Search Content

Gov. Charlie Crist recently appointed Douglas B. Tharp to the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Tharp was appointed to a restructured seat representing Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter counties. The Governing Board was previously made up of 11 seats. Last year the State Legislature added two new seats for a total of 13. Tharp was appointed to the seat once held by Judy Whitehead. In April 2008, Whitehead was reassigned to represent Hernando and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is monitoring and preparing for the possible landfall of Tropical Storm Fay in Florida.The District has initiated Level 2 activation of its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Brooksville. Level 2 activation is required when a situation develops where the District may be adversely affected. Under Level 2 activation, the District’s Emergency Response Team reports to the EOC during extended business hours and assumes…

A project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Clearwater will bring reclaimed water to approximately 500 residents who live in the Chautauqua and Coachman Ridge areas of the city.The project includes the design and construction of more than 59,000 linear feet of reclaimed water transmission lines and distribution piping.The Chautauqua portion of the project will take place south of Enterprise Road, north of Lake Chautauqua, west of…

The Rotonda West Homeowners Association, Inc. will receive a $2,875 Community Education Grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for a project that will enhance water quality in the area’s canal system.The grant will be used to plant aquatic plants along the White Marsh Park canals. In addition, the homeowners association will help homeowner volunteers in building and installing a brochure demonstration box that will include information on what…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program to determine the potential environmental impact of mucky sediments in the Safety Harbor area of Old Tampa Bay.The Safety Harbor watershed, located within Pinellas County, has changed significantly over the past 100 years. The watershed has gone from being primarily rural to primarily urban. In addition, the construction of the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal increased the size of the…

The Town of Lake Placid will receive a $4,332 grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 2007 Community Education Grant Program.As part of the project, approximately 20,000 Lake Placid residents will be sent packages containing information about watersheds, an identification sheet for nonnative, invasive plants and an invitation to attend a local Earth Day event. Recipients will learn how their behavior impacts the watershed and how to identify…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the purchase of a 20-acre parcel of land located within the District’s Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve. This acquisition will be added to the 142,000 acres protected by the District through ownership or conservation easements within the preserve.The property, which is located in Polk County on the west side of Rock Ridge Road, is surrounded on three sides by District-owned land.The parcel…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Town of Indian Shores recently signed an agreement to move forward on the fourth phase of a water quality improvement project that will collect and treat stormwater runoff prior to discharging into the Intracoastal Waterway.This phase includes the design, permit and construction of flow-through stormwater treatment systems at five locations. The systems allow storm water to pass through while the solids and heavier…

A project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Aqua Utilities Florida, Inc. will bring reclaimed water to the Corporate Park in Lakewood Ranch.The Lakewood Ranch Reuse Transmission Project includes the construction of 3,900 linear feet of 12-inch reclaimed water transmission main line and upgrading an existing pump station.This project will provide approximately 570,000 gallons of reclaimed water per day for irrigation. This reclaimed water, along…

The John Chestnut Senior Park in Tarpon Springs is about to undergo a little “spring cleaning.”The Pinellas County Parks & Recreation Department received a $4,083 grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 2006 Community Education Grant Program to help fund their “Perk Up A Park/Save a Day for the Bay” project on May 13. The grant funding comes from the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board, which includes…

Polk County residents are invited to celebrate Earth Day with “Water, Wings and Wild Things,” a family event being held Saturday at IMC Park, next to the Bartow Civic Center.The celebration, which is from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., will feature environmental presentations, exhibits and educational displays. The displays will highlight Polk County’s environmental resources, plants, animals and water conservation.Participants who answer water conservation…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the City of Lakeland on a project that will improve water quality in Lake Hollingsworth.The Lake Hollingsworth Westside Stormwater Treatment project consists of the construction of four stormwater treatment wetlands on the west side of the lake. This project builds upon improvements made to the lake by three previous cooperative funding projects a sediment-dredging project, a whole-lake alum application…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the City of Safety Harbor on a project that will reduce erosion within the Harbor Woods Village subdivision and improve water quality in Tampa Bay.During the last 25 years, Bishop Creek has eroded outside the established easement and is encroaching onto adjoining residential properties. Eroded sediment from the banks is being washed downstream and is eventually deposited into Tampa Bay.The Harbor Woods Village…

The third phase of a water quality improvement project that will collect and treat stormwater runoff prior to discharging into the Intracoastal Waterway is about to begin.The project is cooperatively funded between the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board and the Town of Indian Shores.The first two phases involved the construction of 12 improvement areas, or treatment systems. These treatment systems are a combination of dry…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during September and October on two District sites in Pasco County. The sites are the Conner Preserve and the Cypress Creek property.The Conner Preserve is approximately 7 miles north of Land O’ Lakes. Approximately 215 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Cypress Creek property is approximately 3 miles east of Land O’ Lakes.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during September and October on two District sites in Hillsborough County. The sites are the Alafia Reservoir property and the Lower Hillsborough property.The District’s Alafia Reservoir property is approximately 3 miles southwest of Lithia. Approximately 150 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Lower Hillsborough property is…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July and August on two District sites in Hillsborough County. The sites are the Alafia Reservoir property and the Lower Hillsborough property.The District’s Alafia Reservoir property is approximately 3 miles southwest of Lithia. Approximately 150 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Lower Hillsborough property is approximately 4…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July and August on two District sites in Pasco County. The sites are the Conner Preserve and the Cypress Creek property.The Conner Preserve is approximately 7 miles north of Land O’ Lakes. Approximately 215 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Cypress Creek property is approximately 3 miles east of Land O’ Lakes.…

Pinellas County residents will soon be participating in an irrigation study aimed at determining the potential irrigation water savings of soil moisture sensors.Residential lawn and landscape irrigation can account for more than 50 percent of a home’s total water use and according to recent research, many Florida homeowners water their lawns too much. One way to prevent over-irrigation is to add a soil moisture sensor to a time clock controlled irrigation system. These…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during May and June on two District sites in Hillsborough County. The sites are the Alafia Reservoir property and the Lower Hillsborough property.The District’s Alafia Reservoir property is approximately 3 miles southwest of Lithia. Approximately 150 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Lower Hillsborough property is approximately 4…