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A water conservation project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Manatee County will reduce demand and conserve water.The project will offer rebates to eligible residents who install a rain sensor device on their automatic irrigation system. Residents who live in the western unincorporated service area of Manatee County and the cities of Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach are eligible to participate if they use potable water for… Read more

The District has been working closely with the regional water supply authorities within its boundaries over the last several decades to reduce the region’s reliance on traditional groundwater supplies and achieve environmental recovery by developing alternative water supplies.There is a critical need to develop additional alternative water supplies to meet the region’s substantial population growth and its associated water supply needs. Population growth within the District… Read more

For about 2.7 million residents in a five-county area of Central Florida, the Floridan aquifer system is the main source of stored freshwater. And while Florida generally receives 50 to 55 inches of rainfall each year, not all that rain reaches the aquifer. About 37 inches evaporates back into the air or runs off land into ponds, lakes or rivers. Today, the current average total water use is about 800 million gallons per day in Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole… Read more

Your Questions Answered January 2020 The Weeki Wachee River has been a popular site for recreational activities for many years. Recently, both public and private stakeholders agreed to take a closer look at what steps should be taken now to ensure the waterway is protected for years to come. Randy Smith, Natural Systems & Restoration Bureau Chief for the Southwest Florida Water Management District, explains the results of the recently… Read more

What Is Stormwater Runoff? In Florida, stormwater runoff occurs after a rainfall. Stormwater flows over impervious (unable to penetrate) surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, streets, parking lots and roofs and is unable to percolate (filter or seep) into the ground. This unfiltered water reaches our neighborhood streams, ponds, lakes, bays, wetlands and oceans and can eventually make its way into our groundwater (water beneath the earth's surface). Why Is Stormwater… Read more

Top: Carl Wright, District senior water conservation analyst, left, and Nick Makris, District staff water conservation analyst, use the District’s computerized leak correlator to pinpoint the location of a known leak. Above: Nick Makris listens to a water valve to determine if he can hear a leak sound. Two weeks of work by District staff cost the City of Tarpon Springs nothing, but could save the city thousands of gallons of water per day. District water… Read more

Peace River Elementary students in Charlotte County will study how rain barrels save water thanks to a "Splash! school grant":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/schoolgrants/ from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The goal of the Splash! school grant program is to provide teachers with funding to enhance student knowledge of topics that meet the District's core mission and teach students about their local watersheds, water conservation, quality and supply… Read more

Did you know that a three-person household can save 675 gallons of water a month by simply turning off the faucet when brushing teeth and shaving?Making these kind of simple changes to your daily routine make a big difference. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District is sharing its top outdoor and indoor water-saving tips during Water Conservation Month.Outdoor tips

• A garden hose without a shutoff nozzle can waste up to 530 gallons of water in…

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The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of North Port are working together on two projects that will help reduce demand and conserve water.North Port Water Conservation and Retrofit ProgramThe North Port Water Conservation and Retrofit Program will offer financial incentives to residents who retrofit their homes with water efficient fixtures such as low-flow toilets, low-flow showerheads and rain sensors. Residents who install a low-… Read more

The Weekiwachee Preserve is an area of protected land owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District). Covering over 11,200 acres, the preserve is in Hernando County. It provides a wide array of wildlife habitats, including several miles along the Weeki Wachee River, portions of the Mud River, dense hardwood swamps, freshwater and saltwater marshes and pine-… Read more

A monthly graph of rainfall as a 12-month departure from mean shows deficits lasting longer than surpluses in recent history. As the annual observance of April as Water Conservation Month approaches, water resources in west-central Florida are still feeling the effects of the extended drought. The District’s entire 16-county area has been under a Phase I water shortage alert since last fall. A Phase I alert is intended to raise the public’s awareness of dry… Read more

Photo courtesy Florida Park Service Terra Ceia Preserve State Park continues to improve — thanks to a recent cleanup project. The District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program staff joined forces with Keep Manatee Beautiful, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and students from Eckerd College and New College of Florida for the project. As part of the 25th annual International Coastal Cleanup, the District’s SWIM Program… Read more

Deborah Webb, student intern,working on the Alkalinity Titrator; Matt Jablonski, staff chemist, measures chlorophyll concentrations. Every day, Laura Casino, District chemist, takes water samples from ice-filled coolers delivered to the lab for chlorophyll analysis. Since chlorophyll degrades quickly, the samples are collected in opaque containers that protect it from any light and then preserved in ice. Laura removes the containers, taking short breaks between… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Tampa are offering residents a financial incentive to save water by replacing high-volume toilets with low-flow models.The District and the City of Tampa have co-funded this project, known as the Tampa Plumbing Retrofit and Education Project, since 1994. This year the program will provide approximately 2,200 toilet rebates. Approximately 28,000 toilets have been replaced with low-flow models since the program… Read more

Both the United States government and Florida have adopted water quality goals and standards. Each water body has its own standards. For example, water used for drinking has to be much cleaner than water used for crop irrigation or to cool machinery in a factory. Scientists use information from water monitoring to determine how a water body rates based on its intended use. If scientists rate water quality as GOOD, then the water can fully support its… Read more

The District is helping people replace those water wasters in the bathroom by partnering with area cities and utilities to provide low-flow toilet rebate programs. There are numerous ongoing low-flow toilet rebate programs currently within the District. Most offer up to a $100 rebate when residents replace inefficient toilets with low-flow models. The District splits the cost with participating cities and utilities. Choosing low-flow toilets is important because… Read more

West-central Florida has had an abnormally wet winter and spring, but water conservation is as important as ever. The area is still recovering from a four-year drought, and lake levels are still low. The District’s Governing Board recently extended Modified Phase II water shortage restrictions to help the region in its drought recovery and keep the subject of … Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has scheduled repairs to the culvert at the District's P-3 water conservation structure. The structure is located northwest of Auburndale near the northeast shore of Whistler Lake, off Kirkland Lake Drive. The structure's gate is manually operated to help maintain water levels on Lake Arietta.Repair work is scheduled to begin the first week of April and will be completed before the rainy season, which typically… Read more

A water conservation project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pinellas County will reduce demand and conserve potable water.The project encourages the use of the surficial aquifer, Floridan aquifer, and surface water from lakes, ponds, rivers and streams for non-potable applications, such as lawn irrigation. Residents who live in portions of the county’s potable service area that will not be receiving reclaimed water service are eligible… Read more

These short videos with coordinating teacher’s guides are a great way to introduce your students to a variety of topics, which include: the water cycle, wetlands, watersheds, groundwater, water quality and alternative water supply. Read more