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Alafia River Basin Board Member Cheryl Johnson was also recognized as being one of Hillsborough Community College’s 40 remarkable alumni. “When I attended HCC, nearly 25 years ago, I would have never dreamed of being honored as an outstanding alumna,” said Johnson. Johnson, a property manager for the Tampa Electric Company (TECO), has been a member of the Alafia River Basin Board since April 2004. She was reappointed March 29, 2006, and her term ends March 1, 2009.… Read more

Ken Harrison, Carlton family friend and member of the Peace River Basin Board, led guests on a tour to highlight the property’s diverse habitats. More than 12,000 acres of environmentally sensitive lands in Sarasota County that have been part of a family ranch since 1947 will remain natural, thanks to an agreement among the family, the District and Sarasota County. In December 2007, the District and Sarasota County purchased a conservation easement over 7,… Read more

Who: Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, University of Central Florida researchers, and volunteers from the local chapters of the Audubon Society and the Florida Ornithological SocietyWhat: This is the second year the District is coordinating a bird banding day at the Weekiwachee Preserve, which is located along the Hernando County Coast, west of the Weeki Wachee River. The volunteers will help District staff net sparrows and… Read more

Restrictions eased on car washing, pressure washing, fountains and air-conditioningThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted to modify and continue the Modified Phase IV (or Critical) Water Shortage restrictions for potable water use in theTampa Bay Water service area until August 31, 2009.Under the revised Phase IV order, lawn watering remains limited to the same once-per-week schedule from midnight to 4 a.m. for properties less than one… Read more

Left, Harry Downing accepts a first-place award for equitation at a horse show in Homosassa, FL; Center, Harry and wife Diane; Right, Harry waterskiing on Hunter’s Lake in Hernando County. A Florida native with a love of the outdoors, Harry Downing was drawn to work in support of the environment. Downing was born in St. Petersburg and moved with his family to Brooksville at age 10. He took to his new environment right away, naturally favoring the outdoors and… Read more

Four Southwest Florida Water Management District projects will help DeSoto County agricultural operations reduce groundwater pumping by an average of 50 percent or more.These projects are part of the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program, which is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.Because three of these projects are expected to reduce withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer… Read more

 Photo left: David Moore, District executive director, discusses regulatory incentives at the Tampa Bay Water workshop.Photo right: Todd Pressman, Governing Board chair, and Ron Oakley, vice chair, talk with Bart Weiss, Hillsborough County Water Resource Team administrator, before the Tampa Bay Water workshop. The Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (PRMRWSA) and Tampa Bay Water (TBW) recently met with local governments within their regions… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/, the "US Fish and Wildlife Service(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)":http://www.fws.gov/, and the "Friends of Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge(Friends of Chassahowitzka)":http://friendsofchazz.org/ are holding a second public open house at the newly acquired Three Sisters Springs property on Dec. 11, 2010, from 8 a.m. to noon.More than 580 people attended the first open… Read more

On Friday, February 12, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org will certify the first home in Hernando County to meet the criteria of the "Florida Water StarSM Gold(Florida Water Star Gold)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/florida_water_star_gold program. The District has partnered with Diamond Construction to certify the home in Hernando County's Riverdale neighborhood as part of the… Read more

Residents enjoy the park’s new boardwalk. Judy Whitehead, Governing Board member, tells how she has enjoyed going to the park all her life. The District and Hernando County celebrated the completion of the expansion and renovation of Bayport Park with a grand reopening ceremony in May. Park visitors are now able to enjoy additional parking, an upgraded boat ramp, shelters, pavilion, a scenic boardwalk along the coastline, nature trails and new… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close the following District-managed lands Monday, Oct. 8, in anticipation of impacts from Hurricane Michael. The following properties will be closed until further notice or per specified date:

• Annutteliga Hammock
• Chassahowitzka River – Burnt Bridge Road entrance
• Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve
• Masaryktown Canal
• Panasoffkee Outlet
• Weekiwachee…

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The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday renewed a water use permit (WUP) for Rolling Oaks Utilities in Citrus County.The annual average permitted quantity is 2.5 million gallons of water per day.The utility provides potable water to the Beverly Hills service area, which is approximately six miles east of Crystal River.The permit requires the city to investigate the feasibility of using reclaimed water or other alternative water supply sources… Read more

Nineteen Pasco County teachers are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Pasco County to the… Read more

Two water management districts are teaming up to offer a variety of interactive games and exercises at the 5th Annual Marion County Springs Festival.Because Marion County is within the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the St Johns Water Management District, staff members from both districts are working together to teach kids about our water resources. Some of the hands-on activities include “In the Bubble,” “Make it Sink,” and “… Read more

While tropical storms Beryl and Debby provided record rains to the region, they were not enough to restore hydrologic conditions to normal. That's why the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted today to extend its "Modified Phase III water shortage order":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/restrictions/phase3.php.Phase III restrictions were extended until July 31 for Citrus, Hernando,… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about the order in which minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for lakes, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District will be determined.A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment. The District Governing Board sets these limits as part of achieving the delicate balance between meeting human water needs and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board heard today from District hydrologic data staff that the region’s water resources are recovering, but are still impacted from two years of drought.“We’re seeing improvements overall in hydrologic conditions but we are approaching the end of the rainy season in September,” said Granville Kinsman, District Hydrologic Data manager. “We still have much more room for the water resources… Read more

The North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) recently awarded the Southwest Florida and St. Johns River water management districts with the Technical Merit Award in the area of research for their work on minimum flows and levels (MFLs.)The mission of NALMS is to forge partnerships among citizens, scientists and professionals to foster the management and protection of lakes and reservoirs for today and tomorrow. NALMS produces an international, peer-reviewed scientific… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about the order in which minimum flows and levels (MFL) for lakes, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District will be determined.A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment. The District Governing Board sets these limits as part of achieving the delicate balance between meeting human water needs and those… Read more

A cooperative project between the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hillsborough County will restore more than 160 acres within the county’s 2800-acre Fish Hawk Creek Preserve. Portions of the preserve are adjacent to District-owned lands and are within the Fish Hawk Creek watershed.This project will restore natural vegetation to upland habitat areas within the preserve. In addition to providing habitat for wildlife, the restoration of natural vegetation… Read more