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During the District’s 60-year history, new laws established through the decades have helped the District protect water quality and natural systems. Here’s a look at some of the key legislation and programs established: Save Our Rivers: The program, established in 1981, allowed the District to acquire lands for the purposes of water management, supply and protection. The first major land acquisition using Save Our Rivers funding was the Green Swamp West… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the University of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (IFAS) will host two workshops aimed at sharing the latest information about frost and freeze protection with the agricultural community.The workshops, which will be held in Manatee and Hillsborough counties, will focus on understanding different types of cold events and how to protect plants with minimum water use. The workshops will cover the… Read more

The public is invited to attend the Hernando County Weeki Wachee River and Springs Task Force meeting, April 18. The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Brooksville Headquarters in the Board Room.The task force will be taking public input on the health of the springs and the river.The Florida Legislature created the Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council, which formed two separate county task forces the Citrus… Read more

Fourteen Sumter County teachers are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Sumter County to… Read more

The Florida Legislature included $15 million in its 2008–09 state budget for the District’s West-Central Florida Water Restoration Action Plan (WRAP), which will help restore water quality and natural systems and create sustainable water supplies in the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA). “In this incredibly tight budget year, we are extremely grateful that the WRAP was funded, which will aid in the District’s efforts to recover the Southern Water Use Caution… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is reminding residents to check the timers on their irrigation system controllers this weekend, which is the end of Daylight Savings Time.Saturday night is when we will turn our clocks back one hour. The time change is also a good time to make sure your irrigation system timer is set correctly to ensure that your system operates consistently with current water restrictions.Under… Read more

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Land Resources Department staff, volunteers from the Sumter County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission staffWhat:The District’s Land Resources Department is coordinating a volunteer work day at the District’s Panasoffkee Outlet property in Sumter County. Volunteers will hand-remove green wandering jew and tuberous sword fern, which are invasive plants that are… Read more

h2. District to Brief the Public on Lake Isis, Tulane Stormwater Treatment ProjectsThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to an informational meeting on the Lake Isis and Lake Tulane stormwater treatment projects, which will improve water quality in the lakes. The meeting will be held from *6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18*, 2011 at the *City of Avon Park Council Chambers*, 123 East Pine Street in… Read more

h2. District to Brief the Public on Stormwater Treatment ProjectThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to an informational meeting on the Lake Wailes stormwater treatment project, which will improve water quality in the lake. The meeting will be held from *6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, 2011* at the *Lake Wales Municipal Administration Building*, 201 Central Avenue West in Lake Wales.The… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping at Royce Ranch.The project involves installing a weather station, soil moisture sensors and automated pump controls at the citrus farm owned by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, which funds the purchase of state parks and other state lands. Royce Ranch is located in central Highlands County.Installing a weather station… Read more

It was all treats and no tricks as the District, Polk County and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection celebrated the grand opening of Polk’s Nature Discovery Center at the Circle B Bar Reserve on Halloween. “This twenty-first century facility will give children who are not exposed to the environment an opportunity to touch and feel nature,” said David Moore, District executive director. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests toured the Nature… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) and Hernando County will hold a public workshop Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 5:30 p.m. to share the results of the Weeki Wachee Natural System Carrying Capacity Study. The meeting will take place at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Meeting Hall, located at 4340 Calienta St. in Hernando Beach. This ecologically-based study evaluated how recreational use affects the river. During the workshop, staff from the District, Hernando… Read more

The Communications Department recently won state-level awards from the Florida Public Relations Association for two District campaigns. The “Skip a Week” public service advertising campaign received an Award of Distinction in the Public Relations Programs — Public Service category, and the “Get Outside!” campaign received an Award of Distinction in the Public Relations Programs — Institutional category of the association’s Golden Image Awards competition. The… Read more

May 7-15 is National Travel and Tourism WeekAre you planning a 'staycation' to avoid the cost of rising fuel prices? You can enjoy the area's natural beauty and still make a difference in preserving its natural resources, thanks to conservation programs developed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.National Travel and Tourism Week is May 7-15, and the District offers many ways to enjoy some time off close to home without sacrificing the environment.Saving… Read more

Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials have deactivated the District's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) from a Level 2 to a Level 3. In April, the District activated the EOC to Level 2 in coordination with State Emergency Response Teams who requested and directed District resources during Florida's wildfire emergency event. The EOC provides direction and controls District activities during an emergency event.Level 3 activation is utilized when a… Read more

h2. District, County Cooperate to Help Manage and Treat StormwaterResidents of the Garden Grove neighborhood in the Cypress Gardens area will see less flooding and better water quality in nearby lakes thanks to a project funded by Polk County and the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard.Construction began this fall on the project, which will help reduce flooding… Read more

According to the National Weather Service, parts of the Tampa Bay area are expected to have near- to below-freezing temperatures Saturday morning.The Southwest Florida Water Management District advises residents who live near Plant City and Dover who have well pumps without automatic cutoff switches to turn off the pumps before temperatures dip.During a freeze or near-freezing temperatures, water is pumped to protect crops… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board recognized Lace Blue-McLean as this year’s springs community partner, while declaring April Springs Protection Awareness Month. Blue-McLean is the chair of the Save Our Waters Week Committee, which was formed more than 20 years ago to bring awareness to water issues in Citrus County. Each year, she dedicates countless hours to organizing the weeklong event. Through free tours, cleanups and other… Read more

Two Charlotte County teachers and one private school teacher are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant… Read more

 Photo Courtesy Jason Polk Beneath your feet exists a part of Florida few ever see but all should value. Deep below the earth’s surface, caverns have formed by water seeping into cracks and slowly dissolving the rock below. Over thousands of years, these voids become larger and create sinkholes and caves. That water can flow into disappearing streams, and underground rivers and then flow back up to the land surface as springs. These features are… Read more