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The Southwest Florida Water Management District hasdeclared a water shortage emergency and authorized the Englewood Water District to help the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (Authority) by providing water to Charlotte County Utilities.The Authority requested the emergency authorization, in conjunction with Englewood and Charlotte County, in order to…

Some areas of the District are still seeing rising floodwater. Flooding can occur days and even weeks after a storm due to numerous factors. Where, when and how much rainfall occurred are just some of the reasons for post-Milton flooding.When: The District has experienced an above-average year of rainfall. Hurricane Milton brought heavy rains at the end of the summer rainy season when the ground was already saturated and water levels were already high, preventing further…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 1,076,100 gallons per day (gpd) at a Highlands County citrus grove.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project, proposed by Turner Groves Limited Partnership-Hickory Grove, has an existing water use permit that…

At the final budget hearing on Sept. 28, the Governing Board adopted a total fiscal year (FY) 2011 budget of $279.8 million and a millage rate of 0.3770 mill for the Districtwide General Fund. The approved budget is $19.1 million, or 6.4 percent, lower than the FY2010 budget, continuing a downward trend that began with FY2009. The $19.1 million decrease in the budget from FY2010 brings the District budget down to levels last seen in FY2005, when the budget was $279.3…

District Extends Water Restrictions The Governing Board extended Phase I water shortage restrictions for the District’s entire 16-county area through Feb. 29, 2012, because of a disappointing summer rainy season and an approaching winter that is expected to be drier than normal. This means lawn and landscape watering remains limited to a two-day-per-week schedule, and residents may only water before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Some local governments have stricter local…

Polk County Utilities customers may be eligible for a $50 rain sensor rebate from the utility and the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org, which could save them up to 100 gallons of water per day. The District and Polk County Utilities have joined forces to offer rebates to Polk utility customers who add a rain sensor to their irrigation system. The rain sensor rebate is intended to help 1,295…

The "Southeast Region(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region)":http://www.fws.gov/southeast of the "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)":http://www.fws.gov has recognized the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ for its part in the Three Sisters Springs land acquisition project.Eric Sutton, District Land Resources director, and Gary Williams, District senior environmental scientist,…

Cockroach Bay is located in Tampa Bay, the District’s highest priority SWIM water body, and is one of the largest, most complex ecosystem restoration projects ever developed for the Tampa Bay estuarine ecosystem. The 1980s was a decade of added responsibility for the District. A number of environmental programs were created by the Legislature during these years and, as a result, staff realigned priorities to accomplish multiple significant undertakings.…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us and the "City of St. Petersburg(St. Petersburg)":http://www.stpete.org are offering city water customers a free sprinkler system checkup.City of St. Petersburg water customers who have an operating in-ground sprinkler system with a timer are eligible for the free program. Customers who irrigate with reclaimed, well or drinking water can apply for the…

More water is flowing in DeSoto County thanks to the completion of a $3.6 million pipeline. The five-mile pipeline, known as the DeSoto County Regional Transmission System (RTS) Extension, connects the county to the Peace River/ Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority’s water treatment facility. This pipeline is part of a larger alternative water supply project that will allow for growth, while preserving groundwater supplies for existing agricultural users. The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s water conservation restroom trailer will make its Pasco County debut when it appears at the 3rd Annual Pasco County Extension Service Open House and Plant Sale. The event is being held October 23 at the Pasco County Fairgrounds in Dade City.This popular and practical water conservation restroom trailer has appeared at more than half a dozen community festivals within the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s water conservation restroom trailer will make its Pasco County debut when it appears at the 3rd Annual Pasco County Extension Service Open House and Plant Sale. The event is being held October 23 at the Pasco County Fairgrounds in Dade City.This popular and practical water conservation restroom trailer has appeared at more than half a dozen community festivals within the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping in DeSoto County.Project partner Island Grove Agricultural Products’ Farm #5 is located along S.R. 763 in the Hawthorne Creek watershed. This watershed drains to Joshua Creek and is approximately 14 miles upstream of the Peace River, in the Shell, Prairie, and Joshua Creek Priority Area. This area is also part of the District’s…

Read All About It The District received a special recognition award at the Mayor’s Beautification Program’s 16th annual breakfast for its continued support of the News In Education (NIE) program, a cooperative effort between schools and The Tampa Tribune. Last year the District’s Alafia River, Hillsborough River and Northwest Hillsborough basin boards approved a combined $10,000 for the NIE program, which produced “Safeguarding Tampa’s Shoreline Treasures,” a…

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District staffWhat: The District is installing a pump and pipes at the Morris Bridge Sink. The pump system will allow the District to test to see if it is feasible to pump water from the sink to augment the Hillsborough River. In addition, the water pumped from the sink will be made available to Tampa Bay Water as a water supply source.When: Friday, April 3, 10 a.m.Where: Morris Bridge Sink, just east of I-75 and the Tampa Bypass…

TheDeSoto County Parks and Recreation Department will receive a $5,000 Community Education Grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for a three-part environmental education event at Morgan Park in Arcadia.The event consists of a one-hour educational program, a guided canoe cleanup of the Peace River and the installation of interpretive signs. The event will reduce pollution in the Peace River, as well as teach park visitors about the proper way to dispose…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping in Charlotte County.This project is for Ben Hill Griffin Inc., C & S Grove, a 1,665-acre citrus grove in the Shell Creek watershed. The grove is also located within the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA).The primary goal of the project is to reduce groundwater pumping from the Intermediate and Upper Floridan aquifers by irrigating 80 percent of the grove…

Area Returns to Phase III Water Restrictions In August the District’s Governing Board voted to reduce the water restrictions in the Tampa Bay Water service area from Modified Phase IV (or Critical) to Modified Phase III (or Extreme) for potable water use. The Board voted to ease the water restrictions because Tampa Bay Water has been able to store 8.3 billion gallons of water in the 15-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir. However, District staff…

Twelve Hernando County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s school…