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As the weather gets cooler, now is the time for Floridians to get outside and enjoy a variety of recreational activities. Each issue of WaterMatters features a different District property ready for you to explore. These public lands are close to home and are free or very inexpensive to use. This issue features the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve (Preserve) in Hillsborough County. The 16,000-acre Preserve…

The District’s response team jumps into action to help the Suwannee River Water Management District with flooding in its area. (Photo courtesy Paul Buchanan) As Tropical Storm Debby churned in the Gulf of Mexico in June, it brought record rainfall, flooding and damage to various areas of the District. As part of the District’s core mission of flood protection, staff immediately responded to the needs of the community in a variety of ways. The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is encouraging residents who irrigate their lawns to “watch the weather, wait to water” during the months of July, August and September.According to research by the University of Florida, an average of three-quarters of an inch of water every three to five days is enough to replenish the grass during the summer. In fact, Florida receives an average rainfall of 53 inches a year, and most of that falls between June…

Twelve Highlands County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s…

Summer rains not enough for water resources to fully recoverThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to extend the current Water Shortage Order, which restricts lawn watering throughout the District to one-day-per-week, through Feb. 27, 2009.The Governing Board chose to extend the term of the water shortage order because the region is still impacted by the two-year drought and portions of the District did not receive enough rain…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is proud to announce the recipients of the 2006 Community Education Grant Program. 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 34 grants Districtwide for a total of $151,278. Of those 34 grants awarded, five were awarded to groups in Pinellas County.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant…

Ten Citrus County 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 grant program in Citrus County to the…

Six Pinellas County projects expected to reach more than 18,000 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org. These grants offer up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources. This year the District awarded "35 grants Districtwide(2010 Community Education Grant Projects)":http://www.swfwmd.…

Recent cold weather has taken a toll on Florida plant life, and may have damaged area sprinkler systems too. The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org is providing a few simple steps that residents can use help to their plants, lawns, and irrigation systems recover from freezing temperatures. h3. Wait to water and prune"University of Florida county Extension agents(Find your local county Extension…

Partnership Between District and Middle School Students Benefits All Woodworking class at D. S. Parrott Middle School is about more than making spice racks and bird feeders. Approximately 40 seventh- and eighth-grade students in two woodworking classes make signs to identify trails and wildlife areas on District property. “This is a year-round shop class,” said seventh-grader Clayton Neff. “We work on personal projects and make these signs,” said Cody Lamb,…

District staff, current and former board members, elected officials, friends and family gathered recently to pay tribute to three departing Governing Board members, wishing a fond farewell to Ronnie Duncan, Ron Johnson and Maggie Dominguez during a ceremony honoring them for their service on the Governing Board. “The responsibilities of this District are awesome. Sometimes the demands on staff are overwhelming. But there’s nothing that motivates us more than the…

Kurt Durham’s brother-in-law may have brought him to the District, but the familylike atmosphere at the District’s Sarasota Service Office keeps him here. In 1987, Jack MacDonald, who used to work in the District’s Regional Observation and Monitor-Well Program, called Durham and told him the District “was looking for bodies.” He applied even though he didn’t know anything about being a field technician. “When I started I was green as grass,”…

Left: Randy Freeman, civil engineering technician from the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, works with the District to save farmers money and protect water resources. Above: The pond with the pump house is part of the plan the AGSWM team recommended for a strawberry field in Plant City. Because farmers have a unique set of surface water challenges, the District has developed a regulatory assistance exemption program…

Top: Carl Wright, District senior water conservation analyst, left, and Nick Makris, District staff water conservation analyst, use the District’s computerized leak correlator to pinpoint the location of a known leak. Above: Nick Makris listens to a water valve to determine if he can hear a leak sound. Two weeks of work by District staff cost the City of Tarpon Springs nothing, but could save the city thousands of gallons of water per day. District water…

  Cockroach Bay before and after (top right) restoration.                   Gazing from atop the crest of “Mount Cockroach,” visitors were treated to the views of lush wetlands, uplands and coastal habitats of Cockroach Bay. They saw birds and other wildlife freely roam through the flourishing vegetation that surrounded the calm waters. But the distant view of city…

At a time when most news reports about the economy are negative, a District program is providing a boon to the local economy. A project funded through the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Program, a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and improves water quality, created work for ten local contractors and subcontractors. The project involved the design, permitting and construction of a five-acre surface water…

Board urges emergency status in Manatee and Sarasota countiesThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to extend the current Water Shortage Order, which restricts lawn watering throughout the District to one-day-per-week, until June 30.The water shortage order, which was declared by the District’s Executive Director David L. Moore, went into effect Jan. 16 and was originally scheduled to expire July 31. Since then it…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is announcing the recipients of the 2005 Community Education Grant Program. 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 29 grants Districtwide for a total of $107,667.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues pertaining to conservation,…

Seventeen Manatee County teachers were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.Mary Margaret Hull, District lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Manatee County to the strong partnership with Manatee County Schools. Judy Griffin, curriculum specialist for Manatee County Schools, serves as the District's liaison to teachers and helped…

h2. Rules Will Reduce Impacts From Future Frost/Freeze EventsThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ new regulatory rules took effect today for existing and future water use permit holders in the Dover/Plant City area with crops that require frost/freeze protection.The District developed the new rules in response to the unprecedented 11-day January 2010 freeze event, which resulted in more than 750 dry wells and more…