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Fresh water from the Peace River watershed is essential to the health of the Charlotte Harbor, the second largest estuary in Florida. The watersheds of the Myakka and Caloosahatchee rivers also feed into the harbor.
An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where fresh water from rivers and streams flows into the ocean. The Charlotte Harbor estuary is 30 miles long by seven miles wide and boasts 219 miles of shoreline.…
June 2024Q: What does the District do to prepare for hurricane season?A: Year-round, the District operates 84 water control structures in its 16-county area. These structures assist with flood protection, manage lake water levels and prevent saltwater from flowing up freshwater streams and creeks. To prepare for hurricane season, staff conduct annual hurricane readiness checks of all the District’s structures to ensure they are…
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…
Marion 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 Marion County awardees are:* Thomas Allison, *Dunnellon Middle*, was awarded $2,390. Students will visit the Withlacoochee and Rainbow rivers to test water quality. Students will learn how human actions affect the flora and fauna on the…
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) acquires lands for the conservation and protection of the water and water-related resources, including lakes, rivers, wetlands and estuaries. These conservation lands serve as natural filters improving water quality, storing and retaining flood waters and helping recharge our aquifers. They also are home to many native plants and animals.
The District is required to maintain a balance between public access,…
The District’s Governing Board, along with the Florida Legislature and Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, declared April Springs Protection Awareness Month. There are many actions you can take at home to help protect springs.
A spring only is as healthy as its springshed, which is the area of land that contributes water to a spring. Activities within springsheds impact groundwater, and therefore, affect the water flowing from a spring. Help…
The District’s Governing Board, along with the Florida Legislature and Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, declared April Springs Protection Awareness Month. There are many actions you can take at home to help protect springs.
A spring only is as healthy as its springshed, which is the area of land that contributes water to a spring. Activities within springsheds impact groundwater, and therefore, affect the water flowing from a spring. Help…
Your Questions Answered
May 2022
Q: What does the District do to prepare for hurricane season?
A: Year-round, the District operates 85 water-control structures in its 16-county area. These structures assist with flood protection, manage lake water levels and prevent saltwater from flowing up freshwater streams and creeks. To prepare for hurricane season, staff conduct annual hurricane readiness checks of all the District’s…
Homosassa Springs has been a tourist attraction since the early 1900s and is now located within a state park that features a fishbowl observatory and manatee rehabilitation. About the SpringsThe Homosassa River is a first-magnitude spring system originating in western Citrus County. Homosassa Springs is at the headwaters of this short, slow moving tidal river, which flows 8 miles from the headsprings to where it meets the Gulf of America.Many springs make up the…
As bureau chief of General Services, Dave Dickens oversees the District’s Document Services, Public Records, Fleet Services and Facilities sections.Dave has 12 years of experience managing transportation, facilities and safety programs for water management districts in Florida.He most recently served as the Transportation and Facilities Bureau chief for St. Johns River Water Management District, where he managed budget, procurement, capital projects and contract management.…
The Springs Coast Watershed features one of the largest and most spectacular expanses of salt and brackish marshes found in Florida. Four of the five springs groups in the watershed discharge directly into the Gulf of America in a region that is the second largest seagrass area in the continental United States. With an estimated 700,000 acres — the size of more than 530,000 football fields — the Springs Coast seagrass area is one of the largest seagrass areas in the world.As…
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is closing navigation on the Hillsborough River at Structure S-155 to meet safety standards.Due to the high velocity of water from recent above-average rainfall, boat barriers will be put in place where I-75 crosses the Hillsborough River, restricting navigation in that area. The S-155 structure is part of the Tampa Bypass Canal System and located north of Morris Bridge Road and east of I-75. It can be seen from I-75…
The beat of central Florida’s hydrologic heart lies between Tampa and Orlando in 560,000 acres of Florida backcountry called the Green Swamp. The Green Swamp includes portions of Polk, Lake, Sumter, Hernando and Pasco counties. Within these acres is a complex, integrated and delicate natural system composed of cypress swamps, hardwood forests, marshes, pine flatwoods and sandhills. Emerging from this precious oasis are the Hillsborough, Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha and…
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is closing navigation on the Hillsborough River at Structure S-155 to meet Federal safety standards.Due to the high velocity of water from Tropical Storm Debby, boat barriers will be put in place where I-75 crosses the Hillsborough River, restricting navigation in that area. The S-155 structure is part of the Tampa Bypass Canal System and located north of Morris Bridge Road and east of I-75. It can be seen from I-75…
The District has been working closely with the regional water supply authorities within its boundaries over the last several decades to reduce the region’s reliance on traditional groundwater supplies and achieve environmental recovery by developing alternative water supplies.There is a critical need to develop additional alternative water supplies to meet the region’s substantial population growth and its associated water supply needs. Population growth within the District…
2007 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Surface Water Improvement and Management ActThe Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today passed a resolution announcing October 2007 “Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Month” to recognize 20 years of improving water quality and restoring habitats in 10 priority water bodies.In 1987, the Florida Legislature created the SWIM Act to protect, restoreand maintain Florida’s surface water bodies…
Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful staff and volunteersWhat:A volunteer river cleanup is being coordinated at Hillsborough River State Park. Volunteers will be provided with canoes, gloves, garbage bags and trash pickers to collect trash along the river. If there are enough participants, volunteers will also collect trash along the park’s trails and parking areas.The river cleanup is part of “Hillsborough…
Sharing Science With Students
Joseph Haber, staff hydrologist, accompanied Dunnellon Middle School students on a trip to Rainbow Springs where he instructed them on how to test for water quality.
More than 100 students at Dunnellon Middle School participate in the PAWS (Promoting Awesome Watershed Stewardship) Legacy Program, a District-funded project that receives matching grant funds from Florida Learn and Serve. The program is a hands-on learning experience that…
Environmental enthusiasts of all ages are invited to come out and enjoy a free community fair being held at the Hillsborough River State Park, May 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.The 9th Annual “A River Runs Through It” community fair features watershed education workshops, watershed educational bingo, children’s activities and educational displays. Visitors can also canoe, fish or take a nature hike.The workshops include the award-winning Frog Listening Network,…
Following the Seminole Wars, the Peace River Valley remained a sparsely settled wilderness, dotted with small farms, citrus groves and cattle ranches. Agriculture was forever changed with the discovery that phosphorus promotes plant growth. Phosphorus is a nonrenewable resource. Phosphate minerals formed millions of years ago when Florida was underwater. It is believed it formed when skeletal remains of animals, organic matter and dissolved phosphorus in seawater…