Search Content

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $113,138 in grants to 52 educators within the District as part of the Splash! school grant program. The program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources in grades K-12.Splash! grants encourage hands-on student learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities as well as engagement of the greater school community through awareness…

The Crystal Springs Foundation will receive a $1,800 grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 2006 Community Education Grant Program.Crystal Springs Foundation, Inc. was awarded the funds for “Welcome to Our Watershed” workshops. This project expands upon the cooperator’s previous efforts and will target approximately 20,000 seasonal adult residents of Crystal Springs and Zephyrhills in Pasco County. The workshops will encourage residents to take an…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum levels for Lake Marion in Levy County.A public workshop will be held Monday, Dec. 12, at the Williston Community Center, 50 Northwest Main Street, Williston. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m.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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum flows for the upper segment of the Myakka River. The Upper Myakka River is the portion of the river from Myakka city to S.R. 72.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…

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,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close all District-managed campgrounds and properties to include trails and day use areas throughout its 16-county region at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, in anticipation of impacts from Hurricane Eta. The District will plan to reopen the campgrounds at 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, unless otherwise indicated. For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the…

Statewide Tracker System One of the reasons the state has been able to mobilize so efficiently to assist the victims of Hurricane Charley is the use of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) Tracker System. The system, which operates as a database, was implemented to coordinate needs and resources more efficiently. It was created after Hurricane Andrew struck south Florida in 1992. The system is managed and updated by the SEOC, a part of the Division of…

Excellence in Engineering District employee Bill Hartmann recently received a pat on the back from his peers. Hartmann, who is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), was named the Government Engineer of the Year for 2002–2003. Hartmann was presented with the award at the annual dinner for the ASCE and the Florida Engineering Society. The award is for the ASCE’s Florida Section-Ridge Branch. There are about 100 members in the…

Kendra Antoine and Sylvia Durell, senior communications coordinators, with their Crystal Awards. Kendra Antoine and Sylvia Durell, senior communications coordinators, received top honors from the Florida Government Communicators Association. Two District communications projects were recognized at the annual Florida Government Communicators Association (FGCA) Awards Banquet. The Crystal Awards recognize businesses, community groups, individuals and agencies…

The North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) recently awarded the Southwest Florida and St. Johns River water management districts with the Technical Merit Award in the area of research for their work on minimum flows and levels (MFLs.) NALMS is a professional organization that produces an international, peer-reviewed scientific journal, Lake and Reservoir Management, as well as a quarterly magazine, LakeLine. The award was presented at the NALMS annual…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has reopened the Hillsborough River to boat traffic, east of the I-75 overpass. The river was closed on Monday, due to rising waters associated with Hurricane Hermine. The District anticipated activating the Tampa Bypass Canal system Monday night in response to heavy rains in the Tampa Bay area from Hurricane Hermine, however, the Hillsborough River has not reached an elevation of 25 feet above sea level, which…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the Gamble Creek 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 Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs)(Federal Flood Map…

Left: Rep. Richard Glorioso, R-Plant City; Robert Brown, Plant City Commissioner; Heidi McCree, Governing Board member; Hugh Gramling, Hillsborough River Basin Board member; Fred Johnson, former Hillsborough River Basin Board member; and Devon Higginbotham, Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board member, visited the McIntosh Park site. The District’s new Governing Board chair knew early in life that his future lay in the citrus industry. Born in Avon Park and…

Five Polk County projects expected to reach up to 250,000 people were recently awarded Community Education Grants from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues including conservation, protection and preservation. Funded by the "District's Basin Boards(Basin Boards)":/about/basinboards/, the program is intended…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday Oct. 22 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…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ Governing Board Tuesday adopted its fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rates for the General Fund and the seven "Basin Boards(Basin Boards)":/about/basinboards/.The "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard adopted a FY2011 millage rate of 0.3770 mill for the Districtwide General Fund, which is 0.0096 mill less than the current fiscal year's rate of 0.3866. This…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard Tuesday modified a water use permit for the City of Tarpon Springs.The modified permit increases the permitted quantities for the city. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 1.38 million gallons of water per day. The new permitted quantity is 4.2 million gallons per day.The increased quantities will allow the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has recently signed agreements with Hernando County to develop comprehensive watershed management plans for several watersheds within the county.The plans will be used to determine feasible drainage alternatives that may be constructed to enhance and restore water quality and natural systems, or for flood relief. The plan will also assist local governments with their land management responsibilities and further the goals.Plans…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a series of virtual meetings to discuss the District’s Land Management Plans. The purpose of these meetings is to inform the public about updates to these plans, to solicit input from stakeholders and to incorporate feedback from the public and stakeholders into the development of the new 10-year plans. The District adopts land management plans to ensure its public conservation lands are being…