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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has deactivated the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (LHFDA), reopening the S-155 structure and allowing boat traffic to resume along that portion of the Hillsborough River. High water levels caused by Hurricane Irma have receded, allowing the Hillsborough River to return to its natural flow pattern.In September, the Hillsborough River reached an elevation of 25 feet above sea level, which triggered the Army… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns June through September at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in Sarasota County. Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract… Read more

Canal Prevents Flooding  The gates are partially closed at Structure 155, allowing only minimal flow downstream. Behind the structure, the river is going over a spillway into the Tampa Bypass Canal. "Bad things happen in threes.” Not many people in west-central Florida would argue with that old saying. After suffering through Hurricanes Charley and Frances, the region bore the fury of Hurricane Jeanne, the storm ripping across the central peninsula… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns January through March at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in Sarasota County. Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) anticipated activating the Tampa Bypass Canal system Monday night in response to heavy rains in the Tampa Bay area from Hurricane Hermine, however, the Hillsborough River has not reached an elevation of 25 feet above sea level, which triggers the Army Corps of Engineers activation level of the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention (LHFDA) area.The Hillsborough River remains closed to boat traffic, east of the I-75… Read more

Fellow scientists are calling Martin Kelly’s Florida “River Flow Patterns and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation” study one of the more important contributions to hydrologic science in Florida, and perhaps elsewhere, in the past several decades. Kelly is a manager in the District’s Ecologic Evaluation Section. “The peer review panel’s response to our work was especially gratifying,” said Kelly. “The multidisciplinary panel recognized the importance and implications of… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns October through December at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in Sarasota County. Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract are located west of… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will activate the Tampa Bypass Canal system tonight in response to heavy rains in the Tampa Bay area from Hurricane Hermine. This action will close the Hillsborough River to boaters, and boat barriers will be in place by approximately 8 p.m. The Hillsborough River has reached an elevation of 25 feet above sea level, which triggers the Army Corps of Engineers activation level of the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention… Read more

A change to water management guidelines for the Tsala Apopka chain of lakes means that in excess of 23 million gallons of water per day has been flowing into the Tsala Apopka Lake since Feb. 2. The Floral City, Inverness and Hernando pools are now receiving equal shares of that Withlacoochee River water. The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org changed water control guidelines to try to bring up… Read more

Construction began this fall on projects at Lake Hancock that will result in improved flows and better water quality in the upper Peace River. Contractors began work Nov. 14 on the Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification Project, which will replace the P-11 Water Conservation Structure that was built in 1963. The new structure will allow the District to maintain higher lake levels, increasing the elevation from 98.7 feet above sea level to 100 feet. The additional stored… Read more

Gov. Jeb Bush recently reappointed several members to five of the eight Basin Boards of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The governor also appointed several new Basin Board members.Alafia River Basin Board:James D. Selvey of Brandon was reappointed to the Alafia River Basin Board. He is a real estate broker and the owner of Exit Realty Consultants. Selvey joined the Board March 1, 2002. This term began June 1, 2005 and ends March 1, 2008.Jean C. Tort of… Read more

To help lower lake levels and prevent flooding, the District recently partnered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants and the Panavista Fish Camp to treat and remove hydrilla from the Lake Panasoffkee Outlet River in Sumter County. Water naturally flows out of Lake Panasoffkee to the Withlacoochee River through the Outlet River. Hydrilla, an invasive species, recently grew so dense… Read more

The District is hosting a public meeting 5 p.m. April 16 to provide information and get feedback on the Weeki Wachee Channel Restoration Project. The purpose of this multi-year project is to evaluate accumulated sediments in the river and identify where future removal of sediments will benefit the river’s ecosystem… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in Sarasota County… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board approved funding Thursday to build an observation deck at the Springs Coast Environmental Education Center.The deck was part of the center’s original plan, but was not built because of financial constraints. It is expected to cost $110,000. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board has budgeted $75,000 for the project. The remaining funds will come from the Hernando County School Board, which is… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns January through March at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in Sarasota County… Read more

Project will help meet minimum flows in the Upper Peace RiverThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday authorized the implementation of the Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification Project.The project will raise the lake’s water level by raising the control elevation of the existing outflow structure to store additional water that later can be released into the Upper Peace River during dry periods. The project is a critical component of the… Read more

Your Questions Answered November 2020Q: What are seagrasses? A: Seagrasses are flowering plants that colonized the ocean some 70 to 100 million years ago. Seagrasses have leaves, flowers, seeds and roots. Unlike land plants, seagrasses do not have strong stems to hold themselves up. Instead they are supported by the buoyancy of the water surrounding them. Another unique characteristic of… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns October through December at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) activated the Tampa Bypass Canal system today in response to heavy rains in the Tampa Bay area overnight. The Hillsborough River has reached an elevation of 25 feet above sea level at Fowler Avenue, which triggers the Army Corps of Engineers activation level of the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention (LHFDA) area. This involves redirecting the flow of the Hillsborough River east of 1-… Read more