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h2. District Seeking Public Input on Proposals for Four PropertiesThe Southwest Florida Water Management District recently completed an evaluation of eight District-managed lands to determine if additional hunting opportunities are available. Draft proposals for four of these lands will be presented at a public meeting on Thursday, Jan. 5. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Lecanto Government Building, 3600 West Sovereign Path, Suite 166, Lecanto. The draft proposals…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is seeking public input about the order in which minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District will be determined. Legislation requires the District to review and, if necessary, revise the schedule each year. A public workshop will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m…

Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring the tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico, and the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains at its lowest activation, Level 3 – monitoring only. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities during an emergency weather event. The District is currently operating water control…

The public is invited to attend a meeting to learn about a proposed pump test at the Morris Bridge Sink.The meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 10, 6 p.m. at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Tampa Service Office, which is located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North in Tampa.The pump test will take place later this month or in early March and will last 30 days. However, given the severity of the current drought, Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale water…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored Cheryl Moffat for her outstanding water resources education project, “Water Pollution, Conservation and Wetland Importance.” A total of 26 projects were recognized Wednesday during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East Hotel.Moffat’s 2007–2008 Splash! mini-grant project helped Avon Park High School students determine pollution levels at local…

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 early spring. That's why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns November through March 2018 on Potts Preserve and the Two Mile Prairie Connector parcel in Citrus County. Potts Preserve is located approximately two miles east of the City of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days of April and May on the Deep Creek property.The property is located along the Charlotte and DeSoto County line, with most of the property in DeSoto County. The parcel is east of Kings Highway, also known as County Road 769, west of the Peace River and north of Deep Creek Estates.Approximately 400 acres of land will be burned in small,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during December on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve and the Annuteliga Hammock.The Weekiwachee Preserve is approximately one mile west of Spring Hill. Approximately 400 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Annuteliga Hammock is approximately five miles south of Chassahowitzka. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will train students at the Academy of Environmental Science to collect algal samples during future algae blooms in Kings Bay in Crystal River.Kings Bay has a history of algae blooms that negatively impact water clarity, cause habitat degradation and result in odor problems. Effective watershed management requires the identification of the types of algae. Due to the limited time frame available for sampling and the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during January and February on the District’s Jack Creek property in Highlands County. The property, which is in the Leisure Lakes area, is approximately 1 mile west of U.S. Hwy. 27, 3 miles south of S.R. 66 and 6 miles northwest of Lake Placid. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 200 acres of land will…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” October and November on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lake area, which is approximately one mile west of U.S Highway 27, three miles south of State Road 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. There is the potential to burn more than 200 acres of land in small, manageable units.The scheduled, managed…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remainder of August on the District’s Jack Creek property in Highlands County. The property, which is in the Leisure Lakes area, is approximately 1 mile west of U.S. Hwy. 27, 3 miles south of S.R. 66 and 6 miles northwest of Lake Placid. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July and August on the Deep Creek property. The site, which is located in DeSoto County, is approximately 3 to 4 miles north of the Kings Highway on-ramp to I-75. The parcel is east of the Kings Highway and north of the Deep Creek subdivision.Approximately 700 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The scheduled, managed burns are a part of…

The Southwest Florida Management District’s Governing Board agreed to increase funding for a cooperative funding project with the city of Belleair Beach to reduce flooding and improve water quality.The project’s budget has been increased from $100,000 to $192,000 because the bids the city received for the project exceeded the available funding. The cost will be divided equally between Belleair Beach and the District’s Pinellas Anclote River Basin Board…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Winter Haven recently signed an agreement to begin a master plan that will identify ways to use reclaimed water and conserve the groundwater supply.“The master plan will ultimately recommend how the City of Winter Haven should focus its efforts to best accomplish its goals and use its reclaimed water reuse resources from its two wastewater treatment plants,” said Tammy Antoine, District staff water conservation…

A cooperatively funded project between the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pinellas County will determine how much pollution is entering Pinellas Countys impaired waters.The study, which will estimate pollutant loads and yields discharged to impaired Pinellas County waters, will help the District and the County with efforts to improve the water quality in Pinellas County watersheds and ultimately Tampa Bay. To compute estimates of annual pollutant loads,…

Local elected officials, community leaders, regional water supply authority board members, and other interested people are invited to attend a workshop in Hernando County aimed at explaining minimum flows and levels (MFLs.)The workshop, which is being hosted by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Hernando County Utilities Department and the Hernando County Groundwater Guardian Team, will be held Wednesday, May 3 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Hernando County…

Spring has sprung in Florida and that means gardeners and proud homeowners are busy sprucing up their lawns and gardens.By following Florida-friendly lawn and garden practices, “weekend warriors” can spend less time working on their lawns and more time enjoying the fruits of their labor.Fertilizers applied improperly can run off lawns into local springs, streams, lakes, rivers, and, ultimately into the gulf or ocean and harm our water resources. Proper…

Groups and individuals interested in applying for a Southwest Florida Water Management District community education grant are invited to attend a grant advisory session for residents who live in the area represented by the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. The area includes Pinellas County and the southern portion of Pasco County.The advisory session will be held Wednesday, Aug. 18, from 12 p.m.- 5 p.m. at the Countryside Library, which is located at…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is celebrating February as Florida Hiking Trails Month by inviting the public to "Get Outside!" and explore the more than 850 miles of hiking trails on District lands.The District has organized two "Get Outside!" guided hikes in February. District employees will guide three hikes at each property, with a maximum of 15 people on each hike. Hikers are encouraged to pre-register…