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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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Clockwise from top: Water Quality Monitoring Program employees, George DeGroot and David Sua receive their suggestion awards from their managers. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the District’s Employee Suggestion Program, which began with a goal of awarding employees who save taxpayer dollars and increase efficiency. To date, more than $1.8 million of taxpayer money has been saved by employee suggestions. “This is truly a win-win situation for…

(See Upper Hillsborough Preserve for overall information.)

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted to let Modified Phase II water shortage restrictions expire today for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties due to improvements in the region's water resources.This means those counties will return to the District's "year-round water conservation measures":http://www.watermatters.org/restrictions/ unless a stricter local ordinance applies. The…

Asks the public to help our water resources recoverThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted unanimously today to extend the current Water Shortage Order, which restricts lawn watering throughout the District to one-day-per-week, through Sept. 30.The Governing Board chose to extend the term of the water shortage order because impacts from the two-year drought continue despite the start of the annual rainy season. In…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District hasdeclared a water shortage emergency and authorized the Englewood Water District to help the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (Authority) by providing water to Charlotte County Utilities.The Authority requested the emergency authorization, in conjunction with Englewood and Charlotte County, in order to…

Members of the Peace River Basin Board and District staff recently set out on a fact-finding mission to the Orlando Wetlands Park. The group is exploring options on how to improve the water quality leaving Lake Hancock. The Wetlands Park is an example of one option under consideration. Lake Hancock is in the headwaters of the Peace River watershed that extends 120 miles downriver to Charlotte Harbor, an estuary of national significance and a Surface Water Improvement…

While on vacation in Alaska, Dale Thompson took an ATV tour up the side of a mountain. Every other week District employees receive a welcome email — Heading: Deposit Advice; Sender: Dale Thompson. But who is this person? She’s a payroll supervisor who has been with the District for 10 years. She supervises two employees. The Payroll Section’s primary responsibility is to ensure that District employees get paid accurately and on time, a service that employees are sure…

Regions IV and X of the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association (FSAWWA) held their respective drinking water taste-testing competition at the Three Sisters Springs National Wildlife Refuge in Crystal River and at the District’s Sarasota office on Friday April 8.  The winners were the City of Wildwood for the Region IV competition in Crystal River and Charlotte County for the Region X competition held in Sarasota.  The entries are…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted to let Modified Phase III water shortage restrictions expire today for Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy, and Sumter counties as well as the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County due to improvements in the region's water resources.This means those counties will return to the District's "year-round water conservation measures":http://www.…

h2. One-day-per-week watering limit remainsEditor's note: Contact Robyn Felix at Robyn.Felix@WaterMatters.org to receive a color map via email.The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board voted today to ease water restrictions for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. The Board voted to lift the Modified Phase III (or Extreme) restrictions for the Tampa Bay area because Tampa Bay Water has made substantial progress in reducing its groundwater…

Hotels, motels and restaurants in Charlotte County can conserve water with the help of three Southwest Florida Water Management District programs.The District’s Water Conservation Hotel And Motel Program (Water CHAMP), Water Program for Restaurant Outreach (Water PRO), and Charlotte County Toilet Rebate Program are designed to help businesses conserve water through training and retrofitting.Water CHAMPWater CHAMP is the District’s linens and towel reuse program…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update flood hazard maps in DeSoto and Hardee counties.Governments, insurance companies and individuals all use FEMA flood insurance rate maps, or FIRMs, to identify flooding risk and to plan for potential flooding. With the updated flood maps, communities can better manage development in and around floodplains and prepare for and mitigate against flood disaster…

Twelve families recently had the opportunity to step out of their daily routine and go on a camping adventure to the District’s Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve’s West Tract in Pasco County. The District cooperated with Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World of Orlando and the American Disability Adventures group to provide this free camping trip. The goal was to provide children who may not have had the opportunity to experience the outdoors and camping, due to expense or lack…

After decades of being impacted by trash and debris, Clam Bayou’s water quality and wildlife habitats will soon be restored. The largest and final phase of the Clam Bayou Habitat Restoration and Stormwater Treatment Project is currently under way, thanks to a cooperative effort between the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program and the cities of St. Petersburg and Gulfport. Clam Bayou is a 170-acre estuary that makes up part of Boca Ciega…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has declared a water shortage emergency and authorized the Englewood Water District to help the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (Authority) by providing water to Charlotte County Utilities.The Authority requested the emergency authorization, in conjunction with Englewood and Charlotte County, to temporarily offset water demand that is normally supplied exclusively by the Authority. The Authority’s…