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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 the Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County. Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board approved the purchase of Jordan Ranch, a 191-acre parcel of land adjacent to District-owned Two-Mile Prairie State Forest in Citrus County.This important property purchase is within 1,000 feet of the Withlacoochee River and will allow the District to provide enhanced…

The District took to the air this spring to treat hydrilla on selected areas of Lake Panasoffkee. The aquatic herbicide Aquathol K was applied to approximately 200 acres of the 4,000-acre lake. Aerial application by helicopter is used when large, open-water areas require treatment and is much more efficient than by boat. The helicopter was able to treat approximately 10 acres per trip, completing the 200-acre area in a couple hours. This treatment would have taken…

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 now through March on the Halpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County. Halpata Tastanaki Preserve is…

The District took to the air this spring to treat hydrilla on selected areas of Lake Panasoffkee. The aquatic herbicide Aquathol K was applied to approximately 200 acres of the 4,000-acre lake. Aerial application by helicopter is used when large, open-water areas require treatment and is much more efficient than by boat. The helicopter was able to treat approximately 10 acres per trip, completing the 200-acre area in a couple hours. This treatment would have taken…

This April the District will span the Peace River watershed in an effort to create watershed awareness, showcase the commitment to protecting the watershed and foster proper stewardship of the watershed. A traveling canoe paddle will be used to tie all of the events together. A week of “Spanning the Watershed” events will kickoff April 14 in Bartow at the Polk County Water, Wings & Wild Things event. This will be the first time visitors will see the canoe paddle…

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 now through December on the Halpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County. Halpata Tastanaki Preserve is…

table(webalert). |Who:|The Starkey family, Pasco County School Board, Pasco County Parks and Recreation Department, West Pasco Audubon Society, Twin Rivers District of the Boy Scouts of America, Tampa Bay Water and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.||*What:*|Celebrate the completion of exhibits inside the Starkey Environmental Education Center, located at the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park. The exhibits will enhance watershed education for Pasco County students…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be treating hydrilla on Lake Panasoffkee June 5, weather permitting. This treatment is being performed to maintain boating access within an area of the lake that is important for navigation. The aquatic herbicide Aquathol K will be…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is planning to perform maintenance on the S-353 water control structure located in northern Citrus County on the Tsala Apopka outfall canal, between the northern extent of the Hernando pool of the Tsala Apopka Chain-of-Lakes and the Withlacoochee River. The work will begin December 21 and will continue through June 1, 2017. During that time, public access to the structure will be limited for safety reasons. As part…

The District is in the process of raising the levels of Lake Hancock to meet the minimum flows for the upper Peace River. During the 1990s, the District identified, planned and executed a number of programs and partnerships to implement changes necessary to protect our precious natural resources for future generations. It was a decade of proactive measures to promote the sustainability and growth of our area. Preservation 2000 The 1990s began with…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is gathering input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in Citrus county. The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on its national effort to update and modernize the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and…

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 last year. That’s why the…

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 last year. That’s why the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board  Cheryl Paradis as one of this year's springs community partners, while declaring April Springs Protection Awareness Month. Paradis has served as the director and lead teacher at the Springs Coast Environmental Education Center on the…

Nearly a decade of public workshops, water resource analyses and policy debates culminated recently in approval of the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) Recovery Strategy by the District’s Governing Board. “This is a historic moment for the District, the public and the water resources,” said Executive Director David Moore. “Many years of labor and collaboration by Board members, staff, representatives of all the types of water users and the general public went…

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept 18, 2013 – The St. Johns River, South Florida and Southwest Florida water management districts are working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and regional utilities to address near and long-term water supply needs in the central Florida region.Through the "Central Florida Water Initiative ":http://cfwiwater.com/ (CFWI), the agencies are engaging stakeholders in the development…

The Land Management Section of the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of July, August and September on lands acquired by the District known as the Chassahowitzka River and Coastal Swamps property. The location of this tract of land is approximately 1.5 miles west of U.S. 19 in southwest Citrus County. Close to 400 acres will be burned, in small, manageable units…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during November and December on the Deep Creek Preserve in DeSoto County.The site is east of Kings Highway, west of the Peace River and north of Deep Creek Estates. Approximately 350 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. According to District Land Manager…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Deep Creek Preserve will be the site of a hog hunt Jan. 9-11. The tract will be temporarily closed to the public and only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these days.The property is located south of Peace River Street and east of Kings Highway in DeSoto County.The hunt is one of a series of hog hunts being held on District lands in an effort to control the damage being caused to the natural…