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The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the areas surrounding 17 lakes in Highlands County.The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on its national effort to update and modernize the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are… Read more

 Still primarily natural, the property is a mixture of pine flatwoods, freshwater marshes and oak scrub forest. The western portions contain some of the oldest and largest trees in the area. The boundary of this property extends over three miles along the eastern floodplain of the Withlacoochee River.The property was acquired to protect and preserve pristine river corridor along the Withlacoochee River and adjoining floodplain system. Preservation of this property… Read more

The Three Sisters Springs Wetland Treatment Project is helping improve the quality of stormwater before it enters Kings Bay. Project OverviewThe Southwest Florida Water Management District constructed a wetland area on the Three Sisters Springs property to treat stormwater runoff and improve the quality of stormwater before it enters Kings Bay. The Three Sisters property is co-owned by the District and the City of Crystal River. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has reopened the Flying Eagle Dead River Flats airboat slide after completing required maintenance. The airboat slide is located on the Flying Eagle berm between the Withlacoochee River and Flying Eagle Marsh in eastern Citrus County.

h2. Recruitment for New Executive Director to Begin ImmediatelyThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard accepted the resignation of Executive Director "David L. Moore(David L. Moore bio)":/about/staff/moore.php today and appointed the District's General Counsel "William S. Bilenky(William S. Bilenky bio)":/about/staff/bilenky.html to serve as interim executive… Read more

At its June 9 meeting, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate of 0.2900 mill, which is 0.03 mill less than the current fiscal year. This is the fourth consecutive year the "Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board(Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/pinellas-anclote.php has lowered… Read more

In recognition of July being designated by the Irrigation Association as “Smart Irrigation Month,” the Southwest Florida Water Management District has a few simple tips to help your irrigation system operate effectively and efficiently. Irrigation systems are exposed to the elements, lawn mowers and more so they should be inspected and adjusted on a regular basis. Some repairs may require hiring a certified irrigation professional.Inspecting your irrigation… Read more

table(webalert). |Who:|"Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/, "Tampa Bay Watch(Tampa Bay Watch)":http://www.tampabaywatch.org/ and *200 volunteers*.||*What:*|Tampa Bay Watch has organized volunteers to plant more than *20,000 plugs plants* at "Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve(Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve Description)":http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/terraceia/description/ located in Manatee County just north of… Read more

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… Read more

 Deer Prairie Creek Preserve was jointly acquired by the District and Sarasota County and lies between I-75 and US 41. The Schewe Tract, which lies both north and south of I-75, is managed by the District. The property was acquired to protect the floodplain of the river and the water quality of the water sources within the region.The dominant natural communities are pine flatwoods, mixed hardwood and pine, and wetland hardwoods. A portion of the tract was utilized for… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is extending a water shortage emergency authorization that allows Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Alafia River because Tampa Bay Water cannot use the full storage capacity of the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir.The reservoir only has about 6.5 billion gallons in storage to facilitate inspection and investigation of the reservoir’s soil cement layer. When full, the reservoir stores approximately… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is closing navigation on the Hillsborough River at Structure S-155 to meet safety standards.Due to the high velocity of water from recent above-average rainfall, 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… Read more

Emergency Operations Center at Level 1 ActivationSouthwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 1 as they continue to monitor Hurricane Milton. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities during an emergency weather event. The District is evaluating potential impacts from the storm that could occur throughout its 16-county region.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is extending a water shortage emergency authorization that allows Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Alafia River because Tampa Bay Water cannot use the full storage capacity of the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir.As of Dec. 15, the reservoir only had about 3 billion gallons in storage. When full, the reservoir stores approximately 15 billion gallons of water. Over the summer rainy months, Tampa Bay… Read more

Regionalization and Greater Use of Alternative Water Supplies Will Result Workers install a new two-mile long pipeline in the Citrus Park area. More widespread use of alternative water supplies and a more robust drinking water supply system are in place thanks to a partnership between the District and Tampa Bay Water. The Northwest Hillsborough Pipeline, a two-mile, 36-inch diameter pipeline, now brings up to 15 million gallons per day of water from… Read more

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… Read more

During the District’s 60-year history, new laws established through the decades have helped the District protect water quality and natural systems. Here’s a look at some of the key legislation and programs established: Save Our Rivers: The program, established in 1981, allowed the District to acquire lands for the purposes of water management, supply and protection. The first major land acquisition using Save Our Rivers funding was the Green Swamp West… Read more

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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, May 20 at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the live video stream link. The video stream link becomes active and the live… Read more

The 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 brackish groundwater supply projects… Read more