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A freeze warning is in effect tonight for most of the Tampa Bay area. This warning has prompted the Southwest Florida Water Management District to advise residents who live near Plant City and Dover to switch off the pumps on their wells tonight and leave the pumps off until the temperatures warm up Thursday morning.During a freeze, farmers pump additional water from their wells to protect their crops, causing aquifer levels to drop temporarily. Once aquifer levels fall… Read more

Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 activation Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring Hurricane Eta and have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2 as of 9:30 a.m. 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 throughout… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted its fiscal year 2012-13 (FY2012-13) millage rate and budget.The "Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ adopted a FY2012-13 millage rate of 0.3928 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. FY2012-13 will run from Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30, 2013. With taxable property values declining by 2.9 percent, this rate will result in a $3 million reduction in ad… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is advising residents who live near Plant City and Dover that they should switch off the pumps on their wells tonight and leave the pumps off until the temperatures warm up Tuesday morning. During a freeze, farmers pump additional water from their wells to protect their crops, causing aquifer levels to drop temporarily.Once aquifer levels fall below a well’s pump level, the pump can burn out if it is not shut off.… Read more

At its June 14 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.160 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The proposed budget for FY2007 is $22,943,451, which is an increase of $2,707,918 from the approved FY2006 budget. The main reason for this increase is additional revenue anticipated from the state Water Protection and Sustainability program for alternative water… Read more

h2. Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 ActivationSouthwest Florida Water Management District officials are monitoring Hurricane Matthew 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. Level 2 activation is utilized when a specific weather situation has reached a point where the District may be adversely affected. Level 2 is a… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating hydrilla on the Rainbow River January 18-20. Infestations of hydrilla immediately upriver of KP Hole to the Withlacoochee 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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is advising residents who live near Plant City and Dover that they should switch off the pumps on their wells tonight and leave the pumps off until the temperatures warm up Tuesday morning. During a freeze, farmers pump additional water from their wells to protect their crops, causing aquifer levels to drop temporarily.Once aquifer levels fall below a well’s pump level, the pump can burn out if it is not shut off.… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) invites the public to a workshop on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6:00 p.m. at the Lake Wales City Hall Commission Chamber located at 201 West Central Avenue in Lake Wales. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on proposed Minimum and Guidance Levels for Lakes Starr and Wailes. The Florida Legislature requires the District to set minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for… Read more

Southwest Florida Water Management District officials have deactivated the District's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) from a Level 2 to a Level 3. The EOC provides direction and controls District activities during an emergency weather event. Level 3 activation is utilized when a specific weather situation has been detected that must be monitored or a general state of monitoring exists, such as during the hurricane season. Level 3 is a monitoring–only activation level, and… Read more

For three decades, District staff have managed hundreds of projects that provided water quality improvement for surface water bodies and restored thousands of acres of habitats through the SWIM program. The Surface Water Improvement and Management Program was created by the Florida Legislature in 1987 to protect, restore and maintain Florida’s… Read more

 A District-funded project to construct the largest man-made groundwater recharge wetland in the world will benefit the aquifer in Pasco County.The Central Pasco Beneficial Water Reuse Project will provide a daily average of 5 million gallons of Pasco County’s highly-treated reclaimed water back to the aquifer through the natural percolation process. The project is a partnership between the District and the County, which shared about $14 million in funding, and the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Management District and the City of Belleair Bluffs are working together on a project that will improve stormwater drainage within the Belleair Bluffs watershed.The project will also upgrade the stormwater system by adding storm piping and constructing roadway curbs and curb inlets to control stormwater runoff.It also involves installing a Continuous Deflective Separation (CDS) unit to remove sediments and pollutants, which will improve the water… Read more

About 20 Eckerd College students recently got an up-close look at one of the structures that helps protect the Tampa area from flooding. The students toured Structure 161 on the Harney Canal. They also met with several District staff about water management issues. The visit was part of the Eckerd course “Value of Florida Water.”  “The four-week course explores all issues pertaining to water,” said Megan Cook, course instructor. “This is a great opportunity for… Read more

Most of the Tampa Bay area will see temperatures near freezing tonight through Friday night. This has prompted the Southwest Florida Water Management District to advise residents who live near Plant City and Dover to switch off the pumps on their wells at night and leave the pumps off until the temperatures warm up each morning.During a freeze or near freezing temperatures, farmers pump additional water from their wells to protect their crops, causing aquifer levels to drop… Read more

Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 activation Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring Tropical Storm Elsa and have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2 as of 10 a.m. July 4, 2021. 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… Read more

At its June 11 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.1484 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Manasota Basin Board area includes Manatee and Sarasota counties.This millage rate, combined with a reduction in taxable property values as estimated by the county property appraisers, will result in an estimated 14 percent decrease in ad valorem… Read more

Asmita Shukla, lead hydrologic data analyst, recently received the A. Ivan Johnson Award for young professionals from the National American Water Resources Association. This award recognizes future leaders of water resources research, management and education. Shukla’s doctoral research focused on finding cost-effective ways of improving agricultural stormwater quality in the Everglades through payment for environmental services programs. Her research and her work in… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org is inviting the public to comment on proposed minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for Lake Hooker in Seffner at a public meeting on Thursday, June 14.The rule development public workshop will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the District's Tampa Service Office, 7601 US Hwy 301, Tampa.The state Legislature requires the District to set "MFLs":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/projects/mfl/ for priority water bodies… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board Thursday adopted a fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.265 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2007 is $10,214,705, which is an increase of $1,558,584 from the approved FY2006 budget. The main reason for this increase is higher property values. FY2007 will run from Oct. 1, 2006, through Sept. 30, 2007.The Withlacoochee River Basin Board area covers… Read more