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The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board recently adopted policies to ensure that District funding is spent on water supply projects that are consistent with regional water supply goals and provide relief to stressed groundwater sources.In two separate decisions, the Governing Board detailed District funding requirements for water supply projects within Water Supply Authority service areas and reaffirmed that it will not fund the construction of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has deactivated the Tampa Bypass Canal System and the Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (HFDA) as water levels in the Hillsborough River have declined following Hurricane Milton.The District opened Structure S-155 over the weekend and the boat barriers were removed this morning, restoring navigation on the Hillsborough River. The S-155 structure is located north of Morris Bridge Road and east of I-75 and can be…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District issued a water shortage emergency order Tuesday that allows Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Alafia River to store in the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir in anticipation of the upcoming dry season.As of July 22, the reservoir had only about 4.24 billion gallons in storage.When full, the reservoir stores approximately 15 billion gallons of water.The executive order, which is in effect through Sept. 30,…

 Alligators, turtles, water snakes, frogs, fish, hawks and wading birds are commonly seen on this property. Located on the Hillsborough River, the park is best known for its river fishing.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has activated the Tampa Bypass Canal System due to anticipated heavy rains from Hurricane Milton to help protect the cities of Temple Terrace and Tampa from river flooding.The District is preemptively closing S-155 on the Hillsborough River before Hurricane Milton makes landfall to decrease freshwater discharge from the river into Tampa Bay during the forecasted historic storm surge and to minimize flood risks from…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District extended two water shortage emergency orders that allow Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Alafia River and the Tampa Bypass Canal to store in the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir. Drought conditions have caused an acute water shortage within the region so emergency actions are necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare.Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale water supplier, stores water in the…

Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director David L. Moore Wednesday issued emergency orders for Punta Gorda and North Port related to Hurricane Charley impacts.The emergency order for Punta Gorda allows the city’s water utility system to use as much water as is necessary to maintain system pressure and complete the required line flushing, chlorine residuals testing, and bacteriological sampling in order to open the water service distribution system…

Representatives from the District and Tampa Bay Water celebrate the beginning of full operations at the Tampa Bay Water desalination plant. Susan Latvala, Pinellas County commissioner and Tampa Bay Water chair, thanked Judy Whitehead (right), Governing Board chair, for the financial support the District contributed to the desalination plant. Representatives from the District joined Tampa Bay Water, American Water, Acciona Agua and Tampa Electric at a ribbon-…

The District does not control a dam on Lake Jovita in Pasco County and is not releasing water from Lake Jovita. Heavy rainfall from Hurricane Milton has caused extreme flooding in the region, but it is not related to the release of any water from the lake by the District. Please disregard misinformation being circulated on social media and share this post with your community so we can ensure accurate information is being shared. Media reports about the release of water are…

Polk County's Local Governments No Longer Need to Go It Alone Guest Editorial How to meet the water needs of a growing region when your main water source is reaching its limits? That's the challenge facing Polk County. Developing new water supplies is costly and can be especially difficult for smaller communities. It makes sense for the various local governments in the county to work together, share the cost and ensure a water supply for future…

Pinellas Heights Senior Apartments contains the 1,000th property certified Florida Water Star℠ by the District.  The 153-unit senior living community in Largo pushes the exact count to 1,048 certifications and is the first Florida Water Star community in Pinellas County. That means the entire complex met the requirements of the certification program by installing water-efficient fixtures, appliances and landscaping.  Florida Water Star is a voluntary…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is closing navigation on the Hillsborough River at Structure S-155 to meet Federal safety standards.Due to the high velocity of water from Tropical Storm Debby, boat barriers will be put in place where I-75 crosses the Hillsborough River, restricting navigation in that area. The S-155 structure is part of the Tampa Bypass Canal System and located north of Morris Bridge Road and east of I-75. It can be seen from I-75…

State and local leaders will come together Sept. 7-9 to discuss water issues related to the states plans for growth at the 30th Annual Conference on Water Management in Sanibel.The conference is being held at the Sanibel Harbour Resort during which water management officials will reflect on Florida’s water history, explore how technology is benefiting water management, showcase restoration projects and address water supply issues.The Southwest Florida Water Management…

More water is flowing in DeSoto County thanks to the completion of a $3.6 million pipeline. The five-mile pipeline, known as the DeSoto County Regional Transmission System (RTS) Extension, connects the county to the Peace River/ Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority’s water treatment facility. This pipeline is part of a larger alternative water supply project that will allow for growth, while preserving groundwater supplies for existing agricultural users. The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a modification of a water use permit that will allow the City of Davenport to construct a third well.The permitted quantity of approximately 1 million gallons of water per day will remain unchanged. Under the modified permit, the third well will be constructed at a new water treatment facility.This permit will supply water primarily for single and multi-family residential, landscape irrigation,…

Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 activationSouthwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring Hurricane Milton and have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities before, during and after an emergency weather event.Hurricane Milton has the potential to bring significant rainfall to our area throughout the District’s 16-county…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a temporary water use permit that will allow Polk County’s Northeast Regional Utility Service Area (NERUSA) to pump more water.The temporary permit allows the county to increase its permitted Annual Average Daily quantities from 6,054,600 gallons per day (gpd) to 6,304,600 gpd.The county requested a temporary permit while the permit renewal application is being evaluated. The county…

The Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) will be holding an interactive webinar about regional water supply planning in central Florida Thursday, Aug. 29 at 1:30 p.m. This District is working collaboratively with the St. Johns River and South Florida water management districts as well as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and regional utilities to address short- and long-term water supply needs in…

It's National Engineers Week, a time when engineers are recognized for their vital work, including at the District where they help minimize flood risks and protect water resources. “Engineers in various District departments take on a different role but collectively work together to achieve the District’s mission” said Marie Rutter, the District’s staffing specialist.  “A variety of technical and managerial paths are offered at the District, depending on each…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/has appointed Robert Beltran to serve as the District's executive director. Beltran replaces Blake Guillory who was recently hired as the executive director for the South Florida Water Management District."The Board is confident in Robert's abilities to lead this organization as we continue to focus on our core mission of managing water and related natural…