Search Content

Your Questions Answered June 2020 We're often asked about the water resources in our area and what we do to manage and improve their water quality. Southwest Florida Water Management District Chief Water Quality Scientist Chris Anastasiou explains what water quality really means and the District’s role in managing the region’s water quality. Q: What is water quality? A: Water quality is a broad term… Read more

The purpose of the Public Supply Advisory Committee (PSAC) is to provide professional and technical input into District programs and activities.This includes regulatory programs, rule revisions, water conservation activities, water resource planning, water resource and supply development projects, research and other water resource management projects that relate to the environment. Subject matter considered by the PSAC shall relate to the statutory duties and… Read more

The District uses a variety of tools to protect our springs but it takes a community effort by all of us. There is no single solution to protecting Florida springs. The District uses a variety of tools to help protect them. But it takes the work of all of us to protect these resources. There are various ways you can help when visiting a spring and even at home. How to responsibly enjoy a spring: 

• Stay in the vessel when possible.
• If you have to…

Read more

 The Weekiwachee Preserve is part of a regional system of conservation lands that extend up to Crystal River Buffer Preserve, preserving the southernmost coastal hardwood hammock in western Florida. The preserve provides a rich mosaic of habitats including several miles of Weeki Wachee River frontage, portions of the Mud River, dense hardwood swamps, freshwater and saltwater marshes, and pine-covered sandhills. The preserve is best known for its Florida black bear… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a public workshop Tuesday, June 11, to share information about the proposed minimum flow reevaluations for the Chassahowitzka and Homosassa River Systems. The meeting will take place at the College of Central Florida, Citrus Campus, Citrus Conference Center Building C4, located at 3800 S. Lecanto Highway… Read more

Public water supply facilities, agriculture, wildlife habitat conservation and passive recreation characterize the diversity of the working landscape at the RV Griffin Reserve. The reserve offers vistas of pine flatwoods, freshwater marshes, wet prairies and glimpses of forested wetlands and oak hammocks. Much of the flatwoods have a sparse overstory of pines and resembles Florida dry prairie, one of North America's most imperiled ecosystems. The property is managed by… Read more

Kass Sink looked harmless enough from the edge, but just below the surface, piles of garbage and debris sat potentially poisoning the drinking water. Kass Sink is like many other sinkholes in Hernando and Citrus counties. Most are clustered around or are considered a part of one of the five first-magnitude springs systems: Weeki Wachee, Homosassa, Chassahowitzka, Kings Bay and Rainbow springs. Some of the sinks have a direct connection to the aquifer. While others may… Read more

This property was acquired to protect and preserve natural water resources and the water quality of the Withlacoochee River, Gum Slough and associated tributaries. The Withlacoochee River, Gum Slough and Gum Springs Run are located adjacent to the property and were designated Outstanding Florida Waters in 1989. Gum Slough is a four-mile-long spring run that flows into the Withlacoochee River. The water in Gum Slough comes from several springs, which makes it… Read more

 Located in the southwest corner of the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve, the Jefferson Equestrian Area is surrounded by urban development. The trail roughly parallels Cow House Creek, a tributary of the Hillsborough River, and offers canopied riding for local horse enthusiasts. Interestingly, water in this creek can flow east or west, depending on water levels in the Hillsborough River and the… Read more

More than 350 west-central Florida hotels are part of Water CHAMPSM. Stay with a participating property — and save our precious water resources.Choose a county to view participants:Charlotte »   Citrus »   DeSoto »   Hardee »   … Read more

Do you know where your drinking water comes from? You might have poured it from a tap or bought it at the store, but it had to come from somewhere before that. Any guesses? The ocean? That would be a good guess because the oceans contain most of earth’s water, about 97%! But would you drink a glass of seawater? No! The salt would make you sick. We need fresh water. Not just any fresh water though. Did you know most of the world’… Read more

 The Tsala Apopka Chain of Lakes, which surrounds most of this property, is connected to the Floridan aquifer's hydrologic system. The Withlacoochee River forms a portion of the eastern property boundary and is a vital component of regional drainage and flood conveyance. This property is a mosaic of small lakes, marshes and swamps, with numerous scattered islands of forested uplands. A broad mixture of hardwood and cypress swamps covers the floodplain of the… Read more

1. Summary

Students will complete a unit on fresh waterways and the native life that lives there. They will complete computer research, make observations and collect data, graph data collected, and complete a STEAM project on the natural filtration systems in Florida, mainly focusing on swamplands. They will then compete the Myakka Mysteries field trip. At the Myakka River State Park, students will explore the Myakka River and the surrounding wetlands,…

Read more