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The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board has teamed up with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Pinellas County Animal Services, and the Humane Society of Pinellas to sponsor "Pooches for the Planet," which kicks off with an event this weekend.Started by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, the campaign promotes proper disposal of dog waste to prevent water pollution. Just like human waste, dog waste poses a threat to both public health and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of North Port are working together on an innovative alternative water supply project that will allow the city to use the Myakkahatchee Creek as a year-round water supply source, improving the quality of drinking water to customers and providing a more reliable water supply to the city and the region.The project includes the design, permitting and construction of a facility with river bank filtration (RBF) and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hernando County are working together to gather input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the county.The information will be used to update area floodplain information and develop preliminary Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hernando County are working together to gather input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the county.The information will be used to update area floodplain information and develop preliminary Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District celebrated the one year anniversary of the Water Program for Restaurant Outreach (Water PRO) by signing its 200th restaurant.Water PRO, which was launched last May, is a free program that helps restaurants conserve water by educating staff and customers. As part of the program, the restaurant management agrees to only serve water upon request, display water conservation materials on tables, conduct self-audits and train staff.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hernando County are working together to gather input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the county.The information will be used to update area floodplain information and develop preliminary Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hernando County are working together to gather input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the county.The information will be used to update area floodplain information and develop preliminary Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pasco County are working together to gather input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the county.The information will be used to update area floodplain information and develop preliminary Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hernando County are holding more public meetings to present preliminary floodplain information and explain the basis behind the findings.The information will be used to update area floodplain information and develop preliminary Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District extended two water shortage emergency orders that allow Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Alafia River and the Tampa Bypass Canal to store in the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir. Drought conditions have caused an acute water shortage within the region so emergency actions are necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare.Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale water supplier, stores water in the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pasco County recently signed an agreement to work together on a project that will supply up to 5,500 additional residential customers with reclaimed water.The Pasco County Wet Weather Reclaimed Water Reservoir – Boyette project involves constructing a reservoir on the old Boyette Mine property. This 140-acre parcel is located approximately one mile northeast of the Wesley Center Wastewater Treatment Facility. The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Tuesday voted 7-4 to approve a settlement agreement with Tampa Bay Water that resolves a dispute over how much water a seawater desalination facility must produce. The agreement also promotes environmental restoration.This agreement allows the District and Tampa Bay Water to move forward with its partnership to ensure a sustainable water supply for the Tampa Bay area and expedite environmental recovery in areas where water…

As the District continues its efforts to protect the Weeki Wachee River, the public should be aware they may see District staff and contractors working in and along the river, including the portion deemed a springs protection zone.  The District regularly conducts important work that helps protect…

More than 90 tons of debris removed from area sinkholesThe Southwest Florida Water Management District has completed a three-year project to improve water quality in the District’s springs by removing debris from sinkholes and areas with high aquifer permeability.Over the three-year period, 90.77 tons of debris were removed from 18 sinkholes and other karst features in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. Some of the items removed from the sinkholes included shopping…

An eagle scout, campground hosts and an equestrian group are among the volunteers honored Tuesday at the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board meeting in Brooksville.The volunteers, who either take part in the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program or the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national honor that recognizes volunteer dedication and…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in Citrus County's *Center Ridge watershed*.The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the "Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)(Federal Emergency Management Agency)":http://www.fema.gov on its national effort to "update and modernize the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs)(Federal…

Left: Jason LaRoche, a District professional geologist and engineer, volunteered his time to gather seeds. Top: Mary Barnwell, District senior land management specialist, collects bags of seeds from volunteers at the preserve. Above: Volunteers spread out to collect seeds from a variety of natural grasses. Right: Butch DeVary, District senior heavy equipment operator, helped collect seeds during National Public Lands Day. Picking up trash and planting trees are…

School Tackles Water Issues The Tri-County Water School is now open for registration. The school, held Sept. 11–12, tackles critical water issues facing Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties. The school is run by the University of Florida IFAS Extension along with the District and the three county governments. Courses are designed to educate community leaders, natural resource managers and decision makers about current issues and future concerns regarding water…

Pinellas County students at 12 schools will study the issues surrounding our freshwater resources thanks to "Splash! school grants":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/schoolgrants/ from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The Pinellas County awardees are:* Irene Seybold, *Cross Bayou Elementary*, was awarded $3,000. On a field trip to Fort De Soto Park, students will learn about water quality while discovering how water drains across a watershed and picks up…

One of the founding leaders that helped shape the District passed away this week. Dale Twachtmann, the District’s first executive director, died May 17 following a battle with Leukemia.  Twachtmann spent most of his career championing water issues and programs that remain key components to protecting the state’s water resources. So passionate about new water technologies, he once famously drank a glass of treated wastewater to prove its safety to the public.…