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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… Read more

The Surface Water Improvement and Management, or SWIM, program evaluates priority water bodies, identifies challenges and implements projects to improve water quality and natural systems. The District is currently updating the SWIM plan for Lake Tarpon and the draft plan is available on the Lake Tarpon webpage. At the public workshop, District staff will present an overview… Read more

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…

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From left: Sammy Malone, WYME Trailblazers; Fritz Musselmann. land resources director; Merrill Firmani and Elizabeth Shupe, South Creek Equestrian Riders. Two young adults, two campground hosts and an equestrian group who participate in the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program have been recognized by the President of the United States. These volunteers received the President’s Volunteer Service Award at the January Governing Board meeting. The award,… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

On Tuesday, May 24, Heidi B. McCree was selected by unanimous vote as the first female Governing Board chair in the 44-year history of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.“I want to thank the Board for this honor and look forward to carrying on an important legacy,” McCree said. “We have achieved great things in west-central Florida, but there are many challenges yet to face to ensure an environmentally sustainable water resource. The keys will be maintaining our… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted the agency’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 millage rates and combined budget. The District’s millage rate remains the same as last year for the General Fund. The millage rates for the eight District Basin Boards also remain the same. FY2006 will run from Oct. 1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2006.Downloadsample projects by… Read more

Land is very important to the water cycle. 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, such as a stream, river, lake or coast. Watersheds can be big or small, but they usually have high points (like ridges) as their upper boundaries. So watersheds capture water, store it… Read more

 Clockwise from top left: Chair Todd Pressman; Vice Chair Ronald E. Oakley; Secretary Hugh M. Gramling; Treasurer Sallie Parks. Two Governing Board members are moving into new leadership roles this year, while two others have been given their first opportunity to serve as officers. Todd Pressman was unanimously elected by his peers in May to serve as the District’s Governing Board chair. Pressman served as the Board secretary and vice chair before being… Read more

Four Southwest Florida Water Management District projects will help DeSoto County agricultural operations reduce groundwater pumping by an average of 50 percent or more.These projects are 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.Because three of these projects are expected to reduce withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer… Read more

District staff celebrated many accomplishments in 2012 and continued to serve the community by carrying out the core mission. After decades of collaboration and work with other cities, agencies and community partners, several restoration projects were completed in 2012. Projects like those at Cockroach Bay and Clam Bayou improved water quality and restored sensitive habitats. Mother Nature packed a wallop in 2012, bringing the threat of two tropical storms. Staff… Read more

The majority of the freshwater supply in west-central Florida comes from groundwater, most commonly the Floridan aquifer system. The Floridan aquifer system contains the largest aquifers within the state and stretches 100,000 square miles beneath Florida and parts of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. The Floridan aquifer system has been divided into the Upper Floridan aquifer and Lower Floridan aquifers. Between the aquifers are… Read more

We all live in a watershed. That means that what we do on land impacts water bodies both near and far. To protect our water resources, we all must do our part. And sometimes that means preserving habitats that naturally protect water bodies from harmful pollutants, such as our wonderful wetlands! What are wetlands? The term wetland refers to a wide variety of aquatic habitats. Wetland ecosystems include swamps,… Read more

The study evaluated if opening the water control structures on Channels A and G would improve natural systems and water quality in the channels and ultimately Old Tampa Bay. Project Overview In 2014, the District, in partnership with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, conducted a pilot study on Channels A and G, located in northwest Hillsborough County (… Read more

At its July 24 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.2308 mill, which is .03 less than the current fiscal year. This reduction is in accordance with the tax reduction mandated by the Florida Legislature.The FY2008 millage rate has been set equal to 97 percent of the rolled-back rate in compliance with House Bill 1B, the tax reform legislation signed into law by Gov.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) does not have fertilizer restrictions, but many counties and municipalities do. Check with your local government to learn if there are mandatory fertilizer restrictions or few the list below. A fertilizer blackout is a time when using fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus are prohibited, usually during the rainy season. Heavy rain can wash fertilizers, especially granular ones, from lawns to streets,… Read more

Use your water meter to check for leaks

1. Turn off all faucets and water-using appliances and make sure no one uses water during the testing period. Remember to wait for the hot water heater and ice cube makers to refill and for regeneration of water softeners.
2. Go to your water meter and record the current reading. Wait 30 minutes. (Remember: no water should be used during this period.)
3. Read the meter again. If the reading has changed, you…

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At its June 13 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.285 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The proposed budget for FY2007 is $18,453,013, which is an increase of $2,577,458 from the approved FY2006 budget. The increase is primarily due to proceeds from the sale of surplus land. FY2007 will run from Oct. 1, 2006, through Sept. 30, 2007.… Read more

At today’s meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.285 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2007 is $21,078,998, which is an increase of $5,203,443 from the approved FY2006 budget. The increase is primarily due to proceeds from the sale of surplus land and increased property values. FY2007 will run from Oct. 1, 2006, through… Read more