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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a public workshop Thursday, Nov. 8, to share information about the Weeki Wachee Natural System Carrying Capacity Study. The meeting will take place at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Meeting Hall, located at 4340 Calienta St. in Hernando Beach. The workshop will be an open-house style allowing the public to… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is hosting a public workshop Nov. 8 to provide information and get feedback on the Weeki Wachee Natural System Carrying Capacity Study. The purpose of the study is to evaluate how recreational use affects the natural system along the Weeki Wachee River. During Thursday’s workshop, staff from the District, Hernando County and the consultant group will be available to explain the intent of the study and how the data will… Read more

Restoration project areas. Recently, District Governing and Basin Board members and staff got an up-close look at restoration projects and toured major components that are part of the Lower Hillsborough River Recovery Strategy. Terra Ceia and Cockroach Bay One tour viewed restoration projects from infancy to maturity at the Terra Ceia and Cockroach Bay preserves. This tour was designed to give Board members and staff a better… Read more

Ten Hillsborough County projects were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 49 grants Districtwide for a total of $171,444. This is the 10th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to… Read more

It was all treats and no tricks as the District, Polk County and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection celebrated the grand opening of Polk’s Nature Discovery Center at the Circle B Bar Reserve on Halloween. “This twenty-first century facility will give children who are not exposed to the environment an opportunity to touch and feel nature,” said David Moore, District executive director. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests toured the Nature… 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 on Potts Preserve and Chassahowitzka River and Coastal Swamps in Citrus County. Potts Preserve… Read more

Two Pasco County projects that are expected to reach about 10,000 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. These grants provide up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 38 grants Districtwide for a total of $136,598. This is the 11th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community… Read more

To provide flood protection to lakefront properties, the Southwest Florida Water Management District Tuesday will begin releasing water through flood control structure S-353 on the Hernando Pool of the Tsala Apopka Chain of Lakes.S-353 releases water into an outfall canal that discharges into the Withlacoochee River near Holder. The operation of the structure is guided by a legal agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that requires water to be released when levels… Read more

To provide flood protection to lakefront properties, the Southwest Florida Water Management District Tuesday will begin releasing water through flood control structure S-353 on the Hernando Pool of the Tsala Apopka Chain of Lakes.S-353 releases water into an outfall canal that discharges into the Withlacoochee River near Holder. The operation of the structure is guided by a legal agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that requires water to be released when levels… Read more

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing and Basin Board members and staff, hundreds of volunteersWhat:District volunteers awards presentation, exhibits, picnic lunch and nature hike. Speakers include Governing Board chair, Heidi McCree; and Martha Garcia, Tampa Bay Watch environmental scientist.When:Saturday, April 8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The award ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m.Where:Green… Read more

Two Citrus County projects that are expected to reach approximately 730 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. These grants provide up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 32 grants Districtwide. This is the 12th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant… Read more

Ronnie Duncan, a member of the Governing Board and the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board, attended “Perk Up a Park.” The event was held at Lake Seminole Park in Seminole and focused on cleaning up the park, removing invasive plants and unveiling interpretive signage. The signage explains watershed management, which includes what a stormwater pond does and illustrates the native plants and wildlife that can be found in and around the pond. The signage also… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored two Pasco County educators for their outstanding water resources education projects. A total of 26 projects were recognized Wednesday during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East Hotel.

• J.D. Durham, a Moore-Mickens Education Center teacher, was recognized for her “Florida-friendly Landscapes and Promotions” project. Students enrolled in the…

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Two Citrus County projects that are expected to reach approximately 31,000 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. These grants provide up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 38 grants Districtwide for a total of $136,598. This is the 11th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping at a strawberry farm in southeastern Hillsborough County.The project involves installing an integrated irrigation system that will include a weather station, soil moisture sensors, and automated valves at Berry Bay Farms.Installing a weather station helps farmers irrigate more precisely, based on weather conditions. For example, during frost-freeze… Read more

Professor Thomas Hallock (far right) and his class enjoyed a trip to the Green Swamp. The trip was led by Paul Elliott, senior land specialist (back center). A University of South Florida nature writing class recently experienced the Green Swamp as part of its class curriculum. District staff led Professor Thomas Hallock’s class on the trip. Paul Elliott, senior land management specialist, spoke to the students about the hydrology and ecology of the Green… Read more

Environmental education took a leap forward in Hernando County with the recent dedication of the Springs Coast Environmental Education Center. A ceremony and plaque presentation was held recently to honor the partnership among the District, its Coastal Rivers Basin Board and the Hernando County School Board, which contributed to the opening of the center. “This is one more excellent example of bringing together local governments and the District to promote water… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is announcing the recipients of the 2005 Community Education Grant Program. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 29 grants Districtwide for a total of $107,667.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues pertaining to conservation,… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” February through May on the Myakka River Project property in Sarasota County.The District’s Myakka River Project property is located to the north and south of I-75 between mile markers 186 and 190. The property is also located between the Myakka River and the cities of North Port and Warm Mineral Springs. There is the potential to burn more than 2,500 acres of… Read more