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Citrus and Marion county residents will be treated to clean water events from Ocala to Crystal River during the upcoming Springs Awareness Week. The following events taking place during Springs Awareness Week are aimed at raising awareness about the health of the local springs and what people can do to protect them: h3. March 13–14, Ocala table(webalert). |What:|16th Annual Marion County Master Gardeners' Spring Festival. More than 140 plant-related vendors come together to… Read more

When the Friendship Village Apartments recently were built in north Tampa, Carlene Dillard jumped at the chance to live there. “It is so nice and I’m just so happy here,” she said.  The new affordable housing for low and moderate-income residents was built by the Florida Home Partnership and is Hillsborough County’s first Florida Water Star℠ community. That means the entire complex met the requirements of the Florida Water Star℠ certification program by… Read more

WhoThird- and fourth-grade Wildwood Elementary School students; Louise Ross, Director of Elementary Education for the Sumter County School Board; and Southwest Florida Water Management District Youth Education staffWhatDistrict Youth Education staff will visit a third- and fourth-grade class at Wildwood Elementary School to observe water education projects funded through its Splash! mini-grant program.Ms. Benachoice Caruthers third-grade students will demonstrate their… Read more

2007 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Surface Water Improvement and Management ActThe Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today passed a resolution announcing October 2007 “Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Month” to recognize 20 years of improving water quality and restoring habitats in 10 priority water bodies.In 1987, the Florida Legislature created the SWIM Act to protect, restoreand maintain Florida’s surface water bodies… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is releasing additional water from the Medard Reservoir into the Alafia River to protect the structural integrity of the reservoir.In preparation for potential impacts from Hurricane Milton, the District was releasing water and the Medard Reservoir was below normal operating level. However, the Medard Reservoir received nearly 7 inches of rainfall and the reservoir rose 6.5 feet as a result of Hurricane Milton. … Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, at 5 p.m. at Polk’s Nature Discovery Center located at the Circle B Bar Reserve at 4399 Winter Lake Road in Lakeland. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed water reservation for Lake Hancock and Lower Saddle Creek. A water reservation defines a quantity of water set aside from the water use permitting process for the… Read more

Jay Yingling, senior economist, Planning Department A District employee with more than 23 years of experience in water resource economics has taken the helm of the Florida Section of the American Water Resources Association (AWRA). Jay Yingling, a senior economist in the District’s Planning Department, was elected president of the Florida Section last year. “I became involved with the AWRA Florida Section because I was looking for an… Read more

Above, plantings at the Tampa office are beyond the building eaves, requiring less irrigation.  Below, fixture supply lines are required to be reinforced. As in most District offices, water-saving fixtures are used.  The Tampa Service Office campus has the first water management district building to be certified under the Florida Water StarSM commercial standard. It’s also only the second government building in the state to be certified… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently signed an agreement with Pinellas County for a project to improve water quality and restore habitat in Sutherland Bayou.Pop Stansell Park is a 4.5-acre park that sits on Sutherland Bayou. Approximately 57,000 people visit the park each year, which is also used for marine access to St Joseph Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. Years of unrestricted public access as a launching point for boating, canoeing, kayaking and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board last week adopted interim rules for water use permits in the Central Florida Coordination Area.The Coordination Area has limited traditional groundwater supplies that will not be adequate to meet all future demands, necessitating the need to develop alternative water supplies.The rules are part of the Action Plan that coordinates efforts among the Southwest Florida, South Florida and St. Johns River… Read more

For years the land was about the cattle, not about the water. Ranchers, wanting to take advantage of vast tracts of unspoiled land, built roads through the marsh to connect islands. The roads blocked the flow of water, the marsh dried up and cattle began wandering from island to island to graze. But the marsh is returning. Water is now flowing naturally between the Hernando pool of Tsala Apopka Lake and Potts Preserve, thanks to a restoration project the District… Read more

At its August 17 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.160 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2006 is $20,235,533, which represents an increase of $5,859,524 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values, an increase in carryover funds from prior years as compared to FY2005 and… Read more

Two Hernando County projects were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 49 grants Districtwide for a total of $171,444. This is the 10th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to… Read more

A former student intern used her District experience to emphasize the importance of fresh, clean water to residents along the Amazon.  Kaylie Kushmer traveled to the Amazon River in Southern Colombia and Brazil last month to help drill wells, run potable water lines to a school and educate children on the hydrologic cycle. Kushmer is the daughter of Danny Kushmer, government affairs program manager.  Kaylie’s trip was in coordination with Wine to Water… Read more

At its June 10 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.195 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The tentative budget for FY2006 is $10,488,788, which is an increase of $293,978 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values. FY2006 will run from Oct. 1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2006.For… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday renewed and modified a water use permit (WUP) for DeSoto County Utilities.The modified permit increases the permitted quantities for the county. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 415,000 gallons of water per day (gpd.) The new permitted quantity is 821,600 gpd, which is an increase of 406,600 gpd.The quantity was increased to meet the water demands associated with the expansion of the… Read more

  The Florida Ground Water Association (FGWA) recently presented an award to Tony Gilboy, the District’s well construction regulation manager, for his outstanding service to the association. The award was presented to Gilboy at the recent FGWA Convention and Trade Show in Orlando. “To be recognized at such a large convention was an extraordinary experience,” said Gilboy. Gilboy was honored for his outstanding contributions to the well industry. His… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is assisting the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) in performing maintenance on the Inglis Bypass Spillway water control structure located in Levy County on the Inglis Bypass Channel. The work is scheduled to take place January 12-24, 2018.During that time, the water control gates will need to be partially or fully closed. Closings are anticipated to occur during daylight hours and for a duration… Read more

DeSoto County ranchers can learn how to use soil testing to more effectively fertilize pastures through a Community Education Grant from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org.The *Range Cattle Research and Education Center* received a $5,000 grant to offer free soil and tissue testing and educational materials to regional beef and forage producers. Reductions in the amount of fertilizer applied… Read more