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The Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP) consists of an executive summary and four geographically-based volumes corresponding to the District’s four designated water supply planning regions (Northern, Tampa Bay, Heartland and Southern). The District’s Governing Board approved the final plan at its Nov. 17, 2015 meeting. The final Board-approved RWSP is available for review below. The District accepted public comment on the draft RWSP through an online comment form,… Read more

The Water Conservation Hotel and Motel Program, or Water CHAMPSM, is a free towel and linen reuse program that encourages hotel and motel guests to use their towels and linens more than once during their stay. Tourists flock to Florida to enjoy the sandy beaches, scenic lakes and meandering rivers. Water CHAMP lodging facilities protect Florida's water resources by conserving water and reducing pollutants entering the environment. You can help keep… Read more

Who: Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) staff, state and local elected officials from Pinellas, Manatee and Hillsborough counties, Department of Environmental Protection staff, former Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) staff, SWIM volunteers, SWIM cooperators and consultantsWhat: The District will host an event at Cockroach Bay to celebrate 20 years since the Florida Legislature passed the SWIM Act. The event… Read more

 A bay is a shallow body of salt water between a larger barrier island and the mainland. A barrier island is a long, narrow sandy island parallel to the shore. Palma Sola Bay is located between the barrier island of Anna Maria and the city of Bradenton.In the 1880s, a fishing village called “Cortez” was formed here and was bustling with fishermen. It's one of the last commercial fishing villages in Florida and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Tarpon,… Read more

This first SWUCA Five-Year Assessment found that the District and its partners:

• Succeeded in meeting the water supply needs of the region despite an increase of more than 325,000 residents;
• Succeeded in reducing overall groundwater use from the Upper Floridan aquifer by more than 50 mgd; and…

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 Still primarily natural, the property is a mixture of pine flatwoods, freshwater marshes and oak scrub forest. The western portions contain some of the oldest and largest trees in the area. The boundary of this property extends over three miles along the eastern floodplain of the Withlacoochee River.The property was acquired to protect and preserve pristine river corridor along the Withlacoochee River and adjoining floodplain system. Preservation of this property… Read more

 The Myakka River, designated as an Outstanding Florida Water, flows through the northeast portion of the forest, dividing the forest into two tracts, with the larger portion on the west side of the river. Big Slough (also called Myakkahatchee Creek) enters the forest at the northeast and drains into the Myakka River. The western section of the property contains much of the headwaters of Rock Creek, a tributary to Lemon Bay, which is also part of the Charlotte Harbor… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the purchase of a perpetual conservation easement for a 652-acre parcel of land located near the Myakka River State Park, contingent upon cooperative funding with the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP.)The transaction includes the property owner, the Myakkahatchee Ranch, LLC., making a 25 percent… Read more

This property lies along the southern bank of the Withlacoochee River at the northern end of the Tsala Apopka Lake system. The Withlacoochee River is designated as an Outstanding Florida Water, which makes the river highly suitable for recreation, fishing and wildlife. This location on the river is very attractive to recreation users seeking to experience a serene canoe ride or pleasurable hike along the riverbank. Purchased jointly by the state of Florida and the… Read more

 The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve (LHWP) contains one of the largest premier contiguous recreation areas in Hillsborough County. Within the LHWP are park sites managed by the Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Department: Dead River Park, Flatwoods Park,… Read more

Protecting the upper reaches of the Hillsborough River, the river's floodplain provides natural storage of floodwaters and acts as a filtration system for runoff. The property also serves as an important link in protecting wildlife habitat in the Hillsborough River greenway corridor. The property's roads and trails meander through pine flatwoods, consisting of both slash and longleaf pine overstory, palmetto/gallberry understory and hydric hammock and floodplain swamp… Read more

This year, the District is scheduled to adopt minimum flows for Horse Creek and Charlie Creek, two tributaries to the Peace River.Public WorkshopA virtual public workshop is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Oct. 25, 2023, to present the draft minimum flows plan for Horse Creek and Charlie Creek and give the public an opportunity to provide comments or ask questions. The workshop is open to the public and participants may join online by using the link… Read more