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The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us is gathering input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in DeSoto County's *Deep Creek Gully watershed*.The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the "Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)(Federal Emergency Management Agency)":http://www.fema.gov on its national effort to "update and modernize the FEMA Flood…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org is gathering input needed to improve identification of "flooding risks(Understanding Flooding and Floodplains)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/publications/files/understanding_flooding.pdf in the county. The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on their national effort to update and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pasco County are working together to gather input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the county.The information will be used to update area floodplain information and develop preliminary Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and…

Who: Representatives from the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of InvernessWhat: The city is holding a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on a reclaimed water transmission line. This $2 million project is being funded by the District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board and the city.When: Monday, Feb. 4, 5 p.m.Where: The Inverness Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 3900 S. Florida Ave., Inverness.Why: The District and the…

Ten Hillsborough County projects were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 49 grants Districtwide for a total of $171,444. This is the 10th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to…

The District continues to monitor lake and river levels and manage its water control structures around the clock during this historic flooding event caused by Hurricane Milton.Lake and River Level Update

• Lake water levels in most areas are starting to decline and most structures are discharging at maximum capacity. 
• Upper portions of the Hillsborough River have crested and are beginning to decline while the lower portions are…

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…

 District staff and Governing and Basin Board members toured The Villages. From left to right: Albert “Bo” Rooks, Withlacoochee River Basin Board member; John Heuer, deputy executive director; Janet Kovach, Governing Board member; Jerry Rice, Governing Board vice chair; Seeth Trimpert, Withlacoochee River Basin Board vice chair; John Arnett, III, water resources engineer for The Villages; Janey Baldwin, Withlacoochee River Basin Board member; Gary Moyer, vice…

 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…

Charlotte Post, administrative supervisor, and Tammy Antoine, employee committee chair, presented Debbie Harper with the Shining Star award. Debbie Harper, the most recent shining star recipient, has made contributing to her community a way of life. While raising her two daughters, Harper was involved in numerous organizations such as the Parent Teacher Organization, Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps and athletic booster clubs. She…

District Accepting Applications for Community Education Grants Community members who want to make a positive impact on the water resources in their area may apply online for a District Community Education Grant. Funded by the District’s Basin Boards, the program is intended to motivate communities to get involved in watershed protection through various educational activities. These grants offer up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide…

Tampa Bay Water Permit Renewed for Additional 10 Years The Governing Board has renewed Tampa Bay Water’s 90-million-gallon-per-day northern Tampa Bay consolidated water use permit for 10 years while requiring the water supplier to continue extensive environmental monitoring. The consolidated permit renewal includes extensive environmental controls, monitoring and reporting. Some of the key components of the permit include:

• Requirements for when the…

Scott Reappoints Three to Governing Board Gov. Rick Scott recently reappointed Albert Joerger, H. Paul Senft and Doug Tharp to the District’s Governing Board. Joerger is from Sarasota and is the founder and president of The Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. His new term ends March 1, 2015. Joerger is also Governing Board treasurer. Senft is from Haines City and is a self-employed business and insurance consultant. His new term ends March 1, 2015. Senft is…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will receive a portion of $50 million in the state budget for projects that help restore area springs. Gov. Rick Scott announced the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the water management districts have identified 40 springs projects that will receive $50 million as part of the 2017-2018 Fighting for Florida’s Future budget. The $50 million in Legacy Florida funding for springs restoration projects was…

About 70 volunteers recently spent a morning cleaning invasive algae out of Weeki Wachee Springs in Hernando County. The volunteer event was a coordinated effort by the District and local rotary clubs to remove a blue-green algae known as Lyngbya. This event was part of a long-term maintenance plan for a District restoration project completed in 2009 designed to help keep the river healthy. While not all algae are bad, this quick spreading species can rapidly…

Residents Urged to “Skip a Week” of Irrigation During Cooler Months The District’s Governing Board voted in December to modify the tightened turfgrass restrictions for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, which will allow builders to sod and residents to replace lawns under a specific set of conditions. The move comes after District staff met with members of the sod industry to discuss solutions to the extreme water shortage in the Tampa Bay area and the…

State Sen. J.D. Alexander presented the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board with a ceremonial check for $15 million for the District’s West-Central Florida Water Restoration Action Plan (WRAP.)Gov. Charlie Crist included WRAP in his budget request to the Legislature and Sen. Alexander and Rep. Bill Galvano carried the budget request successfully through the legislative process.“Without the support of the Governor, Senator Alexander…

WhoPasco County teachers and students who received Splash! mini-grants; Laura Hill, Pasco County instructional supervisor; and Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Youth Education staffWhatThe District is holding its annual sharing day for recipients of its Splash! mini-grants in Pasco County. District Youth Education staff and Pasco County’s Instructional Supervisor will visit five sites throughout the day. Each class will showcase their water…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved an agreement between the District and the St. Johns River Water Management District that will provide uniform lawn and landscape irrigation measures throughout unincorporated Marion County. The measures address both drought and normal conditions.Marion County is divided between the two water management districts, with the boundary roughly being Interstate 75. The two agencies currently…