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Left: District Governing Board Chair Todd Pressman speaks at the ceremony celebrating the 20-year restoration effort at Lake Maggiore. Center: Housh Ghovaee, District Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board member, releases fish into Lake Maggiore. Right: Aerial view of Lake Maggiore. St. Petersburg’s largest lake, Lake Maggiore, was recently restocked with 100,000 fish to mark the successful completion of a 20-year restoration effort. The restoration of the lake,…

Just off busy US 19 in Hernando County’s Spring Hill is a quiet oasis of bird-watching trails and teal lakes, waiting for naturalists with binoculars and fishermen with hand-launched boats to discover its beauty. It’s the Weekiwachee Preserve, a rich mosaic of habitats including several miles of Weeki Wachee River frontage, portions of the Mud River, dense…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Tuesday, July 19 at 5:30 p.m. at the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Public Library, located at 11211 Countryway Blvd in Tampa. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum and guidance levels for Sunset Lake and Lake Dan in Hillsborough County.The Florida Legislature requires the District to set minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for priority water…

Housh Ghovaee, far right, former secretary of the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board, judges water samples. We expect it to be odorless, colorless and refreshing right out of the tap. But not all water tastes the same, as was demonstrated when the City of Dunedin won the region’s Best-Tasting Drinking Water Contest. The contest was sponsored by Region IV of the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association. The region covers Citrus, Hernando,…

Michael Babb will remain the chair of the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Governing Board voted today to keep its current officers.  The other officer positions are: Randy Maggard, vice chair; and Jeff Adams, secretary. David Dunbar was elected treasurer. They serve one-year terms.…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and NOAA's National Weather Service will host a public information meeting about Lake Panasoffkee on Thursday, October 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Lake Panasoffkee Recreation Center, located at 1582 County Rd. 459 in Lake Panasoffkee.The District will present information about the lake levels and the…

Michael Babb will remain the chair of the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Governing Board voted today to keep its current officers.  The other officer positions are: Randy Maggard, vice chair; and Jeff Adams, secretary. David Dunbar was elected treasurer. They serve one-year terms.…

Michael Babb will remain the chair of the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Governing Board voted today to keep its current officers.  The other officer positions are: Randy Maggard, vice chair; and Jeff Adams, secretary. David Dunbar was elected treasurer. They serve one-year terms.…

A Southwest Florida Water Management District project will help a Manatee County tomato and potato farm reduce groundwater pumping by at least 50 percent.The project is at 4 Star Tomato, Inc.’s Long Creek Farm and is 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.Long Creek Farm is a 1,240-acre farm located in eastern Manatee…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Crystal River recently signed an agreement for a project to improve water quality within Kings Bay.The project involves constructing a stormwater treatment system that will treat runoff from Kings Bay Plaza, a large commercial center. Untreated stormwater runoff from the center currently enters a canal that discharges directly into Kings Bay, which is a priority water body of the District’s Surface Water…

Emergency watering restrictions may be extended past July 31 deadlineA continuing rainfall deficit reaffirms the need to maintain emergency watering restrictions, resolved the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board this week.At its next meeting on July 31 the Board will consider extending the one-day watering restrictions which are due to expire that day.Rainfall for the last 12 months remains down more than 12 inches from normal, while June…

The Southwest Florida Management District recently signed an agreement with Pasco County to move forward on a project that will help reduce flooding associated with typical summer rainfalls near Tank Lake.Tank Lake is part of the Duck Lake Watershed, which spans 42 miles in east central Pasco County. Several roads and homes within the Tank Lake and Hickory Hills area have been flooded repeatedly.The Tank Lake portion of the Duck Lake Watershed project involves removing…

Asks the public to help our water resources recoverThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted unanimously today to extend the current Water Shortage Order, which restricts lawn watering throughout the District to one-day-per-week, through Sept. 30.The Governing Board chose to extend the term of the water shortage order because impacts from the two-year drought continue despite the start of the annual rainy season. In…

Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday appointed Randall S. (Randy) Maggard to the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard.Maggard is from Pasco County and serves as vice president of Sonny's Discount Appliances Inc. He was appointed to succeed Ronald E. Oakley, and his term ends March 1, 2015. Maggard was a member of the Coastal Rivers Basin Board from 2004 to 2010,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is holding a public open house to gather input on future conservation land purchases.The District is evaluating properties that may be eligible for purchase under the Florida Forever Program.The public is invited to attend an open house Sept. 30, 6 to 8 p.m. at the District’s Sarasota Service Office, 6750 Fruitville Rd. in Sarasota. During the open house residents will be able to view area maps and the list of prospective…

h2. One-day-per-week watering limit remainsEditor's note: Contact Robyn Felix at Robyn.Felix@WaterMatters.org to receive a color map via email.The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board voted today to ease water restrictions for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. The Board voted to lift the Modified Phase III (or Extreme) restrictions for the Tampa Bay area because Tampa Bay Water has made substantial progress in reducing its groundwater…

*_District urges conservation during moderate drought_*This year's drier than normal conditions following last year's below average rainfall have caused low water levels throughout the Southwest Florida Water Management District."We are currently in a moderate drought District-wide, with our northern region more heavily affected," said Granville Kinsman, District Hydrologic Data manager. "Dry conditions are expected to last until June, so further declines are anticipated."…

Whether your favorite outdoor activity is camping, kayaking, hiking or horseback riding, the District has the place for you to get outside and do your thing. The District owns a variety of properties that include more than 343,000 acres of land open for public recreation. And while about 2.5 million people visit these properties each year, many people don’t realize these recreational opportunities are located just minutes from their homes. That’s why WaterMatters…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) draft 2020 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP) is now available on the District’s website for review and comment by stakeholders and the public. The plan identifies existing and projected water demands across all water use categories, available potential water sources, and projects and funding sources to meet those demands within the District’s four planning regions over the next 20 years. Two online webinar…