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The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping and stormwater runoff at Parke Family Hydrofarm.The project involves building a half-acre tower hydroponic section. Tower hydroponics is a farming method that involves planting crops in containers and using drip irrigation to deliver water and nutrients to the center of the stacked containers so each plant’s roots are sufficiently saturated.…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to comment on proposed "minimum flows and levels(Minimum Flows and Levels)":/mfl (MFLs) for the Chassahowitzka River at a public workshop on Thursday, Dec. 16. The workshop will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Citrus County's Lecanto Government Building, 3600 W. Sovereign Path in Lecanto.The District has already held one public workshop on the Chassahowitzka…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting the public to comment on revised "minimum flows for the Chassahowitzka and Homosassa river systems":http://www.WaterMatters.org/SpringsCoastMFL/ at a public workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The workshop will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lecanto Government Building, 3600 W. Sovereign Path, Room 166, Lecanto.The state Legislature requires the District to set minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for priority water…

At its Aug. 5 meeting, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Alafia River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate of 0.2163 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The "Alafia River Basin Board(Alafia River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/alafia.php area covers the southern portion of Hillsborough County and the southwestern portion of Polk County. This…

A watershed is an area of land that water flows across as it moves toward a common body of water, such as a stream, river, lake or coast.The majority of people in this watershed live within 10 miles from the Gulf of America. This means that many of the activities that take place in the watershed where people live — from maintaining attractive landscapes to creating new roads and buildings — directly impact the gulf and every water body leading up to it. The Southern…

Your Questions Answered  April 2020 April is Springs Protection Awareness Month, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District is committed to protecting the more than 200 springs within the District. To raise awareness about the importance of these natural treasures, Springs Scientist Dr. Madison Trowbridge answers some commonly asked questions about our springs. Q:  What is a spring? A:  A spring occurs when…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during September on the "Little Manatee River Corridor – Southfork Tract":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/littlemanatee-southfork.html in Manatee County.Little Manatee River Corridor – Southfork Tract is located in Duette. Approximately 150 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August on the "Little Manatee River Corridor – Southfork Tract":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/littlemanatee-southfork.html in Manatee County.Little Manatee River Corridor – Southfork Tract is located in Duette. Approximately 150 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during July on the Little Manatee River Corridor – Southfork Tract in Manatee County.Little Manatee River Corridor – Southfork Tract is located in Duette. Approximately 150 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to Land Management Supervisor Will VanGelder…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board today concurred with the water shortage emergency declaration for the city of Tampa’s main water supply.The District’s Executive Director David L. Moore made the declaration May 18. Drought conditions have caused an acute water shortage within the Hillsborough River Reservoir so emergency actions were necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare.The…

More than 850 miles of trails to explore!The Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting the public to get outside and celebrate National Trails Day by exploring some of the trails located on District land.The American Hiking Society’s 17th Annual National Trails Day is Saturday, June 6. A long-standing celebration of America’s magnificent trail system and its countless supporters and volunteers, National Trails Day is celebrated in all 50 states and…

Gov. Jeb Bush recently reappointed William Bunch and appointed Samuel Lyons to the Coastal Rivers Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board represents portions of Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus Counties.William Bunch lives in Crystal River and owns Oysters Restaurant. He joined the basin board March 2, 2002 when he succeeded Margaret West. Mr. Bunch’s current term began August 3 and ends March 1, 2008.Samuel Lyons is…

At its July 25 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.3701 mill, which is .0299 less than the current fiscal year. This reduction is in accordance with the tax reduction mandated by the Florida Legislature.The FY2008 millage rate has been set equal to 97 percent of the rolled-back rate in compliance with House Bill 1B, the tax reform legislation signed into law…

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.As of Dec. 15, the reservoir only had about 3 billion gallons in storage. When full, the reservoir stores approximately 15 billion gallons of water. Over the summer rainy months, Tampa Bay…

At its June 6 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.375 mill, which is .025 lower than the current fiscal year.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’s Hillsborough River Basin Board Tuesday adopted a proposed fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.285 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The tentative budget for FY2006 is $11,836,424, which represents an increase of $19,099 over the approved FY2005 budget. FY2006 will run from Oct. 1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2006.For the owner of a $100,000 home with a $25,000 homestead exemption, the FY 2006 Basin…

At its Aug. 12 meeting, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Coastal Rivers Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate of 0.1885 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The "Coastal Rivers Basin Board(Coastal Rivers Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/coastal.php covers portions of Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.This millage rate, combined with a…

At its Aug. 12 meeting, the Southwest "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Withlacoochee River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate of 0.23 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The "Withlacoochee River Basin Board(Withlacoochee River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/withlacoochee.php area covers portions of Citrus, Hernando, Levy, Marion, Pasco and…

Land and water are forever linked by Florida’s natural water cycles. Lands surrounding lakes, rivers, wetlands and estuaries serve as natural buffers to filter out pollution before it reaches the nearest water body. Undeveloped land can also allow for water recharge to the aquifer in some areas and water storage during major storm events. The Southwest Florida Water Management District and other agencies and governments purchase conservation lands to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted its proposed fiscal year 2010 (FY2010) millage rates for the General Fund and the seven Basin Boards.The Governing Board adopted a proposed FY2010 millage rate of 0.3866 mill for the District’s General Fund, which is the same as the current fiscal year. FY2010 will run from Oct. 1, 2009, through Sept. 30, 2010.The total proposed FY2010 budget for the District is $299.9 million, 20.33…