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The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is soliciting stakeholder input on the annual update of the Priority List and Schedule for the Establishment of Minimum Flows and Levels. A workshop will be held at the District's Tampa Service Office, 7601 Highway 301 North on Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Minimum flows and levels are limits set by the District Governing Board for surface waters and groundwater that are… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 5:30 p.m. at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center located at 3940 Keystone Road in Tarpon Springs. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum and guidance levels for Lake Alice, located in Hillsborough County. During the workshop, District staff will present the technical basis for the proposed… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Monday, August 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library located at 2902 W. Bearss Ave. in Tampa. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum and guidance levels for Saddleback and Round Lakes in Hillsborough County. During the workshop, District staff will present the technical basis for the proposed minimum levels for… Read more

The District recently honored 26 water resources education projects at its “Partners in Watershed Education” awards luncheon and conference. The award-winning projects were completed by teachers and their students, community members, local governments, nonprofit groups and District-sponsored programs that use volunteers to educate others about water resources. The District holds the awards ceremony every two years and projects from throughout its 16 counties are… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Wednesday, July 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the City of Lake Wales Commission Chambers located at 201 W. Central Ave. in Lake Wales. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum and guidance levels for Lake Easy in Polk County. During the workshop, District staff will present the technical basis for the proposed minimum levels for Lake Easy. Minimum… Read more

Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 activation Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring Tropical Depression 13 and have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2. The EOC provides direction regarding… Read more

Slight decline documented in Charlotte HarborScientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program continue to see an increase in seagrass growth in Sarasota Bay and Lemon Bay.According to the District’s 2008 seagrass mapping study, seagrass acreage in Sarasota Bay has increased nearly 2,786 acres since 2006, a 28 percent increase. This increase follows a seven percent increase seen between 2004… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Pinellas Park recently signed an agreement to move forward on the next phase of a project to collect and treat stormwater runoff, which will improve water quality in Sawgrass Lake.This multi-year funded project has several phases, including the design, development of construction documents, construction permitting, land acquisition, bidding and contractor selection and the actual construction of two stormwater… Read more

Relief is on the way for the lower Hillsborough River thanks to a series of actions taken by the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday.The Board approved new minimum flows for the lower portion of the river, a Recovery Strategy to restore flows to the river, and a funding agreement with Tampa on a series of minimum flow-related projects.Aminimum flow or level (MFL) is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause… Read more

The North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) recently awarded the Southwest Florida and St. Johns River water management districts with the Technical Merit Award in the area of research for their work on minimum flows and levels (MFLs.)The mission of NALMS is to forge partnerships among citizens, scientists and professionals to foster the management and protection of lakes and reservoirs for today and tomorrow. NALMS produces an international, peer-reviewed scientific… Read more

The District reminds residents that qualifying water and energy-efficient appliances will be tax free Sept. 19-21. The 2014 Sales Tax Holiday is good on the purchase of qualifying ENERGY STAR® and WaterSense® products up to $1,500. Each person in our region uses an average of 104 gallons of water each day. The average household can use 30 percent less water and save about $170 per year by installing water-efficient fixtures and appliances, according to the U.S.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is monitoring and preparing for the possible landfall of Tropical Storm Fay in Florida.The District has initiated Level 2 activation of its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Brooksville. Level 2 activation is required when a situation develops where the District may be adversely affected. Under Level 2 activation, the District’s Emergency Response Team reports to the EOC during extended business hours and assumes… Read more

 Left: Mike Holtkamp, District operations director, and David Moore, District executive director, discuss the berm project with State Senator Charles Dean (R, Inverness). Mike Holtkamp, District operations director, recently showed David Moore, District executive director, and State Sen. Charles Dean (R, Inverness) the repairs District staff have made to a berm in the Morrison Pool in Citrus County. The berm surrounds the north sinkhole in the Morrison… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Tuesday, June 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Lake Aurora Christian Camp and Retreat Center located at 237 Golden Bough Road east of Lake Wales. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum and guidance levels for Lake Aurora in Polk County.The Florida Legislature requires the District to set minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for priority water bodies… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is soliciting stakeholder input on the annual update of the Priority List and Schedule for the Establishment of Minimum Flows and Levels. A public meeting will be held at the District's Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North on Monday, Sept. 19 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Minimum flows and levels (MFLs) are limits set by the District Governing Board for surface waters and groundwater. MFLs are… Read more

West Hernando Middle School students and teachers will get their hands dirty this month when they work side by side with Southwest Florida Water Management District staff restoring the Weekiwachee Preserve.The student workdays are April 13 and 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.During the workdays students will plant soft-stemmed bulrush along the banks of several water bodies within the preserve and monitor the water quality. The goal of the project is to revegetate and develop the… 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 of 7 a.m., as they continue to monitor Hurricane Idalia. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities during an emergency weather event. Level 1 activation is utilized when a specific weather situation has developed into an emergency. Level… Read more

Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 activationSouthwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring Tropical Storm Idalia and have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2 as of 7 a.m. Monday. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities before, during and after an emergency event.The District is continuing to monitor potential impacts from the storm that could occur… Read more

Gov. Charlie Crist on April 1 reappointed Todd Pressman, and appointed Jeffrey Adams to the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org Governing Board."Pressman(Todd Pressman)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/profiles/todd_pressman.html is from Oldsmar and is the owner and president of Pressman & Associates. His new term ends March 1, 2014. Pressman was elected Board chair in… Read more

At its June 15 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.285 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.Further, the Basin Board authorized the executive director to recalculate its millage rate to reflect the mandated changes in revenue prescribed by the Legislature.The proposed budget for FY2008 is $17,609,836, which is a decrease of $3.46 million… Read more