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The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold a Final Evaluation Committee Meeting on Tuesday, August 19, at 2:00 p.m. (local time) to evaluate responses to ITN 25-4749 Group Vision Insurance and Supplemental Benefits. The meeting will be held virtually through the link below: Join on your computer, mobile app, or room device. Microsoft TEAMSMeeting ID: 280 978 295 170 1  Passcode: wh99nD24 …

Education in Action The District was recently honored as the Hillsborough Education Foundation 2002 District Business Partner of the Year. The award was presented to the District at a ceremony for 700 business, community and education leaders at the Tampa Hyatt Regency in October. More than 100 businesses that enhance education through volunteerism or the donation of goods and services were nominated for awards. The 2002 District Business Partner of the Year Award…

 The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve (LHWP) contains one of the largest premier contiguous recreation areas in Hillsborough County. Within the LHWP are park sites managed by the Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Department: Dead River Park, Flatwoods Park,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is releasing additional water from the Medard Reservoir into the Alafia River to protect the structural integrity of the reservoir.In preparation for potential impacts from Hurricane Milton, the District released water and the Medard Reservoir was below normal operating level. However, the Medard Reservoir received nearly 7 inches of rainfall in the watershed and the reservoir rose 6.5 feet as a result of Hurricane…

Elementary students at Lincoln Avenue Academy in Polk County painted rain barrels as part of their mini-grant. The barrels were then provided to school families and members of the community. Educators interested in securing a Splash! mini-grant for the 2008–2009 school year are invited to apply online on the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/Education…

Florida residents experienced the catastrophic effects when the Panhandle was struck by Hurricane Michael in October 2018. Observing the preparation and devastation from that devastating storm was an eye-opening experience for many District staff members. It’s a lesson they’ll take into this hurricane season, which started June 1 and runs through November. Hurricane Michael is the most powerful storm to ever impact the Panhandle Region, making landfall as a…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is in the process of developing the 2025 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP). The plan lists projected water demands as well as possible water sources for each region of the District through the year 2045. The draft RWSP is posted on the District webpage. Comments may be submitted virtually thought the webpage.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is in the process of developing the 2025 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP). The plan lists projected water demands as well as possible water sources for each region of the District through the year 2045. The draft RWSP is posted on the District webpage. Comments may be submitted virtually thought the webpage. At the workshop…

The District is nearing completion of its effort to upgrade the datum, or starting point, used to record water level elevation. The upgrade will improve accuracy of water elevation, which is measured in feet above the mean sea level.Staff are projected to finish the upgrade by completing the southern regions of the District in 2016.  The datum is being upgraded from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988…

 Dozens of District staff donate blood each time the LifeSouth bloodmobile visits the Brooskville office. I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for blood donors” That’s what a District employee told Susan Wood, LifeSouth donor recruiter, during a recent blood drive at the District’s Brooksville Headquarters. The staff member is a six-year leukemia survivor who needed blood transfusions during her treatment. “I hear stories like this all the time,” said…

Deborah Webb, student intern,working on the Alkalinity Titrator; Matt Jablonski, staff chemist, measures chlorophyll concentrations. Every day, Laura Casino, District chemist, takes water samples from ice-filled coolers delivered to the lab for chlorophyll analysis. Since chlorophyll degrades quickly, the samples are collected in opaque containers that protect it from any light and then preserved in ice. Laura removes the containers, taking short breaks between…

Surrounding the crystal waters of Three Sisters Springs, visitors can easily spot exposed tree roots and an eroded shoreline. The erosion has caused sediments to enter spring vents and trees to collapse. It has meant a loss of habitat and dangerous conditions for visitors. That’s why the District will be restoring the shoreline around Three Sisters Springs. The project will start this month, and the District will host a meeting at Crystal River’s City Hall at 5:30 p.m…

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…

The District will move forward with an evaluation of recreation on District lands. The District’s Recreation Ad Hoc Committee, made up of four Governing Board members, approved Thursday moving forward with the evaluation process to determine if current recreational opportunities on District lands are consistent with regional and state trends. The District’s…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) will hold a Recreation Ad Hoc Committee meeting Thursday, May 30, at 9:30 a.m. The meeting will take place at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301.The Recreation Ad Hoc Committee, made up of four Governing Board members, will provide guidance and review future staff recommendations. Staff will be evaluating the District's lands to determine whether the current…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is gathering input to improve the identification of flooding risks in the Braden River watershed in Manatee County.The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on its national effort to update and modernize the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will conduct a monthly audible test of the three sirens installed near the Edward Medard Park reservoir in southeast Hillsborough County this Saturday at noon.The audible testing takes place the first Saturday of each month at noon to ensure the sirens perform properly. During testing, the sirens sound for about 15 seconds. The hearing range of the sirens is dependent upon many factors including weather conditions and…

_First test this Saturday, Oct. 3 at noon_The Southwest Florida Water Management District will begin monthly audible testing on Saturday, Oct. 3 of three sirens installed near the Edward Medard Park reservoir in southeast Hillsborough County.The audible testing will continue to occur the first Saturday of each month at noon to ensure these sirens perform properly. During testing, the sirens will sound for about 15 seconds and are expected to reach a two-mile radius.The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the months of June, July and August for two District sites in Sarasota County — the Schewe Ranch and the Deer Prairie Creek properties.Both tracts are located to the north and south of I-75 between mile markers 186 and 190, with U.S. Hwy. 41 as its far southern boundary. The property is also located between the Myakka River and the cities of North Port…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is reminding residents that they do not need to water their lawns because of the recent rain.Your lawn only needs one-half to three-quarters of an inch of water.Most of the District received several inches of rain within the last week and more rain is forecasted for this week, so residents can skip their irrigation day.Outdoor water use can account for up to fifty percent of residential water use. Skipping a week of irrigation…