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Your Questions Answered October 2022 Q: What is a water control structure? A: The primary purpose of the District’s water control structures is to manage the flow of water. Water control structures vary greatly in size and are used for multiple purposes. The District’s water control structures can be classified into three main categories: flood control, salinity barriers, and water conservation structures. These…

In April, the Southwest Florida Water Management District will celebrate the Peace River and the Peace River watershed with a series of events along the river.The District’s Peace River Basin Board has declared the week of April 14 through April 21 as “Peace River Watershed Awareness Week.” Participating county governments also plan to recognize this first-of-a-kind event.In conjunction with the awareness week, four events are planned within the Peace…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is joining forces with the Hillsborough River Watershed Alliance to celebrate the Hillsborough River and its watershed by declaring Nov. 15 through 22 as “Watershed Awareness Week.”The District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board is co-sponsoring Watershed Awareness Week in an effort to foster good watershed stewardship.The Hillsborough River Watershed Alliance is a public-private, non-profit organization that…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board approved the purchase of the Mattaniah Property, in partnership with Hillsborough County, in the Alafia River Watershed. This 629-acre parcel of land adjoins the Alafia River Reserve, which is in existing District ownership and managed by Polk County, and contains portions of English Creek, Thirty-mile Creek, and the North Prong of the Alafia River in Hillsborough County.This is the first joint…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has activated the Tampa Bypass Canal System due to anticipated heavy rains from Hurricane Milton to help protect the cities of Temple Terrace and Tampa from river flooding.The District is preemptively closing S-155 on the Hillsborough River before Hurricane Milton makes landfall to decrease freshwater discharge from the river into Tampa Bay during the forecasted historic storm surge and to minimize flood risks from…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating water hyacinth and water lettuce on portions of the Peace River during the weeks of June 8-12 and June 15-19.District staff will treat the portion of the river from Bartow to Ft. Meade during June 8-12. The portion of the river from Ft. Meade to Zolfo Springs will be treated during June 15-19.Treatment involves the spot application of the aquatic herbicide Reward to scattered infestations. Treatment areas will…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has activated the Tampa Bypass Canal System in response to heavy rains from Tropical Storm Debby to help protect the cities of Temple Terrace and Tampa from river flooding.The Hillsborough River has reached the activation criteria and the District has closed Structure S-155 as of 6 p.m. tonight. The Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (HFDA) is now considered activated, and the empty reservoir will begin to fill with…

At its August 8 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.205 mill, which is .03 mill below the FY2006 rate of .235 mill. This reduction was based on the estimated increase in property values for FY2007.The budget for FY2007 is $8,329,310, which is an increase of $88,868 from the adopted FY2006 budget. The main reason for this budget increase is due to increased property…

At its August 3 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.240 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2007 is $8,377,561, which is an increase of $1,664,397 from the adopted FY2006 budget. The main reason for this budget increase is due to increased property values and additional balances available from the prior year. FY2007 will run from Oct.…

The District preserves hundreds of miles of freshwater shoreline along many of the most beautiful rivers and lakes in the region.Fishing is allowed along the banks of District water bodies and by boat unless an area is posted closed to fishing. All fishing on District lands is subject to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission license requirements and regulations.How to contact…

Residents are invited to give input on the District’s Withlacoochee River Watershed Initiative during a series of public workshops. The initiative is a multi-year effort designed to better understand the dynamics of the river and watershed, identify how alterations have affected the system, and evaluate alternatives to better manage the water resources.  Nineteen river model scenarios have been identified through years of citizen input. These scenarios were…

At its June 4 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s newly merged Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2010 (FY2010) millage rate of 0.2421 mill. The Hillsborough River Basin Board area covers Hillsborough County and portions of Pasco and Polk counties.The Hillsborough River and the Northwest Hillsborough Basin Boards were merged effective Jan. 1, 2009. For FY2009, the Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a millage rate…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be spot treating infestations of water hyacinth and water lettuce on the Braden River Aug. 3-7. The portion of the river that will be treated is located south of State Road 70 in Manatee County.Treatment involves the spot application of the aquatic herbicide Reward to scattered infestations. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Treated river…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be spot treating infestations of water hyacinth and water lettuce on the Braden River June 15-19. The portion of the river that will be treated is located south of State Road 70 in Manatee County.Treatment involves the spot application of the aquatic herbicide Reward to scattered infestations. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Treated river…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board recently approved minimum flows (or MFLs) for both the Rainbow River and the Crystal River/Kings Bay systems. A minimum flow is the limit at which withdrawals will cause significant harm. Some recent guest editorials and letters have suggested the water management district arbitrarily sets these limits and offers a "blank check" to pump unlimited amounts of water out of the aquifer. In fact, MFLs are an…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be spot treating infestations of water hyacinth and water lettuce on the Braden River Aug. 18-22. The portion of the river that will be treated is located south of State Road 70 in Manatee County.Treatment involves the spot application of the aquatic herbicide Reward to scattered infestations. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Treated river…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be spot treating infestations of water hyacinth and water lettuce on the Braden River July 28-31. The portion of the river that will be treated is located south of State Road 70 in Manatee County.Treatment involves the spot application of the aquatic herbicide Reward to scattered infestations. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Treated river…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be spot treating infestations of water hyacinth and water lettuce on the Braden River May 19-22. The portion of the river that will be treated is located south of State Road 70 in Manatee County.Treatment involves the spot application of the aquatic herbicide Reward to scattered infestations. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Treated river…

Just as building a house takes more than one tool, protecting springs requires many tools. It takes a combination of scientific expertise, studying, planning, personal passion and more among District staff and its community partners. “In my nearly 20 years here, I’ve worked in various departments and can attest to the multitude of activities in the District all working simultaneously to improve and manage our treasured springs,” said Chris Anastasiou, Chief Environmental…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be spot treating infestations of water hyacinth and water lettuce on the Braden River April 14-17. The portion of the river that will be treated is located south of State Road 70 in Manatee County.Treatment involves the spot application of the aquatic herbicide Reward to scattered infestations. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Treated…