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Hotels, motels and restaurants in Charlotte County can conserve water with the help of three Southwest Florida Water Management District programs.The District’s Water Conservation Hotel And Motel Program (Water CHAMP), Water Program for Restaurant Outreach (Water PRO), and Charlotte County Toilet Rebate Program are designed to help businesses conserve water through training and retrofitting.Water CHAMPWater CHAMP is the District’s linens and towel reuse program…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about the order in which minimum flows and levels (MFLs) 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…

Workshop to follow at 9:30 a.m.The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, March 25 at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. After the Governing Board meeting, the District will hold an informational workshop on flood-related topics.To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is holding a public open house to gather input on future conservation land purchases.The District is evaluating properties that may be eligible for purchase under the Florida Forever Program.The public is invited to attend an open house Sept. 30, 6 to 8 p.m. at the District’s Sarasota Service Office, 6750 Fruitville Rd. in Sarasota. During the open house residents will be able to view area maps and the list of prospective…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, June 21, at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the live video stream link. The video stream link becomes active and the live video feed begins approximately 15 minutes…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized 14 Hillsborough County projects as outstanding school, community grant or volunteer programs that focus on water resources education. A total of 52 projects were recognized during the October 7 Reflect, Connect, Celebrate Water Resources Education Conference at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center in Tarpon Springs.To select the awardees, District staff reviewed grants applied for by…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized 14 Hillsborough County projects as outstanding school, community grant or volunteer programs that focus on water resources education. A total of 52 projects were recognized during the October 7 Reflect, Connect, Celebrate Water Resources Education Conference at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center in Tarpon Springs.To select the awardees, District staff reviewed grants applied for by…

Twenty-one Polk County teachers and four private school teachers are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the…

Description: There is a place in the middle of the state, far from either coast, where people can go to experience the unaltered natural beauty of central Florida. The 51,000-acre East Tract of the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve offers visitors the ability to hike, hunt, bike, camp or fish in a rare wilderness full of local flora and fauna. The Green Swamp East Tract, which stretches across Sumter, Lake, and Polk counties, contains a variety of habitat types —…

Splash! Grants Awarded to Area Schools in District This year, 94 Splash! grants were awarded across the District’s 16-county region to educate students on water resources. Splash! grant projects include student monitoring of local water quality, environmental field studies and school or community outreach campaigns designed to encourage water conservation. The goal of the Splash! school grant program is to provide teachers with funding to enhance student knowledge of…

Fertilizing your lawn the right way can make a big difference for Florida’s water quality. When fertilizers are applied incorrectly, they can wash into nearby water bodies, harming ecosystems and diminishing water quality. This guide will help you understand the best practices for fertilizing responsibly, following local regulations and protecting Florida’s unique environment Why Fertilizing Responsibly Matters More than 1,000 new residents move to Florida daily,…

Workshop to follow at 10:30 a.m.The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. After the Governing Board meeting, the District will hold an informational workshop on water related issues. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the…

The District’s Governing Board voted Tuesday for the latest slate of officers for the 2021-2022 term. Governing Board members are unpaid, citizen volunteers who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. The Governing Board sets policy for the District, whose mission is to protect water resources, minimize flood risks and ensure the public’s water needs are met. The new officers are:…

August 2023Q: What is FARMS?A: The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems, or FARMS program for short, is designed to serve as an incentive to the agricultural community to promote water quantity, water quality and natural systems BMPs to conserve groundwater use and promote resource sustainability. The program is an agricultural cost-share reimbursement program that reduces groundwater withdrawals from the Upper Floridan…

Who:Hillsborough County Extension Service staff, homeowners and gardenersWhat:A Water-Wise workshop to teach interested homeowners about Florida-friendly landscaping practices, including proper irrigation techniques.Pre-registration is required for this free workshop. Participants will receive a micro-irrigation kit at the conclusion. Call 813-744-5519, ext. 145 to register.The workshop is part of “Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week,” which is sponsored by the…

January 2023 Q: What is vegetation management? A: Vegetation management is the targeted control of nuisance and invasive exotic vegetation. These operations are conducted on both District-owned lands and on District-managed public waterbodies. This includes the control of both aquatic vegetation, growing in or near water, and terrestrial vegetation, growing on land. Q: Why is vegetation management important…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is holding a public open house to gather input on future conservation land purchases.The District is evaluating properties that may be eligible for purchase under the Florida Forever Program.The public is invited to attend an open house Oct. 1, 6 to 8 p.m. at the District’s Tampa Service Office, 7601 U.S. Hwy. 301 in Tampa. During the open house residents will be able to view area maps and the list of prospective…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is holding a public open house to gather input on future conservation land purchases.The District is evaluating properties that may be eligible for purchase under the Florida Forever Program.The public is invited to attend an open house Sept. 24, 6 to 8 p.m. at the District’s Headquarters, 2379 Broad St., in Brooksville. During the open house residents will be able to view area maps and the list of prospective properties…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is holding a public open house to gather input on future conservation land purchases.The District is evaluating properties that may be eligible for purchase under the Florida Forever Program.The public is invited to attend an open house Sept. 23, 6 to 8 p.m. at the District’s Bartow Service Office, 170 Century Blvd. in Bartow. During the open house residents will be able to view area maps and the list of prospective…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, St. Johns River Water Management District and South Florida Water Management District have scheduled a virtual joint public meeting at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 6, 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.Participants can join the virtual meeting at …