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The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently amended an agreement with the City of Safety Harbor to move forward on a project that will reduce erosion near the Rainbow Farms subdivision.Rainbow Farms is located within the Bishop Creek Watershed. The goal of this project is to stabilize Bishop Creek to prevent further erosion. In the past 25 years the creek has eroded beyond the established easement and is encroaching onto the adjoining residential properties.…

A cooperative project between the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will treat stormwater runoff in the Hillsborough River State Park.Located in Hillsborough County, the well-known park was built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corp. The park opened in 1938 and was one of Florida’s first state parks.The goal of this multi-phased project is to treat stormwater runoff from several parking lots before…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the third phase of a project that will reduce groundwater pumping at a citrus grove in Charlotte County.TRB Groves, LLC is a 1,113-acre citrus grove located just north of Myrtle Slough which is in the Shell Creek watershed and the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA).The project, which was implemented in three phases, includes the construction of a 68-acre surface water irrigation reservoir,…

Sarasota developer Lee Wetherington received special recognition Wednesday for his commitment to water resources from the Southwest Florida Water Management’s Manasota Basin Board.The Manasota Basin Board chose to honor Wetherington for taking the lead in getting Sarasota County’s landscape ordinance passed and adopting Florida-friendly landscaping practices in his developments.Wetherington’s Misner Reserve at Lakewood Ranch was the first Florida Yards and…

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…

Two area home builders were recently recognized for their use of water-wise landscaping.Fidelity Homes and Pruett Builders both received the Water-Wise Landscape Recognition Award Friday at the annual Manatee and Sarasota County Home Builders Association Parade of Homes banquet. Fidelity Homes’ Cordoba model won the Manatee County award, while Pruett Builders’ Mar a Lago II model won the Sarasota County award.The Water-Wise Landscape Recognition program is a competition…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping at Royce Ranch.The project involves installing a weather station, soil moisture sensors and automated pump controls at the citrus farm owned by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, which funds the purchase of state parks and other state lands. Royce Ranch is located in central Highlands County.Installing a weather station…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved two projects that will reduce groundwater pumping in Hillsborough County.MD Council and Sons, Inc.The first project is at MD Council and Sons, Inc., a 60-acre strawberry and melon farm, located within the Little Manatee River watershed in southern Hillsborough County.This project involves constructing a surface water reservoir, two surface water irrigation pump stations, filtration and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board is dedicating an additional $448,340 to clean up debris related to Hurricane Charley.The District had previously approved $472,340 to clean up debris in the Peace Creek Drainage Canal in Polk County.The latest funding will be used to remove Hurricane Charley-related debris from Flint Creek in Hillsborough County and portions of the Peace River.The total cost of the Flint Creek cleanup project is $220,000…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the cities of Bradenton and Palmetto as well as Manatee County to study the benefits of connecting their existing reclaimed water systems.The study will show how much reclaimed water can be taken from the City of Bradenton to be reused by the City of Palmetto and Manatee County over the next 20 years.The study will also develop preliminary designs for the pumping, transmission and control facilities required to…

More than 850 miles of trails to explore!The Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting the public to get outside and celebrate National Trails Day by exploring some of the trails located on District land.The American Hiking Society’s 17th Annual National Trails Day is Saturday, June 6. A long-standing celebration of America’s magnificent trail system and its countless supporters and volunteers, National Trails Day is celebrated in all 50 states and…

Project will help meet minimum flows in the Upper Peace RiverThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday authorized the implementation of the Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification Project.The project will raise the lake’s water level by raising the control elevation of the existing outflow structure to store additional water that later can be released into the Upper Peace River during dry periods. The project is a critical component of the…

Governing Board Secretary Doug Tharp, left, awards the Florida Water StarSM certification to Kenneth D. Colen, president of On Top of the World Communities, Inc. The developer of a major community in Marion County was recently certified as a builder of Florida Water StarSM (FWS) homes. Governing Board Secretary Doug Tharp presented the certification to On Top of the World Communities during the community’s conservation expo in September. The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Anna Maria are moving forward on a project that will reduce flooding and improve water quality.The project involves the design, permitting and construction of retention swales, inlet controls structures and baffle structures for three drainage basins.The three drainage basins are the North Bay/Tarpon Basin, the North Shore/Jacaranda Basin, and the South Drive/South Bay Area. Together, these three basins are…

h3. *_Improperly Applied Fertilizers Are Harmful to Our Water Bodies_*The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ kicked off a new multi-media public service advertising campaign this week to educate residents on how to fertilize their lawns appropriately.Recent studies have shown that rising nitrate levels in many local water bodies can be traced to fertilizer. Nitrate is a form of nitrogen that is found in inorganic…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the City of Anna Maria on a project that will reduce flooding and improve water quality.The Gladiolus/North Shore Basin Drainage Improvements project involves installing approximately 3,200-linear feet of 1-foot deep dry retention swales, approximately 700-linear feet of high density polyethylene and reinforced concrete pipe, six inlet control structures and a baffle structure at each of the four basin outfall…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is joining with the Science and Environment Council (SEC) to celebrate Sarasota’s watersheds and promote watershed awareness by declaring Oct. 13 through 19 as “Watershed Awareness Week.”The District’s Manasota Basin Board is co-sponsoring Watershed Awareness Week in an effort to foster good watershed stewardship.The SEC is a group of nonprofit and government organizations that operate to support…

Bobby Lue, Utility Services Program Manager For 27 years, Bobby Lue has tackled environmental and water issues for several agencies including 12 years at the District. In that time, Lue has learned the balance between conservation efforts and community needs. Now, he’s using that experience to head up the District’s Utility Services Program. The program was designed to strengthen communication with public supply utilities. Traditionally, the District…

A reclaimed water project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Plant City will provide approximately 400,000 gallons per day (gpd) to Walden Lake Golf Course, South Florida Baptist Hospital and the Strawberry Festival grounds, which will offset an estimated 300,000 gpd of potable water.This multi-year project includes the design, permitting and construction of approximately 15,000 feet of reclaimed water transmission line extending from the city…

Two Citrus 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 actively…