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Governor Charlie Crist recently reappointed several members to five of the eight Basin Boards of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The governor also appointed a new Basin Board member to the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board.Manasota Basin Board:Betsy Benac of Sarasota has been reappointed to the Manasota Basin Board. She is a land planner with Wilson Miller, Inc. Her term ends March 1, 2010.Jack Bispham of Sarasota has been reappointed to… Read more

The District is collecting public input on the updated draft of the Regional Water Supply Plan, the tool that points the way to a water supply that can meet the needs of today and tomorrow. The challenge will be meeting growing water supply needs while also protecting the natural resources. The challenge can be met through vigorous planning, regional cooperation among governments and a commitment to conserve water and develop alternative water resources like reclaimed… Read more

District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the wild hog population.  Wild hogs, which are not native to Florida, feed on roots, tubors and grubs by rooting with their broad snouts and can leave an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock and humans. Additionally, hogs may facilitate the… Read more

District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the wild hog population. Wild hogs, which are not native to Florida, feed on roots, tubors and grubs by rooting with their broad snouts and can leave an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock and humans. Additionally, hogs may facilitate the spread… Read more

District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the wild hog population.  Wild hogs, which are not native to Florida, feed on roots, tubors and grubs by rooting with their broad snouts and can leave an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock and humans. Additionally, hogs may facilitate the… Read more

Region at highest alert level and subject to modified Phase IV water restrictionsThe Tampa Bay Water service area remains under the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Modified Phase IV (or Critical) Water Shortage restrictions for potable water use. These are the District’s highest level of water shortage measures.The Tampa Bay Water’s six member governments include Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties as well as the cities of Tampa, New… Read more

Nearly a decade of public workshops, water resource analyses, and policy debates culminated this week in approval of the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) Recovery Strategy by the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board.This is an historic moment for the District, the public and the water resources, said Executive Director David L. Moore. Many years of labor and collaboration by Board members, staff, representatives of all the types of water users… Read more

At its August 16 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.285 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2006 is $15,875,555, which represents an increase of $4,058,230 over the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values and revenue from the state’s newly created Water Protection and… Read more

Two equestrian groups and a middle school student are among the volunteers honored Tuesday at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board meeting in Brooksville.The volunteers, who take part in the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national honor that recognizes volunteer dedication and signifies that each volunteer has served the community and country with distinction.The… Read more

Conservation Is Always In Season In west-central Florida, water conservation is always in season. That means some conservation measures are in effect year-round, whether it is the rainy season or the dry season. After nearly two years of public input, debate and review, revised year-round water conservation measures went into effect Sept. 15. The District began discussing possible updates to Rule 40D-22 (mandatory year-round conservation measures) in November… Read more

Spending more than two hours on a bus in a traffic jam did not dampen the enthusiasm students had for the task they came to complete. These sixth graders from Learning Gate Community School were at the Schultz Preserve, which is located in southeastern Hillsborough County, to plant 5,000 plugs of marsh grass. The planting was coordinated by the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program and Tampa Bay Watch. Learning Gate Community School… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to increase water restrictions throughout the region. The modified Phase III water shortage order affects counties throughout the District’s boundaries: Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter. The restrictions start June 5.  District hydrologists report a rainfall deficit of 11 inches… Read more

The District recently completed the next phase of the Hunters Cove Restoration Project in Citrus County. Lush mats of eelgrass were transferred to Hunters Cove and placed on the bottom of the cove in sections, similar to planting sod on land. The District had been growing the mats of eelgrass in ponds at the Duke Energy Mariculture Center in Crystal River.  The mats were recently rolled up and transported to the cove, where a dive team carefully placed the… Read more

Janey Baldwin, secretary of the Withlacoochee River Basin Board, left, talks with Jay Yingling, District senior economist, at the Regional Water Supply Plan public workshop for the Northern Planning Region. In an effort to plan for future water supplies and demands in our area, the District is updating the 2006 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP). This document was first published in 2001, in accordance with Florida Statute 373.0361, and is… Read more

 Tampa Bypass Canal Structure 160 is one of the 81 water-control structures the District operates in its 16-county area. With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting 14 to 23 named storms this hurricane season, the District’s Operations Department is standing by and ready for what could prove to be a very active summer. “All of the District’s 81 structures are inspected regularly to ensure proper functioning,” said David… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District), in partnership with Tampa Bay Water, announces the successful environmental recovery efforts of the Northern Tampa Bay Water Use Caution Area. The success of the Northern Tampa Bay recovery efforts was detailed at the Governing Board’s February meeting. The Board has concurred that a recovery strategy is no longer required for the area because aquifer levels have rebounded and the health of the lakes… Read more

Who: Southwest Florida Water Management District, United States Geological Survey, the American Ground Water Trust and middle and high school teachers from Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota and Sumter countiesWhat: The goal of this free, two-day workshop for teachers is to increase water awareness among teachers and their students so that they understand the role of science and technology in meeting water supply challenges and are empowered to play… Read more

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, educators and approximately 500 students from Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas countiesWhat:6th Annual Youth SummitThe summit brings together the youth, educators and community partners who have been involved in Earth Force programs during the past year. It is a day of education and celebration.The students will have the opportunity to share their environmentally oriented… Read more

Improving communication between the District and the more than 190 public supply utilities in the region is the focus of a new utility outreach program that officially kicked off this summer. This outreach program provides tremendous benefit to utilities by offering District tools, programs and resources that can help them meet the District’s regulatory requirements, conserve water and save money. The need for strengthened communication was identified last year… Read more

District Outreach It flew with the troops fighting in Iraq. Now it serves as a big “thank you” to staff at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Bartow Service Office for their generosity. Staff Sergeant Anthony Pieske presented an American flag to the Bartow employees while on leave from the 332nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron. Anthony’s wife, Samantha, is a field technician in Bartow. The Bartow Service Office serves residents in Polk, Hardee, and… Read more