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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.…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the months of February through April on the District’s Myakka River Project property. The property is located between I-75 and U.S. Hwy. 41 and between Myakka River and North Port. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.There is the potential to burn approximately 2,000 acres of land in small,…

West Hernando Middle School students and teachers will get their hands dirty this month when they work side by side with Southwest Florida Water Management District staff restoring the Weekiwachee Preserve.The student workdays are April 13 and 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.During the workdays students will plant soft-stemmed bulrush along the banks of several water bodies within the preserve and monitor the water quality. The goal of the project is to revegetate and develop the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during March and April on four District sites in Pasco County. The sites are the Upper Hillsborough property, the Conner Preserve, the Starkey property and the Cypress Creek property.The Upper Hillsborough property is approximately 3 miles east of Zephyrhills. Approximately 300 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Conner Preserve is…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during January and February on four District sites in Pasco County. The sites are the Upper Hillsborough property, the Conner Preserve, the Starkey property and the Cypress Creek property.The Upper Hillsborough property is approximately 3 miles east of Zephyrhills. Approximately 300 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Conner Preserve is…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” February through May on the Myakka River Project property in Sarasota County.The District’s Myakka River Project property is located to the north and south of I-75 between mile markers 186 and 190. The property is also located between the Myakka River and the cities of North Port and Warm Mineral Springs. There is the potential to burn more than 2,500 acres of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hillsborough County will celebrate the completion of the Fred & Idah Schultz Preserve with a dedication ceremony Wednesday, Nov 10th at 3 p.m.The preserve, which is located in southeastern Hillsborough County, is part of a 204-acre ecosystem restoration project known as the “Kitchen.” This area includes Port Redwing, Dug Creek and the Davis Tract. Restoration of the 60-acre Davis Tract was completed in 2002…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during January and February on three District sites in Pasco County. The sites are the Upper Hillsborough property, the Conner Preserve, and the Starkey property.The Upper Hillsborough property is approximately 3 miles east of Zephyrhills. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 300 acres of…

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…

 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…

Sixteen Pasco County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communication coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s school…

At its June 5 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.2421 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board area includes the northwest portion of Hillsborough County.This millage rate, combined with a reduction in taxable property values as estimated by the county property appraiser, will result in an estimated…