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Left: Range Master Bill Rappleyea, right, and Teagan Harris demonstrate shooting technique. Right: Tyler Smith, left, and Austin Vice retrieve their arrows after a contest. Thanks to some help from the District, a new 4-H Club is getting off the ground in Sumter County. The Sumter County 4-H Club is using the District’s Lake Panasoffkee property to… Read more

Aquifers are underground layers of rock and sand that hold water. These layers are made up of loosely packed sediments and layers of calcium-rich limestone and dolomite. In Florida, most of the population depends on the Floridan aquifer for their drinking water. The Floridan aquifer, which is the largest and deepest aquifer in the state, holds groundwater like a sponge. Holes in the rock that make up the aquifer allow the water to move freely through it. Aquifers are… Read more

From left: Kevin Stover, 33 years, Field Technician Supervisor, Resource Data & Restoration. Richard Gant, 34 years, Field Technician Supervisor, Resource Projects. Kevin Love, 35 years, Manager, Land Resources. Mike Holtkamp, 35 years, Director, Operations, Maintenance & Construction Division Five Staff Members Share Memories at a Roundtable Interview How would you describe the District when you first started working here? … Read more

Bartow, Fla., July 11, 2017 — Drilling more than half a mile below ground to find new sources of water in the Lower Florida aquifer (LFA). Finding new ways to reuse reclaimed water. Combining stormwater and reclaimed water to build a sustainable supply. These are some of the innovative projects the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) is developing to meet the growing water needs of the five-county Central Florida region while also… Read more

A spring is a place where groundwater discharges from the underlying limestone bedrock to the Earth's surface through a natural opening in the ground. In the Springs Coast Watershed, the Floridan aquifer is close to the land surface, which means that the springs are exposed portions of the aquifer! As windows into the aquifer, springs have long been one of Florida's most valued natural and scenic resources. In 1513, the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon came to Florida in… Read more

The Tampa Bypass Canal System helps prevent the Hillsborough River from flooding by diverting water around the cities of Tampa and Temple Terrace.   Hurricane Donna caused widespread flooding throughout Tampa and the surrounding area in 1960. The city experienced significant river flooding caused by rainfall, runoff and storm surge. In response, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) was created in 1961 by a special act of the Florida… Read more

This project removed contaminants in Sawgrass Lake, improving its water quality.   Property Information

• Sawgrass Lake Park is located just southwest of the intersection of Gandy Boulevard and I-275 in Pinellas County.
• The property is owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) and managed by Pinellas County.
• The lake and the wetland system on the property provide flood protection and natural…

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As bureau chief of General Services, Dave Dickens oversees the District’s Document Services, Public Records, Fleet Services and Facilities sections.Dave has 12 years of experience managing transportation, facilities and safety programs for water management districts in Florida.He most recently served as the Transportation and Facilities Bureau chief for St. Johns River Water Management District, where he managed budget, procurement, capital projects and contract management.… Read more

The District is facilitating an independent scientific peer review of wetland-based criteria for establishing minimum water levels to prevent significant harm caused by water withdrawals. Overview The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is holding an independent, scientific peer review of wetland-based criteria for use in establishing minimum wetland and lake levels beginning in May 2022. A minimum level is the level of groundwater in an aquifer… Read more

The Alafia River watershed is a textbook example of karst topography. A karst terrain is produced by acidic water dissolving the underlying bedrock (mostly limestone). Springs are a common feature of karst topography. A spring is a natural opening in the ground where water flows directly from the aquifer to the earth’s surface. Florida has the largest concentration of springs in the world. Lithia Springs and Buckhorn Springs… Read more

As the assistant director of Resource Regulation, Brian Starford is responsible for the division’s production. This includes establishing performance metrics for Resource Regulation’s critical functions and monitoring those functions to ensure that established performance expectations are met. Starford also assists the director with the administration of the division’s permitting and compliance operations.Starford began his career at the District in 1987 as a water resource… Read more

March 14 – 21, 2009The Southwest Florida Water Management District, together with Citrus and Marion counties and the cities of Crystal River and Dunnellon, will proclaim March 14-21 as the first Springs Awareness Week.Here is a list of events taking place during Springs Awareness Week. These events are aimed at raising awareness about the health of the local springs and what people can do to protect them.Nitrate pollution from overusing fertilizers is one reason the… Read more

The Lake Hancock projects are a critical part of meeting minimum flows in the upper Peace River, improving water quality in the river and protecting Charlotte Harbor. Property  Lake Hancock is a 4,500-acre lake in the headwaters of the Peace River. From Lake Hancock, the … Read more

Some of the cities and towns located in the Springs Coast Watershed include Brooksville, Crystal River, Dunnellon, Homosassa, New Port Richey and Spring Hill. The trademarks of this watershed are the many springs that discharge to form rivers, the extensive coastal swamps and salt marshes, high pine woodlands and lakes.There are more than 200 documented springs that occur throughout the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District). Five of these have a discharge of… Read more

Left: Addison Bennett, granddaughter of District Executive Director Dave Moore, tries to stay dry at the Hampton Tract. Top right: Karen Fraley, Around the Bend Nature Tours, shows Brady Whalen from Boy Scout Troop 311 how to use a pump drill to start a fire. Above right: Emma Mason, Around the Bend Nature Tours, takes a visitor on a guided hike. More than 130 people braved the rain Feb. 27 at the District’s “Get Outside!” event at the … Read more

Left: This overhead view shows the wind generator, solar panel and control box of the structure controls at the Medard Dam. Right: The structure staff operates and maintains the District’s structures, including the structure at the Medard Dam. Back row left to right: Sal Destefano, structure controls senior tradesworker; Dan Pelland structure controls senior tradesworker; Garry Flood, structure controls tradesworker; Robert Sowders, structure Maintenance tradesworker;… Read more

A watershed is an area of land that water flows across as it moves toward a common body of water, such as a stream, river, lake or coast. The Alafia River watershed is approximately 270,000 acres, or 418 square miles. Although a portion of the watershed lies in Polk County, most of it lies in Hillsborough County. In fact, it’s the largest watershed in Hillsborough County.  .embed-container {position: relative; padding-bottom: 70%; height: 0; width: 150%;margin-left:-… Read more

The Chassahowitzka Springs Restoration Project improved water quality and the bottom habitat for plants and animals. Project OverviewThe Southwest Florida Water Management District restored portions of Chassahowitzka Springs by removing accumulated sediments, which improved the water quality and the bottom habitat for plants and animals.BackgroundSand and organic materials have been transported by flows from residential canals and stormwater runoff to the springs and… Read more