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Twelve Pinellas County projects were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. 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 49 grants Districtwide for a total of $171,444. This is the 10th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to… Read more

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 Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by… Read more

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… Read more

_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… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is unveiling a new online tool to help students and teachers determine how much water they can conserve at home and pledge to make a difference.The District’s Youth Education Section launched the new web-based water conservation challenge for schools in anticipation of water conservation month, which begins in April. Each year the state, water management districts, and local governments recognize April as water… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of January through March 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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored two Pasco County educators for their outstanding 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.

• J.D. Durham, a Moore-Mickens Education Center teacher, was recognized for her “Florida-friendly Landscapes and Promotions” project. Students enrolled in the…

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The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days in November and December 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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days of September and October 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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is offering Community Education Grants to members of the community who want to make a positive impact on the water resources in their area.The goal of the District’s Community Education Grant Program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues pertaining to conservation, protection and preservation. Funded by the District’s Basin Boards, the program is intended to motivate communities to get involved in… Read more

Did you know that outdoor water use can account for up to 50 percent of water consumed by households?While the Southwest Florida Water Management District advocates water conservation year-round, an extra effort is being made to promote conservation throughout April. Governments and water management districts throughout the state have declared April Water Conservation Month because the month typically marks the start of the peak demand season for public water suppliers.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is encouraging residents to turn off their irrigation systems after this weekend’s rain.Outdoor water use can account for up to fifty percent of residential water use.“Many homeowners have a rain sensor shut-off device, which can be programmed to shut off an irrigation system when half an inch of rain has fallen,” said Sylvia Durell, Florida-friendly landscaping project manager. “Those homeowners who don’t have one should… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Monday renewed and modified a water use permit (WUP) for the Aloha Utilities Seven Springs Service Area in Pasco County.The service area includes approximately 7,300 acres east of New Port Richey and adjacent to State Road 54.The permit does not increase the annual average permitted quantity of 2,040,000 gallons of water per day (gpd.)However, it does allow for a temporary increase in peak month quantity, from 2… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday amended and extended a permit that allows Tampa Bay Water to withdraw water from the Tampa Bypass Canal for water supply needs.Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale water supplier, provides water to Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, as well as the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa.The modified permit allows Tampa Bay Water to increase the diversion rate from 30 percent… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during January and February for two District sites in Sarasota County the Schewe Ranch property and the Deer Prairie Creek property.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 and Warm Mineral Springs.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during October and November for two District sites in Sarasota County the Schewe Ranch property and the Deer Prairie Creek property.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 and Warm… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pinellas County are working on a study to determine if water from Lake Tarpon can be used to supplement the county’s North Reclaimed Water System.By supplementing the reclaimed water system, more customers can be connected to the system, which will help offset groundwater pumping.Based on the premise that the reclaimed water system may be supplemented by up to 3 million gallons per day at different times throughout… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” July and August for two District sites in Sarasota County Myakka River Project property and the Deer Prairie Creek property.Both sites 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 and Warm Mineral Springs… Read more