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The Southwest Florida Water Management District is asking outdoor enthusiasts to take extra precautions to prevent wildfires when visiting District lands.The region is experiencing the effects of a three-year drought and October through May is Florida’s dry season. In addition, several freezes over the past month have made grasses and other light vegetation extremely dry and volatile.The District is asking campers and other outdoor enthusiasts to take the following…

The Florida House of Representatives and Senate each adopted a resolution last week declaring April 14 through April 21 Peace River Watershed Awareness Week.The Senate resolution was sponsored by Sen. J.D. Alexander. Sens. Michael Bennett, Lisa Carlton and Rhonda Storms co-sponsored the resolution.The House resolution was sponsored by Rep. Michael Grant. Reps. Frank Attkisson, Marty Bowen, Seth McKeel and Dennis Ross co-sponsored the resolution.“We’re pleased that our…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum flows for the Dona Bay/Shakett Creek system below Cow Pen Slough in Sarasota County.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 a balance between meeting human water needs and those of Florida’s natural systems…

Educators interested in securing grant funding for classroom projects that focus on water quality, natural systems, water conservation, alternative water sources, flood protection or watersheds are encouraged to apply for a Splash! mini-grant through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The goal of the mini-grant program is to promote hands-on water resources education that teaches students about their local watersheds and the water resources within them. Splash…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board approved funding for two reclaimed water studies to maximize the beneficial use of reclaimed water in the region.The first study is for a traditional reclaimed water supply project that would involve constructing a pipeline from one or more of several waste water treatment plants to the Tampa Electric Company (TECO) power plant station in Polk County and Mosaic Fertilizer. Possible sources of the…

The Southwest Florida Management District and Polk County invite the public to attend an informational meeting to discuss the Christina watershed management plan, which will address flooding and water quality issues within the watershed.The public meeting will be held July 15, 6 p.m. at the District’s Bartow Service Office, which is located off State Road 60 at 170 Century Boulevard.The watershed is located in and north of Mulberry in western Polk County within the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved a land management plan for the Conner Preserve, which will provide a variety of recreational opportunities for the public.The Conner Preserve encompasses 2,980 acres in central Pasco County and consists of a variety of habitats including wetlands, pine flatwoods, cypress domes, freshwater marshes, mixed uplands and improved pasture. The preserve also contains the headwaters of Five Mile…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum flows for the upper segment of the Braden River. The Upper Braden River is the portion of the river from Linger Lodge to Lorraine Road.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 a balance between meeting human…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the purchase of a perpetual conservation easement for a 652-acre parcel of land located near the Myakka River State Park, contingent upon cooperative funding with the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP.)The transaction includes the property owner, the Myakkahatchee Ranch, LLC., making a 25 percent…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 1,358,400 gallons per day (gpd) at a Charlotte County citrus grove.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project, proposed by Ben Hill Griffin, Inc., C & S Grove, is located within the Shell Creek Watershed in…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 1,076,100 gallons per day (gpd) at a Highlands County citrus grove.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project, proposed by Turner Groves Limited Partnership-Hickory Grove, has an existing water use permit that…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 200,000 gallons per day (gpd) at a Manatee County citrus grove.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project, proposed by CFI USA, Inc., is located upstream from Lake Manatee on its 332-acre citrus grove. Lake Manatee is…

Managing District Lands A war is being fought on District-managed lands and water bodies … a war against invasive species potentially invading more than 300,000 acres of publicly owned land and 25 major water bodies. The invasion of native communities and ecosystems by invasive, non-native species of plant life and wildlife is widely recognized as one of the primary threats to the environmental integrity of Florida’s remaining natural areas. Invasive species…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is searching for an organization to manage and maintain an environmental education center on the District’s Flying Eagle Preserve in Citrus County.The property was purchased from the Boy Scouts of America in December 2004. The entire parcel is 4,964 acres.The environmental education center is a 580-acre parcel that features a 2,100-square foot administration building, nine camping areas that accommodate 10 tents and include…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks for two Marion County watersheds.This information is being developed as part of the *Gum Swamp* and *Big Jones Creek* watershed management plans. The plans were cooperatively funded by the District and Marion County.The District is holding an open house in Marion County to present preliminary floodplain…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks for three Marion County watersheds.This information is being developed as part of the *Flemington*, *Hog Prairie* and *Northwest Ocala* watershed management plans. The plans were cooperatively funded by the District and Marion County.The District is holding an open house in Marion County to present preliminary…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks and to evaluate stormwater improvements for the Peck Sink watershed in Hernando County.The District is asking for help from residents with identifying local flood risks and stormwater issues. If residents have any knowledge of flooding and/or stormwater issues in the area (experiences or photos) or have any…

Representatives from the Pinellas County Highway Department were honored today with a Water Stewardship Award from the Southwest Florida Water Management’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board.The board chose the Pinellas County Highway Department’s “McMullen Booth Road at Curlew regional Mitigation Facility” project because the former spoil site is in Pinellas County adjacent to the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal. Although the project is permitted for…

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…

At its Aug. 24 meeting in Wauchula, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard reduced the proposed fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate to 0.3770 mill for the "District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ General Fund, which is 0.0096 mill less than the current fiscal year's rate of 0.3866, reducing ad valorem tax revenue an additional $2.65 million from FY 2010.The reduction is a change from…