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The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the renewal and modification of a water use permit (WUP) for the City of Eagle Lake to meet the projected population growth through 2013.Eagle Lake is located approximately four miles south-southwest of the intersection of State Road 542 and U.S. Highway 17 in Polk County.The renewed permit increases the permitted quantities. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 380,000 gallons of…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Citrus County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, Aug. 13, at 3 p.m. at the Lecanto Government Building, which is located at 3600 West Sovereign Path in Lecanto. The meeting is being held in Room 166.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Citrus County. Examples…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently approved an agreement to continue funding the St. Petersburg Toilet Replacement Program.The program, which began in 1997, is a cooperatively funded effort between the City of St. Petersburg and the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. The goal of the ninth phase of the project is to promote water conservation by providing toilet rebates of up to $100 for each high-volume toilet replaced with a low-flow…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state's wildfire emergency last spring. That's why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns March through September 2018 at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County. Halpata Tastanaki Preserve is located two miles east of Dunnellon and seven miles northeast of the City of…

Gov. Jeb Bush recently appointed Jack Bispham to the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board.Bispham, who is from Sarasota, is the owner and president of Bayside Sod, Inc. He succeeds Evelio Sardina. Bispham’s term began May 8 and ends March 1, 2008.The Manasota Basin Board area includes Manatee and Sarasota counties, which are each represented by a minimum of three people. A Governing Board member presides as the chair ex officio of…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns April through June on Starkey Wilderness Preserve and Cypress Creek Preserve.Starkey Wilderness Preserve is located east of New Port Richey, west of the Suncoast Parkway, north of State Road 54 and south of State Road…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Tarpon Springs are working on a project that will increase reclaimed water storage, allowing the city to effectively manage reclaimed water production and supply throughout the year while adding more reclaimed water customers.The project consists of the design and construction of a 3-million-gallon ground storage tank and the piping needed to efficiently control flow of reclaimed water from the plant to the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be performing tests and possible maintenance on its P-5 water control structure during the next ten days. The structure is the outfall for Lake Henry, which discharges into Lake Hamilton in Polk County.A routine inspection showed some seepage, indicating the structure may require some repairs. Upcoming tests will determine if any part of the structure needs to be repaired or replaced.“These testing procedures will help…

In preparation for Hurricane Dennis, the Southwest Florida Water Management District is removing a large tree and several smaller trees that are blocking the Peace Creek Canal in Bartow. The trees recently fell into the creek because the area is so saturated.The District has budgeted $10,000 to complete the work today. Hess Construction Company is the contractor removing the debris. The company is one of the contractors the District used to remove hurricane-related debris…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state's wildfire emergency in early spring. That's why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns October through January 2018 on the Gilley Creek and Flatford Swamp properties in Manatee County. The Gilley Creek property is located between State Road 62 and State Road 64 and…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through December on Prairie/Shell Creek in Charlotte County. Prairie/Shell Creek is located on the west…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through December on the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (LHFDA) in Hillsborough County. The…

According to the National Weather Service, parts of the Tampa Bay area are expected to have near to below freezing temperatures Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning.  This has prompted the…

  The District and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)/Wheelin’ Sportsmen have agreed to continue a successful partnership that allows disabled outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to participate in planned events throughout the year. As part of a pilot program, three events were jointly organized by the District and the NWTF/Wheelin’ Sportsmen last year, including a deer/hog hunt, a turkey hunt and a fishing derby. The success of these events led to the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $107,969 in grants to 58 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…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns June through September at the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve, which includes the Green Swamp East Tract in Polk, Sumter and Lake counties; the Hampton Tract in Polk County; and the Green Swamp West…

At its August 7 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2010 (FY2010) millage rate of 0.1827 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Peace River Basin Board area includes Hardee, DeSoto and portions of Polk, Highlands and Charlotte counties.This millage rate combined with a reduction in taxable property values as certified by the five county property appraisers will result in an estimated…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through March on Starkey Wilderness Preserve, Conner Preserve and Cypress Creek Preserve.Starkey Wilderness Preserve is located east of New Port Richey, west of the Suncoast Parkway, north of State Road 54 and south of State Road 52. Approximately 500 acres will…

Three Sarasota County projects expected to reach nearly 6,200 residents were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. 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 32 grants Districtwide. This is the 12th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant program is…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored four outstanding Pinellas County water resources education projects. A total of 26 projects were recognized Wednesday during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East Hotel.

• Kurt Zuelsdorf, Kayak Nature Adventures owner, was recognized for his “Bringing Back the Bay” community education grant project. Through a 2007 Community Education Grant, Kayak…