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The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently signed an agreement with Pinellas County to move forward on a project that will reduce erosion and flooding along Bear Creek Channel.The Bear Creek watershed is approximately 4.4 square miles in Pinellas County. Part of the watershed is in St. Petersburg and part in South Pasadena. The area was developed before the current land use and stormwater management regulations were implemented.This project involves reshaping…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board approved an agreement today that will allow rowing teams more access to the Tampa Bypass Canal.The agreement with the Tampa Bypass Canal Rowing Council, Inc., which is a not-for-profit organization created to help college and high school rowing teams train, will allow the organization to construct and maintain a training facility downstream from Harney Park on the southern portion of the canal.The Tampa…

Environmental education took a leap forward in Hernando County with the recent dedication of the Springs Coast Environmental Education Center. A ceremony and plaque presentation was held recently to honor the partnership among the District, its Coastal Rivers Basin Board and the Hernando County School Board, which contributed to the opening of the center. “This is one more excellent example of bringing together local governments and the District to promote water…

The Southwest Water Management District (District) will host an open house and community meeting regarding the Medard Reservoir Thursday, Jan. 23, at Durant High School located at 4748 Cougar Path in Plant City. The open house portion of the meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by a presentation from 7 to 8:30 p.m.During the open house, District staff, along with representatives from Hillsborough County and the National Weather Service, will be available to answer…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program to determine the potential environmental impact of mucky sediments in the Safety Harbor area of Old Tampa Bay.The Safety Harbor watershed, located within Pinellas County, has changed significantly over the past 100 years. The watershed has gone from being primarily rural to primarily urban. In addition, the construction of the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal increased the size of the…

Jason DiBattista, District tradesworker, inspects the sprinkler heads at the District each month, cleaning in and around them. The District’s rain sensor device overrides the irrigation timer if there has been enough rain. Making sure your irrigation system is operating effectively and efficiently is always important, but it is even more critical during periods of drought when water restrictions are tighter. Here are a few simple ways to check your irrigation…

  Left: District staff outside the Welcome Center: Will Miller, land use and protection manager; Colleen Kruk, senior land use specialist; Eric Sutton, Land Resources assistant director; Heidi McCree, Governing Board member; and Lou Kavouras, deputy executive director, accept a plaque honoring the District’s commitment to Nature’s Classroom. Center: Sixth graders from Young Middle School take water samples and examine what they scooped up — in this case, a water…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, July 7, 3:30 p.m. in the Governing Board Room at the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, Jan. 7, 3:30 p.m. in the Governing Board room of the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org, together with Citrus and Marion counties and the cities of Crystal River and Dunnellon, will proclaim March 14-20 as Springs Awareness Week. Nitrate pollution from overusing fertilizers is one reason the quality of our springs is declining. Everyone who lives, works and plays in west-central Florida can take these simple steps to help protect our springs:*…

 The unique habitat found on this property includes bay swamp, cutthroat grass seeps, sand pine scrub, hardwood hammock and pine flatwoods. These habitats are rich in natural beauty. The bay swamp habitat dominates the property with abundant red bay, sweet bay and red maple trees. The Jack Creek tract is significant because it protects a large stand of Lake Wales Ridge scrub. This rare community provides habitat for one of the densest concentrations of endangered…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/, the "US Fish and Wildlife Service(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)":http://www.fws.gov/, and the "Friends of Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge(Friends of Chassahowitzka)":http://friendsofchazz.org/ are holding a third public open house at the newly acquired Three Sisters Springs property on Saturday, Jan. 22, from 8 a.m. to noon."Our refuge biologist, Joyce Kleen, counted…

The Governing Board appointed Brian Armstrong as executive director at today's monthly Board meeting. Robert Beltran, who announced his resignation earlier this month, will stay on temporarily to assist in the transition. Beltran was appointed to serve as the District's executive director in September 2013, and is returning to the private sector.Mr. Armstrong has served as the District's assistant executive director since May 2014. In that role he has been responsible for…

The District’s work with springs is receiving worldwide attention as a Paris production crew recently documented some of the District’s projects.  One Planet Productions, based in France, writes and produces films dedicated to science, society, nature and the environment. Their films are broadcast on French television, as well as National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.  The film crew spent about a week documenting springs in the District. They…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Pasco County. Residents living in the Lower Coastal watershed are invited to attend an open house on Monday, Sept.10 at 4 p.m. The meeting will take place at Gulf High School, located at 5355 School Road in New Port Richey. District representatives will present preliminary data for flood prone areas, explain the basis…

Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring the tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico, and the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains at its lowest activation, Level 3 – monitoring only. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities during an emergency weather event. The District is currently operating water control…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during September on the District's "Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/greenswamp.html.Approximately 500 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to Land Management Supervisor Will VanGelder, burns are conducted to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August on the District's "Cypress Creek Preserve":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/cypresscreek.html in Pasco County.Cypress Creek Preserve is located in Central Pasco. Approximately 300 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to Land…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August on the District's "Annutteliga Hammock":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/annuteligahammock.html in Hernando County.Annutteliga Hammock is located in the Royal Highlands Area. Approximately 150 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August on the District's "Conner Preserve":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/conner.html.Conner Preserve is located four miles north of Land O' Lakes. Approximately 500 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to Land Management Supervisor…