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The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Citrus County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, Sept. 15, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. at the Lecanto Government Building, 3600 West Sovereign Path, Room 166Lecanto.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Citrus County. Examples of restoration projects may include, but are…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, July 7, 3:30 p.m. in the Governing Board Room at the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, Jan. 7, 3:30 p.m. in the Governing Board room of the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, St. Johns River Water Management District and South Florida Water Management District have scheduled a joint public workshop to solicit stakeholder input on each District’s annual update of their priority list and schedule for the establishment of minimum flows and water levels as well as water reservations. This workshop is being held to promote consistent water resource planning in the Central Florida Water Initiative (…

Dozens of Lealman residents joined representatives from the District and Pinellas County in September to celebrate the opening of the first phase of the Joes Creek Greenway to the public. The restoration project is a cooperative effort to restore wildlife habitat and improve water quality in Joes Creek through treatment of stormwater runoff, while providing the community access to the greenway for recreation. Lealman is a small community in central Pinellas County…

 Mark Brown, senior environmental scientist, and Paul Miselis, senior environmental engineer, were recognized for their work on the Fort DeSoto Ecosystem Restoration Project. The project restored the natural flow between two back bays at Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County. In May, the District’s Governing Board recognized two staff members for their roles on a successful restoration project that received national recognition. Mark Brown, District senior…

Left photo: David Moore, executive director, and Jerry Rice, Governing Board chair, chat before an employee meeting in Brooksville. Right photo: David Moore, executive director, answers a question from Malcolm Hudson, senior tradesworker, between employee meetings in Brooksville. In May, the District’s Governing Board recognized two staff members for their roles on a successful restoration project that received national recognition. Mark Brown, District senior…

At the park dedication, Bo Rooks, Withlacoochee River Basin Board member, talked of how the partnership between the District and the civic association benefits everyone. Citrus County residents have a new park to visit thanks to a partnership between the District and the Withlapopka Civic Association. The Withlapopka Community Park, which is located within the District’s Flying Eagle Preserve in Floral City, was dedicated in April. During the dedication, Bo…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board voted today to extend one-day-per-week watering restrictions again for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties until Dec. 31 due to ongoing efforts to refill the regional reservoir.Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Manatee, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla…

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…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state's wildfire emergency in early spring. That's why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns November through March 2018 at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County. Halpata Tastanaki Preserve is located two miles east of Dunnellon and seven miles northeast of the City…

Staff from four water management districts across the state recently attended a week-long training at District headquarters to learn more about a software program that facilitates environmental flow assessments through instream habitat analysis. The November training on System for Environmental Flow Assessment (SEFA) was led by Ian Jowett and Tom Payne, two leading experts in hydraulic habitat modeling and co-developers of the software program. “The program ensures…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about the order in which minimum flows and levels (MFL) for lakes, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District will be determined.A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment. The District Governing Board sets these limits as part of achieving the delicate balance between meeting human water needs and those…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about the order in which minimum flows and levels (MFL) for lakes, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District will be determined.A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment. The District Governing Board sets these limits as part of achieving the delicate balance between meeting human water needs and those…

Shinn Ditch Restoration Project Wins National Award The North American Lake Management Society presented its 2010 Technical Merit Award to the District for work on the Shinn Ditch restoration project in the District’s Flying Eagle Preserve in Citrus County. Shinn Ditch was originally intended to improve land for agricultural use by draining water from the property into the Withlacoochee River. The restoration project consisted of a series of blocks within the ditch,…

WFLA-TV meteorologist Brooks Garner interviews Rebecca Valone, project manager for the Tampa Port Authority, about McKay Bay. When the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program began looking into the possibility of restoring the 56-acre McKay Bay Dredge Hole, there was only one problem. The project would need enough clean fill material to fill two football stadiums. However, as SWIM staff began talking to the program’s local partners,…

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…

"The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ proclaimed April 2014 Springs Protection Awareness Month. In support of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection proclamation and efforts, the Board also emphasized that the state's springs are essential to the environment, economy, citizens and visitors of the state.The District invested more than $2.1 million in springs protection and…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state's wildfire emergency last spring. That's why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns March through September 2018 at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County. Halpata Tastanaki Preserve is located two miles east of Dunnellon and seven miles northeast of the City of…

Following the Florida Legislature's lead, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ proclaimed April 2013 Springs Protection Awareness Month at their monthly board meeting. The Board emphasized that the state's springs are essential to the environment, economy, citizens and visitors of the state.The District invested more than $2.2 million in "springs protection":http://www.swfwmd.state.…