Hammer. Hoppe, from Indian Shores in Pinellas County, succeeded Chet Renfro. Burton Eno and Alan Grubman were appointed to the Withlacoochee River Basin Board…

We tried everything we could to find a peaceful resolution, but the Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC) seems intent on fighting a legal battle. The PRWC filed a legal challenge to a proposed permit that would allow the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (PRMRWSA) to withdraw additional quantities from the Peace River. An administrative law judge ordered all parties to meet in an effort to amicably resolve the litigation. The parties agreed to engage…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the City of Winter Haven to improve water quality in Lake Howard by treating stormwater runoff that flows into the lake.Lake Howard is a 628-acre lake located west of downtown Winter Haven and is one of 16 interconnected lakes known as the Southern Winter Haven Chain of Lakes, which is a State Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Priority Water Body.During the past 10 years, the water quality in Lake…

Two Polk County projects, cooperatively funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, to improve water quality by treating stormwater runoff within the Ridge Lakes watershed will be complete in July.The first project consists of a stormwater treatment system for Lake Menzie. The project includes retrofitting two stormwater pipes that directly discharge into Lake Menzie. These retrofits include two swales, a retention basin, and a long infiltration basin. These…

Environmental enthusiasts of all ages are invited to come out and enjoy a free community fair being held at the Hillsborough River State Park, May 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.The 9th Annual “A River Runs Through It” community fair features watershed education workshops, watershed educational bingo, children’s activities and educational displays. Visitors can also canoe, fish or take a nature hike.The workshops include the award-winning Frog Listening Network,…

  This October the District is collaborating with the Hillsborough River Watershed Alliance to raise watershed awareness by declaring Oct. 20–27 as Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week. The Hillsborough River originates in the Green Swamp and is approximately 54 miles long. Part of the river is designated as an Outstanding Florida Water. The Hillsborough River watershed encompasses approximately 950 square miles. The watershed is located within…

_District partnering with Sarasota County on purchase_The "Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board(Governing Board)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard approved the acquisition of conservation easements on the Walton and Longino ranches in Sarasota County today, which will link a regional corridor of conservation lands between the Myakka and Peace rivers.The "District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl…

OverviewApplicants will be asked to break this down in more detail in the application. Students will learn about local freshwater ecosystems in west-central Florida, with a focus on our magnificent springs. After an introductory lesson on habitats and ecosystems, students will dive deeper to learn about springs, the wildlife they support and their connection to the aquifer below. As part of their exploration, students will complete the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board approved the purchase of a 4,357-acre conservation easement over a portion of the approximately 16,315-acre Carlton Horse Creek Ranch. The acquisition is in partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of State Lands (DSL). DSL will negotiate a conservation easement over the remaining 11,958 acres. Horse Creek Ranch is located across both Hardee and DeSoto…

Governing and Basin Board members recently toured project sites in four of the District’s 16 counties. Board members visited projects in Myakka City, the Lake Wales Ridge area, Homosassa’s Chassahowitzka Spring and the Edward Medard Reservoir in Plant City. Myakka River Watershed The first tour offered Board members an opportunity to visit a Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) project and travel through a variety of public lands in the…