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The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted its proposed Fiscal Year 2009 (FY2009) millage rates for the General Fund and the eight Basin Boards.The Governing Board adopted a proposed FY2009 millage rate of 0.3866 mill for the District’s General Fund, which is the same as the current fiscal year. FY2009 will run from Oct. 1, 2008, through Sept. 30, 2009.The total proposed FY2009 budget for the District is $375.8 million, 4.9 percent…

Left: Donna Holdrege, District administrative supervisor, left, and Mary Torrusio, District senior communications coordinator, second from left, demonstrate a watershed model to students. Right: Dan Wolthuis, District senior heavy equipment operator, talks to students and parents about prescribed fire. Parents marked the District’s 15th annual celebration of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day on April 18 by bringing their children for tours of District…

Water supply refers to the source and process of providing water to different users. The “source” refers to where the water comes from. Sources of natural fresh water may include groundwater or surface waters, such as lakes, rivers, ponds or streams. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, surface water was the largest source of fresh water in Florida until 1980. After 1980, groundwater became…

Projects of Distinction The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council recently recognized the District during its 13th Annual Future of the Region Awards program. One District Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) project and two education projects were honored during the ceremony, recognizing notable achievements in resource planning and management in the region. Port Redwing Habitat Restoration/ Fred & Idah Schultz Preserve The…

Hundreds of volunteers trudged through the mud to get to hard-to-reach places that needed planting.               This September approximately 400 volunteers set out across 32 acres of muddy ground at the Terra Ceia Aquatic and State Park preserves restoration project in Manatee County with one goal in mind: The volunteers were determined to set a new record for the most plants installed during a…

Volunteers participating in cleanup. More than 50 District employees, Board members and their friends and families were among the hundreds of volunteers taking part in the 21st Annual Hillsborough River & Waterways Cleanup. This annual event, held in November, is one of Tampa’s largest volunteer activities. Each year, volunteers scour dozens of shoreline locations along the Hillsborough River and connected waterways to pick up litter and remove…

In the Bathroom:

• Flush less — remember the toilet is not an ashtray or wastebasket.
• While brushing teeth, shaving, etc., turn off the water.
• When cold water will do, avoid using hot water.
• Take shorter showers — 5 minutes or less.
• In the shower, wet yourself down, turn the water off, lather up, then turn the water on to rinse off soap.
• Use less water for bathing — close the drain first and fill tub only one…

 The Rock Ponds Ecosystem Restoration Project has become a showcase project for habitat restoration through community partnerships. That’s why the project was just recognized by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. The District won first place in the Natural Environment category in the Future…

Two equestrian groups and a middle school student are among the volunteers honored Tuesday at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board meeting in Brooksville.The volunteers, who take part in the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national honor that recognizes volunteer dedication and signifies that each volunteer has served the community and country with distinction.The…

The Green Swamp is recognized by the state of Florida for its ecological and hydrological importance. There are several unique characteristics of the area. The Green Swamp can store surface water and slow the flow of floodwaters while sustaining rivers and streams. Its relatively high elevation, together with a shallow depth to the aquifer, keeps water levels high. The water table for much of the year stands above the potentiometric surface of the Floridan aquifer, providing…

Members of the Withlacoochee River Basin Board and the Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council recently surveyed the progress of the four-step, multimillion dollar Lake Panasoffkee restoration project. The Lake Panasoffkee restoration project involves dredging approximately 8.2 million cubic yards of sediment from the lake, which will improve fish habitat, restore the historic lake shoreline and improve navigation. The project will also restore approximately 920 acres of…

We All Live in a Watershed Land is very important to the water cycle and shares a strong connection to our water resources. Did you know that everything we do on land can affect the health of our water? That is because we all live in a watershed! A watershed is any area of land that water flows across or through. Where is the water going? Downhill of course. Water in a watershed trickles and flows toward a common body of…

Water Use Permit Bureau ChiefAs bureau chief of the Water Use Permit Program, April is responsible for overseeing water use permit evaluation, water use permit compliance, well construction permitting and demand management.April has 15 years of experience related to challenging water use permitting considerations. She previously held various significant roles with the District, including Water Use Evaluation and Compliance manager and hydrogeologist.April earned a bachelor’s…

The Splash! school grant program provides up to $3,000* per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources issues. Public and charter school teachers of grades K-12 are eligible to apply. Grant applications for the 2025-2026 school year will open July 21. Getting Started Use the links below to learn more about implementing a Splash! school grant. Please note that Splash! grants are only available to educators within the Southwest Florida Water…

In recent years the number of people living in the Alafia River watershed has increased dramatically. An increase in population causes a greater demand on water resources and a reduction in the amount of wildlife habitat. Efforts have been made to meet the increased demands for water and to restore and protect natural ecosystems within the watershed. Reservoir The C.W. “Bill” Young Regional Reservoir is located in the Alafia River watershed. It can store 15 billion…

At its August 16 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2005 (FY2005) millage rate of 0.265 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget forFY2005 is $11,312,338, which is an increase of $6,769,805 over the approvedFY2004 budget. The main reason for this major budget increase is because the District will receive a $4.3 million state appropriation and anticipates receiving $1…