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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

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 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… Read more

According to the National Weather Service, parts of the Tampa Bay area are expected to have near to below-freezing temperatures starting Tuesday morning and lasting throughout the week.The Southwest Florida Water Management District advises residents who live near Plant City and Dover who have well pumps without automatic cutoff switches to turn off the… 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

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… 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

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 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

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) 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… 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

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 to continue to fill the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir.As of Sept. 15, the reservoir had about 11.2 billion gallons in storage. When full, the reservoir stores approximately 15 billion gallons of water.The executive order, which was scheduled to expire Sept. 30, has been extended through Dec… Read more

Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 activationSouthwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine and raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2 at 8 a.m. this morning. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities before, during and after an emergency weather event.Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine has the potential to bring significant rainfall… 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 Tropical Storm Debby.The District opened Structure S-155 over the weekend and the boat barriers are being removed today, restoring navigation on the Hillsborough River. The S-155 structure is located north of Morris Bridge Road and east of I-75 and can… Read more

Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director David Moore signed a water shortage emergency order (order 08-043 ) Thursday that will allow Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Tampa Bypass Canal to help the City of Tampa meet its demand for potable water.Tampa relies primarily on its Hillsborough River Reservoir to meet the water needs of 656,000 residents. As of Oct. 14,… Read more

At the water management conference Eric Draper, policy director for Audubon of Florida; Sen. Paula Dockery (R-Lakeland); Jerry G. Hill, Authority chair and DeSoto County Commissioner; and David L. Moore, District executive director, together. During the Annual Conference on Water Management in September, Audubon of Florida presented the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority (Authority) with a special award for using alternative water supply… Read more

Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director David Moore modified a water shortage emergency order Wednesday that allows Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Tampa Bypass Canal to help the City of Tampa meet its demand for potable water.The modified executive order, which is in effect until… Read more

Dollars and Cents     In the development of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 budget, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing and Basin Boards took many factors into account. “The budget reflects the District’s goal of providing cost-effective quality services while protecting and enhancing the public’s water resources,” said Tom Dabney, Governing Board Chair. Millage rates in the District did not increase this year. In fact, this… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Wednesday extendedthe water shortage emergency order that allows Tampa Bay Water to withdraw additional water from the Alafia River to store in the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir. This is the second time the District has extended this emergency order, which is necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare. Drought… Read more