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 District staff and contractors discuss floodplain concerns with residents. District Governing Board members and staff recently got a firsthand view of a successful agricultural alternative water-use project built through the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Program. The project involved constructing a surface water tailwater recovery system that was built at Lallymix Farms’ Poucher Road farm in Hardee County. The…

At its June 20 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board adopted a tentative fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.265 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The tentative budget for FY2006 is $7,604,321, which is a decrease of $3,708,017 from the approved FY2005 budget. The main reason for this major budget decrease is because the District received a $4,320,000 state appropriation for the Lake…

At its June 7 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.240 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.Further, in the event that a tax reduction is mandated by the Legislature during its special session later this month, the Basin Board has authorized the Executive Director to recalculate its millage rate to reflect the change in revenue prescribed by the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating water hyacinth and water lettuce on portions of the Braden River July 24-27. The sites are located south of State Road 70 in Manatee County.Treatment involves using the aquatic herbicide Reward. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Restrictions on Reward include no livestock watering for one day, no irrigation of turf or ornamental…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating water hyacinth and water lettuce on portions of the Braden River July 10-13. The sites are located south of State Road 70 in Manatee County.Treatment involves using the aquatic herbicide Reward. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Restrictions on Reward include no livestock watering for one day, no irrigation of turf or ornamental…

Governor Charlie Crist recently reappointed Mitchell Hammer to the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board.Hammer is a senior appraiser for the Internal Revenue Service who lives in New Port Richey. He was first appointed to the Board in June 2005. His current term ends March 1, 2011.The Pinellas-Anclote River Basin area includes Pinellas County and the southern portion of Pasco County.The District has seven regional Basin Boards that…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is extending a water shortage emergency authorization that allows Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Alafia River because Tampa Bay Water cannot use the full storage capacity of the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir.The reservoir only has about 6.5 billion gallons in storage to facilitate inspection and investigation of the reservoir’s soil cement layer. When full, the reservoir stores approximately…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored Angela Maraj yesterday during a District ceremony that recognized outstanding programs that focused on water resources education. Maraj serves as the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Builders/Developers Outreach coordinator in Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota counties. A total of 27 projects were recognized during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Lake Mirror Complex in Lakeland.In…

The Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the next 12 months within the Green Swamp. This includes the following properties: Green Swamp East, Green Swamp West, Hampton and Upper Hillsborough. These properties are located in eastern Pasco, southeastern Sumter, southwestern Lake and northern Polk counties. Approximately 20,000 acres will be prescription burned in manageable units by…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has begun construction on four projects to restore natural systems and improve the water quality at the Charlotte Harbor Buffer Preserve.The Charlotte Harbor Buffer Preserve has been significantly impacted by human activities, such as construction of miles of mosquito ditches and berms, which have altered historic wetland hydroperiods and flow patterns into Charlotte Harbor.The projects will fill mosquito ditches to restore…

District employees Don Kaskie and Violet Woodard thought it would be another typical work day.  The vegetation specialists spent a day last month in airboats treating water hyacinth and water lettuce on Upper Myakka Lake. Near the end of their work day, a local canoe rental shop reported that a couple who had rented a boat never returned. With a large storm approaching, Kaskie searched nearly 7 miles of shoreline by airboat while Woodard searched for the couple by…

At its Aug. 4 meeting, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board reduced its millage rate to 0.2600 mill for fiscal year 2011 (FY2011), which is 0.06 mill less than the current fiscal year. This lowered millage rate, combined with a reduction in property values as certified by the Pinellas and Pasco county property appraisers, will result in a $5.7 million…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's ":http://www.WaterMatters.org Governing Board yesterday approved funding for a project that will reduce groundwater withdrawals in DeSoto County by an estimated annual average savings of 160,000 gallons per day.J.R. Paul Properties, Inc. will be reimbursed up to $128,000 for a surface water irrigation reservoir and tailwater recovery system at its 1,833-acre citrus grove and 17-acre field nursery. The property is located…

h2. Learn About Polk County's Natural Resources at Circle B Bar ReservePolk county residents and families are invited to attend the 2011 Water, Wings & Wild Things Nature Fest at "Circle B Bar Reserve(Circle B Bar Reserve)":/recreation/areas/circlebbarreserve.html. The free, annual event takes place Saturday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.The nature festival lets families learn about local natural resources and nature-based recreational opportunities. Presentations,…

Attention-Grabbing Exhibit A unique exhibit aimed at getting the word out about water conservation will hit the road again in 2004. “The water conservation restroom trailer proved to be an effective tool in getting our message out to a wide variety of people,” said Beth Bartos, communications manager for the District. The District set up the trailer, funded by the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board, at five community festivals within the basin last year.…

At its June 21 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board adopted a tentative fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.235 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The tentative budget for FY2006 is $8,457,750, which represents an increase of $336,746 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values and increases in funding from local governments for…

At its June 1 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.400 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The tentative budget for FY2006 is $29,276,923, which is a decrease of $2,763,519 from the approved FY2005 budget. The decrease in the FY2006 budget is primarily due to a reduction in carryover funds from prior years as compared to FY2005.…

The Three Sisters Springs Wetland Treatment Project is helping improve the quality of stormwater before it enters Kings Bay. Project OverviewThe Southwest Florida Water Management District constructed a wetland area on the Three Sisters Springs property to treat stormwater runoff and improve the quality of stormwater before it enters Kings Bay. The Three Sisters property is co-owned by the District and the City of Crystal River. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and…

A reclaimed water project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Winter Haven will expand reclaimed water service in the northern service area, offsetting about 454,000 gallons of potable water per day.The project will connect several developments, including Hampton Cove, Lakes at Lucerne Park, Sunset Hills, Royal Hills, and Lake Henry Isles, to the reclaimed water system. As a result, reclaimed water will be available to approximately 2,…