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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 (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…

Blog note: Projects and Partners is a WaterMatters Blog series that highlights various innovative projects of the District and its partners to benefit the community. District leaders recently helped Marion County Utilities celebrate the expansion of the Oak Run Wastewater Reclamation Facility, which includes 20 miles of new pipeline, a new 1.6-million-gallon storage tank and removal of three smaller wastewater treatment plants.  The…

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…

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 Thursday, Sept. 1 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…

At its August 17 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2005 (FY2005) millage rate of 0.285 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget forFY2005 is $11,817,325, which represents an increase of $405,679 over the approvedFY 2004 budget. The increase in the budget is due to additional ad valorem property taxes resulting from new growth and increases in existing property values.FY…

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…

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) approved adding three first-magnitude spring systems — Weeki Wachee River, Chassahowitzka River and Homosassa River — to the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program priority list.  The existing SWIM Program priority list includes two first-magnitude spring systems – Rainbow River and Crystal River/Kings Bay. The DEP approval brings all five of the District’s first-magnitude spring systems onto…

At its August 2 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.235 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2006 is $8,240,442, which represents an increase of $2,119,438 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values, increases in funding from local governments for Cooperative Funding…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board recently adopted minimum flows for portions of the Alafia and Myakka rivers, along with minimum and guidance levels for five lakes.The 5 lakes include: Lakes Allen, Harvey and Virginia in Hillsborough County; Lake June-In-Winter in Highlands County; and Lake Parker in Polk County.A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and…

All Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) offices will be open Thursday, Aug. 31, as the District begins to return to normal operations after Hurricane Idalia.The District will lower the activation level of its Emergency Operations Center to a Level 2 at 7 a.m. Thursday morning. Level 2 activation is a partial activation, and the EOC will:

• Mobilize appropriate District emergency personnel to participate in emergency operations.
• …

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will conduct an inspection of the Inglis Bypass Spillway water control structure located in Levy County on the Inglis Bypass Channel. The inspection has been scheduled to take place Tuesday, June 9. During that time, the water control gates will need to be partially or fully closed. Closings are anticipated to occur during daylight hours and for a duration not exceeding eight hours per closing. The channel…

*Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 Activation*Southwest Florida Water Management District officials are preparing for "Tropical Storm Isaac":http://www.WaterMatters.org/EOC and have raised the activation level of the District's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2. The EOC provides direction and controls District activities during an emergency weather event.The District is monitoring Tropical Storm Isaac and preparing for the effects depending on its path.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Town of Inglis will soon begin implementing projects to improve water quality and reduce flooding in Cason Acres and surrounding areas.The 19-acre watershed, located in southern Levy County, has a history ofwidespread flooding in the areas between Vicki, Sapp, Daisy and Lori streets. A watershed is an area of land that water flows across as it moves toward a common body of water. This watershed discharges to the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of St. Petersburg are working together on a project that will reduce flooding in the Childs Park neighborhood, located near 44th St. South.During heavy rain the neighborhood experiences street flooding because the existing drainage system is outdated and undersized.This project is part of a 1994 stormwater management master plan developed by the city and involves constructing a major “trunk” line from…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is preparing to repair a berm breach in the Morrison Pool.The berm surrounds the north sinkhole in the Morrison Pool and prevents water from Morrison Pool and Little Lake Henderson from flowing into the sinkhole when the lake is low.The District has received approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and is awaiting approval from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct the work needed to repair the…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is looking ahead to fiscal year 2007 by holding a series of workshops to help launch the annual Cooperative Funding Initiative Program. The workshops will focus on the program and any changes that have been made since last year. Applications and guidelines for the Cooperative Funding program will also be available.Four public meetings will be held. The meetings will be held at the following locations:*Friday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating hydrilla on the Rainbow River in Marion County July 9-12. Hydrilla infestations will be treated from below the C.R. 484 bridge to the confluence of the Withlacoochee River.Hydrilla will be spot treated with the aquatic herbicide Aquathol Super K. Surface water within the treated area should not be used for irrigation or domestic purposes within seven days of treatment. Water use restrictions do not apply to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating hydrilla on the Rainbow River July 10-13. Infestations of water lettuce along the river in Marion County will be treated.Treatment involves the application of the aquatic herbicide Aquathol Super K. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable restrictions. River water should not be used for irrigation or domestic purposes for seven days following treatment.…