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The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during April on the District’s Cypress Creek property in Pasco County. The property is approximately 3 miles east of Land O’ Lakes. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 250 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love,…

District staff helped community leaders celebrate the completion of the Lutz Lake Fern Road Trailhead and new section of the Upper Tampa Bay Trail, which now connects to the Suncoast Trail. Hillsborough County recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new segment. The 4.35-mile section marks the completion of the northernmost segment of the Upper Tampa Bay Trail.  Colleen Kruk, the District’s lead land use specialist, spoke at the event, noting this…

The Southwest Florida Management District, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Town of Dundee are moving forward on a project that will improve water quality by treating stormwater runoff within the Ridge Lakes watershed.The goal of this multi-year project is to design, permit and construct stormwater treatment systems for 10 lakes located within the Lake Wales Ridge, Polk and Highlands counties.This phase of the project is based on the results of a study…

Emergency Operations Center to OpenSouthwest Florida Water Management District officials began preparations today to activate its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in anticipation of the possible landfall of Hurricane Wilma in Florida.District officials today discussed coordination of activities with staff, state coordinators and the other water management districts.The District plans to fully activate its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Brooksville Friday or Saturday…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect officers for the 2022-2023 term. Joel Schleicher was elected chair of the Governing Board. Schleicher represents Charlotte and Sarasota counties and has used his vast knowledge as a successful entrepreneur to challenge the status quo while giving back to the community via various organizations. Schleicher was appointed to the Governing Board in May 2017 and reappointed in July…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ approved the acquisition of "Boat Spring," which is part of a second magnitude spring system, located in the historic community of Aripeka, on the Gulf of Mexico at the Hernando and Pasco County line. The Hammock Creek spring system includes Boat, Magnolia, Aripeka 1 and 2 springs which all flow into Hammock Creek that connects with the Gulf of Mexico. The…

Water Management on the Move Representatives from the City of Lakeland, Florida Southern College and the District recently celebrated the completion of a stormwater treatment wetland at Anchor Park. The Southern Landing Stormwater Treatment Wetland Project will improve water quality in Lake Hollingsworth, serve as a beautiful area for public recreation, and provide research opportunities for students attending Florida Southern College. This project builds upon…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District,) in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be treating a boat access trail along the western shoreline (Outlet River side) of Lake Panasoffkee to improve boat access and navigation through areas of dense aquatic plants.The 4-mile-long, 100-feet-wide trail on the 3,300 acre lake will be treated the week of June 16-20, 2014. The treatment involves the application of the aquatic…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org and Manatee County are giving residents a chance to learn about local water resource issues and how to make a difference during the Manatee County Extension Water School.The District believes citizens need to become actively engaged in water-related issues including conservation, protection and preservation. The school motivates communities to get involved in protecting their water resources. The…

All Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) offices will be closed Tuesday, Aug. 29, and Wednesday, Aug. 30, due to potential impacts from Tropical Storm Idalia. Information regarding District-related meeting cancellations will be provided to the media and made available on the District’s website at…

h2. District Seeking Public Input on Proposals for Four PropertiesThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ recently completed an evaluation of eight District-managed lands to determine if additional hunting opportunities are available. Draft proposals for four of these lands will be presented at a public meeting on Monday, Dec. 5. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Hillsborough Community College…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard Tuesday renewed and modified a water use permit for Haines City.The permit is being issued for a term of 20 years for 5.9 million gallons per day.The increased quantities are based on population projections, which are predicted to increase from 27,233 to 44,858 people over the next 20 years. The permit term reflects the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will open Phase 2 hog hunt registration Tuesday, Dec. 14, at 9 a.m. The District holds a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population. What you need to know about Phase 2 hunts:

• Phase 2 will include six hunts that occur January through February 2022.
• Permits are transferable.
• The single top producer on each hunt of Phase…

Gov. Charlie Crist on March 22 appointed Richard Matassa and Fritz Musselmann to the Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Coastal Rivers Basin Board(Coastal Rivers Basin Board)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/basinboards/coastal.php.Matassa is from Spring Hill in Hernando County. He is the managing director of A Civil Design Group, and was appointed to succeed Elaine Perry. His term ends March 1, 2012. Musselmann is from Spring Hill in Pasco County. He was the…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org is reminding residents to check the timers on their irrigation system controllers this weekend, which is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time. Saturday night is when we will turn our clocks ahead 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…

Polk County Utilities customers may be eligible for a $50 rain sensor rebate from the utility and the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org, which could save them up to 100 gallons of water per day. The District and Polk County Utilities have joined forces to offer rebates to Polk utility customers who add a rain sensor to their irrigation system. The rain sensor rebate is intended to help 1,295…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of March and April on the District’s Halpata Tastanaki Preserve. The property is approximately six miles east of Dunnellon. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 400 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love…

Left: Aerial photo of hog damage at the District’s Myakka River—Schewe Tract in Sarasota County. Right: Hog damage on District’s Upper Hillsborough—Alston Tract in Pasco County. Beginning Oct. 13, prospective hunters can purchase permits for these hunts on the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/hoghunts/. Permits will be available through 5 p.m.…

Who: Southwest Florida Water Management District staff and approximately 70 childrenWhat: The District’s 11th Annual “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.” Students between the ages of nine and 18 will spend the day at the District headquarters and service offices learning about activities at the District. The day, which focuses on technology and its contribution to the District’s mission, begins at 8:30 a.m. with the children meeting together to view a video of…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard Tuesday renewed a water use permit for the Tampa Bypass Canal Harney Canal Pump Station.The renewed permit allows "Tampa Bay Water(Tampa Bay Water)":http://www.tampabaywater.org to withdraw an average of 20 million gallons per day from the "Tampa Bypass Canal(Tampa Bypass Canal)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/…