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The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remainder of August on the District’s Jack Creek property in Highlands County. The property, which is in the Leisure Lakes area, is approximately 1 mile west of U.S. Hwy. 27, 3 miles south of S.R. 66 and 6 miles northwest of Lake Placid. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately…

Local elected officials, community leaders, regional water supply authority board members, and other interested people are invited to attend a workshop in Hernando County aimed at explaining minimum flows and levels (MFLs.)The workshop, which is being hosted by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Hernando County Utilities Department and the Hernando County Groundwater Guardian Team, will be held Wednesday, May 3 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Hernando County…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect officers for the 2023-2024 term. Ed Armstrong was elected chair of the Governing Board. Armstrong represents Pinellas County and is an attorney with Hill Ward Henderson in Clearwater. Armstrong was appointed to the Governing Board in June 2014 and was reappointed in October 2020 and June 2022. His term expires March 1, 2026. Michelle Williamson was elected vice chair of the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will open Phase 2 hog hunt registration Tuesday, Dec. 18, 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 in January and…

The District has added several new members to its Springs Team, which is leading the effort to improve water clarity and habitat in west-central Florida’s springs. The team includes a diverse group of scientists and engineers representing a wide range of water resource disciplines. The team’s knowledge is based on decades of research and development, pilot projects and complex groundwater models. Meet the newest members of the team: Anthony Andrade…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will temporarily close the Flying Eagle Dead River Flats airboat slide due to required maintenance. The airboat slide is located on the Flying Eagle berm between the Withlacoochee River and Flying Eagle Marsh in eastern Citrus County.Maintenance activities will start April 14 and are scheduled to be completed by April 25. Attempts to use the slide in its current condition could damage airboats.The District operates…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted today to begin the process of adding three first-magnitude spring systems -- Weeki Wachee River, Chassahowitzka River and Homosassa River -- to the Surface Water Improvement Management (SWIM) Program priority list. The existing SWIM Program priority list includes two first magnitude spring systems – Rainbow River and Crystal River/Kings Bay…

Hernando County students at two 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 Hernando County awardees are:* David Peitzman, *Gulf Coast Academy of Science*, was awarded $1,520. Students will visit several river and spring locations to test water quality and learn about human impacts to Florida's diverse…

Terese Power, a staff engineer with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, uses a watershed model to show Lacy Garman from Brooksville how pollution works its way into rivers and lakes. District employees combined the annual Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day to teach children about conservation, pollution prevention, and environmental stewardship. If you would like a high-resolution photograph for publication, contact…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board voted today to declare a Phase I Water Shortage for all 16 counties throughout the District's boundaries. Included in the order are Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties.The primary purpose for a Phase I water shortage is to alert the public that watering restrictions could be forthcoming…

Editor’s note: Read in tomorrow’s blog how you can visit Three Sisters Springs for free this weekend. The District recently completed the Three Sisters Springs Bank Stabilization Project in Crystal River, which restored the shoreline and created safer conditions around the spring.  Before the project,…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August and September on the District's "Flatwoods Park(Flatwoods Park)":/recreation/areas/lh-flatwoods.html in Hillsborough County.Some entrances or trails at Flatwoods Park may be temporarily closed on weekdays during August and September to facilitate the safe execution of prescribed burns. The entrance at 13630 Morris…

Three members of the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board took their oaths of office Tuesday.Judith C. Whitehead of Brooksville was reappointed to succeed Patsy C. Symons. Last year the state Legislature reassigned Symons’ seat to represent Hernando and Marion counties and added two new seats to the Governing Board for a total of 13 members. Whitehead, the owner of Residential Appraisal Service, was first appointed to the Governing Board…

Seventeen Manatee County teachers were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.Mary Margaret Hull, District lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Manatee County to the strong partnership with Manatee County Schools. Judy Griffin, curriculum specialist for Manatee County Schools, serves as the District's liaison to teachers and helped…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Brooksville office is now fully operational and will reopen on Friday, Sept. 15 following Hurricane Irma. All other District offices remain open. Information regarding District-related meeting cancellations will be provided to the media and made available on the District's website at WaterMatters.org. As a reminder, you can find the latest…

Campgrounds will Reopen to the Public TomorrowThe Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has returned to normal operations after Hurricane Idalia and will lower the activation level of its Emergency Operations Center to a Level 3 at 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 1. Level 3 activation is a general state of monitoring during the hurricane season. District lands have reopened to the public; however, campgrounds will open tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Oak…

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officially approved adding three first-magnitude spring systems – Weeki Wachee River, Chassahowitzka River and Homosassa River – to the Surface Water Improvement Management (SWIM) Program priority list.In January, "The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/voted to begin the process of officially adding those systems to the existing…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close all District-managed campgrounds and properties to include trails and day use areas throughout its 16-county region at 3 p.m. in anticipation of impacts from Tropical Depression Fred. For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at WaterMatters.org…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close all District-managed campgrounds and properties to include trails and day use areas throughout its 16-county region Tuesday, Sept. 27, at noon in anticipation of impacts from Hurricane Ian. For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at…

In October, the Southwest Florida Water Management District will celebrate the Hillsborough River and the Hillsborough River watershed with a series of events along the river.The District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board has declared the week of Oct. 20 through 27 as “Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week.” The participating city and county governments plan to recognize the week, which was modeled after a similar event in April that focused on the Peace River…