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Due to the deteriorating weather conditions of Tropical Storm Hermine, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is cancelling tomorrow's public meeting regarding flood prone areas in Sumter County. The meeting has been rescheduled to Thursday, September 22 beginning at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Bushnell Community Center, located at 407 E. Belt Avenue in Bushnell. The purpose of the meeting is to gather information to improve… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recommends homeowners with inground irrigation systems observe “Smart Irrigation Month” by taking a moment to tune up their irrigation systems and check their rain shut-off devices.Each year the Irrigation Association designates July as “Smart Irrigation Month” to raise awareness about how residents can improve irrigation efficiency, conserve water, lower their water bills, reduce runoff and eliminate… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is joining with the Science and Environment Council (SEC) to celebrate Sarasota’s watersheds and promote watershed awareness by declaring Oct. 13 through 19 as “Watershed Awareness Week.”The District’s Manasota Basin Board is co-sponsoring Watershed Awareness Week in an effort to foster good watershed stewardship.The SEC is a group of nonprofit and government organizations that operate to support… Read more

Who: Suncoast Earth Force, Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, educators and approximately 600 students from Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas countiesWhat: 8th Annual Youth SummitThe annual summit is sponsored by Suncoast Earth Force, a Tampa Bay-area nonprofit educational organization.The summit brings together hundreds of youth, educators and community partners who have been involved in Earth Force programs during the past year. It is a day of education and… Read more

Pinellas County waters saw an overall increase of 150 acres in seagrass coverage, according to recently released results from the District’s 2014 seagrass mapping study. Pinellas County waters — St. Joseph Sound, Clearwater Harbor North and Clearwater Harbor South – now collectively support 17,334 acres of seagrass beds.  The District maps seagrass in five estuaries spanning the five coastal counties of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte… Read more

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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board recently adopted minimum flows for portions of the Alafia and Myakka rivers, along with minimum and guidance levels for five lakes.The 5 lakes include: Lakes Allen, Harvey and Virginia in Hillsborough County; Lake June-In-Winter in Highlands County; and Lake Parker in Polk County.A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve the identification of flood prone areas in Polk County's Upper Peace River-Homeland watershed. Residents living in the watershed are invited to attend an open house on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 beginning at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Bartow Public Library on the 2nd floor, located at 2150 S. Broadway Ave. in Bartow.District… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Highlands County's Lake Placid watershed. Residents living in Lake Placid watershed are invited to attend an open house on Thursday, September 11 beginning at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at Bert J. Harris, Jr. Agricultural Center, located at 4509 George Blvd. in Sebring.District representatives will… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Marion County's West Ocala watershed. Residents living in the West Ocala watershed are invited to attend an open house on Wednesday, April 16 beginning at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at Marion County Growth Services, located at 2710 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala 34470. District representatives will… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Highlands County's Carter Creek watershed. Most of the currently available floodplain information is 10 to 30 years old and is outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and erosion.Residents living in the Carter Creek watershed are invited to attend an open house on… Read more

Sixty-six school teachers across the District’s 16-county region will teach issues surrounding our freshwater resources with the help of Splash! school grants from the District. The goal of the Splash! school grant program is to provide teachers with funding to enhance student knowledge of topics that meet the District’s core mission and teach students about their local watersheds, water conservation, quality and supply. Splash! school grants provide up to $3,000 per… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ is reminding residents to check the timers on their irrigation system controllers this weekend, which is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time.Saturday night we will "spring forward," and turn our clocks ahead one hour. The time change is also a good time to make sure your irrigation system timer is set correctly to ensure your system operates consistently with current water restrictions.As a… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting the public to comment on proposed minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for Gum Slough Spring Run and associated springs in northwestern Sumter County and southwestern Marion County at a public meeting on Wednesday, April 4.The rule development public workshop will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Marion Oaks Community Center, 294 Marion Oaks Lane, Ocala.The state Legislature requires the "District":http://www.watermatters… Read more

A project in Marion County featuring educational sessions about the ecology and other environmental issues surrounding Rainbow Springs was recently awarded a Community Education Grant from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org.Twelve grants were awarded Districtwide this year for a total of $50,319. This is the 15th year Community Education Grants have been available. These grants currently help fund projects that provide communities… Read more

A project in Citrus County featuring educational sessions about the ecology and other environmental issues surrounding Rainbow Springs was recently awarded a Community Education Grant from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org.Twelve grants were awarded Districtwide this year for a total of $50,319. This is the 15th year "Community Education Grants":http://www.WaterMatters.org/CommunityGrants have been available. These grants help fund… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ voted today to begin the process to sell its Bartow Service Office and relocate staff to two other locations.The move is part of the "District's reorganization ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/news/article/1764/ to increase efficiencies, reduce operational costs and meet the District's core mission responsibilities in the areas of water supply, flood protection, water quality… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's ":http://www.WaterMatters.org Governing Board yesterday approved funding for a project that will reduce groundwater withdrawals in Polk County by an estimated annual average savings of 21,000 gallons per day.John Crum Lake McLeod Blueberries will be reimbursed up to $41,810 for a surface water irrigation reservoir and tailwater recovery system at its 20-acre blueberry farm. The property is located within the Southern Water… Read more

Who: Representatives from Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation, and Conservation Department, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program staff and volunteersWhat: As part of the 24th annual International Coastal Cleanup, the District’s SWIM Program staff is helping coordinate a volunteer work day at Marsh Creek in Ruskin. More than 100 volunteers are needed to help… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a water use permit that will authorize the City of Lakeland to withdraw up to 30.2 million gallons of ground water per day (mgd) based on an administrative law judge’s recommended order.The city requested an administrative hearing after its application for a 10-year water use permit with total withdrawals of 36.8 mgd, with 8.77 from its Northeast well field, was modified by the District. The… Read more