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The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday agreed to issue a non-exclusive license agreement to the Citrus County Airboat Alliance to Potts Preserve.The agreement will replace a temporary permit and allow the airboat group to continue to use and maintain a remote picnic and camping area located in the northwest portion of the preserve on the North Loop Road for a five-year term with the option to renew the agreement for two additional…

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 November through March 2018 at Annuteliga Hammock and Weekiwachee Preserve in Hernando County. Annuteliga Hammock is located east of U.S. Highway 19, north of Centralia Road and…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects when the Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council and the Hernando County Task Force meet on Oct. 20.The Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council will meet at 3 p.m. in Conference Rooms A & B, 1st Floor, at the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville. The Hernando County Task Force will meet in the same location at 3:…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during January on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve. The property is approximately 1 mile west of Spring Hill. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are implemented to…

Virginia Frissell, a science resource teacher at the Twin Lakes Elementary School in Tampa, will be presented with the Districtwide Water Steward of the Year Award at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board’s meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 28. The meeting will be held at the District’s Bartow Service Office, located at 170 Century Boulevard.The District’s Governing Board chose Frissell’s “Water Everywhere Put It First…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $97,640.28 in grants to 43 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…

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 Edward W. Chance Reserve - Gilley…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Manatee County. The District will provide virtual outreach now through Sept. 20 at WaterMatters.org/Floodplain for the public to view preliminary data for flood prone areas within the Pearce Drain/Gap Creek Watershed…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board voted to decrease property taxes by adopting a proposed rolled-back millage rate of 0.2669 mill for the fiscal year 2021 budget. The millage rate is more than 4.7% lower than the current fiscal year adopted millage rate of 0.2801 mill, a savings to taxpayers of approximately $6 million. For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would be $26.69 a…

A monthly graph of rainfall as a 12-month departure from mean shows deficits lasting longer than surpluses in recent history. As the annual observance of April as Water Conservation Month approaches, water resources in west-central Florida are still feeling the effects of the extended drought. The District’s entire 16-county area has been under a Phase I water shortage alert since last fall. A Phase I alert is intended to raise the public’s awareness of dry…

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 September 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 700 acres…

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 June through September at Annuteliga Hammock and Weekiwachee Preserve in Hernando County. Annuteliga Hammock…

We’re halfway through Water Conservation Month, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) encourages citizens to do their part to save water in and around their homes. While we shelter at home to stay safe, here’s more water saving tips to lower your monthly water bill and save hundreds of gallons of water:

• Ensure rain sensors are operating properly. Irrigating during or after significant rainfall is a major cause of outdoor…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $108,937 in grants to 51 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…

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 February and March at Annuteliga Hammock and Weekiwachee Preserve in Hernando County. Annuteliga Hammock is located east of U.S. Highway 19, north of Centralia Road and south of the county…

The District purchased Boat Spring located near the Gulf of Mexico at the Hernando and Pasco County line. The purchase is part of the District’s ongoing effort to protect water resources. The spring is part of the Hammock Creek spring system, a second-magnitude system. It includes Boat, Magnolia, and Aripeka 1 and 2 springs, which all flow into Hammock Creek that connects with the Gulf of Mexico. The property also includes the spring run from Magnolia Spring. The District…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) has closed on the purchase of Boat Spring, which is part of the headwaters of Hammock Creek spring system, located in the historic community of Aripeka, on the Gulf of Mexico at the Hernando and Pasco County line. The Hammock Creek spring system includes Boat, Magnolia, Aripeka 1 and 2 springs which all flow into Hammock Creek that connects with the Gulf of Mexico. The acquisition…

The success of a series of hog hunts held on District lands last winter and spring to reduce the wild hog population has land managers planning to hold hog hunts again this fall and winter. Beginning at 9 a.m. on Oct. 12, prospective hunters can purchase permits for these hunts on the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/hoghunts/.…

The "Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water ManagementDistrict ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/documents/plans/landusemgmt/ (District) will be conducting prescribed burns from November through March on the Starkey, Conner and Cypress Creek Preserves in Pasco County. These properties are located in central and west Pasco County near Land O' Lakes and New Port Richey. Approximately 1,200 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. The District will also…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has released as much water out of Lake Tarpon as possible in anticipation of heavy rainfall and storm surge from Hurricane Ian. The Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal is one of 84 water-control structures throughout the District’s 16-county area. The three-mile canal extends from the south end of Lake Tarpon and empties into Old Tampa Bay. The structure is designed to prevent salt water from entering Lake Tarpon during high tides…