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A love of nature led to Bob and Sharon Blanchard’s decision to work with the District on two perpetual conservation easements for the Little Everglades Ranch. “So many people move here for the beauty and wildlife, so it is sad to see all the rural farmland disappearing,” said Sharon Blanchard. “We truly love this property and wanted to make sure it is preserved for future generations.” District Governing Board members and staff joined the Blanchards in celebrating… Read more

Nearly a decade of public workshops, water resource analyses and policy debates culminated recently in approval of the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) Recovery Strategy by the District’s Governing Board. “This is a historic moment for the District, the public and the water resources,” said Executive Director David Moore. “Many years of labor and collaboration by Board members, staff, representatives of all the types of water users and the general public went… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management’s Peace River Basin Board honored students and teachers from Lakeland Christian School and Barbara Carlton for their commitment to water resources.The board presented the students and teachers from Lakeland Christian School with a Water Stewardship Award and Carlton with a special recognition award.The board chose the Lakeland Christian School’s “Water Wiseguys” project to receive the Water Stewardship Award… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management’s Peace River Basin Board honored Students and teachers from Lakeland Christian School and Barbara Carlton for their commitment to water resources.The board presented the students and teachers from Lakeland Christian School with a Water Stewardship Award and Carlton with a special recognition award.The board chose the Lakeland Christian School’s “Water Wiseguys” project to receive the Water Stewardship Award… Read more

More than 160 people representing local governments, utilities and various industries came together Friday, March 23, at the Hilton Ocala Hotel for the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s first northern Water Conservation Summit.Held in partnership with the Suwannee River and St. Johns River water management districts, the summit served as an exchange of ideas on how local governments and utilities in the District’s northern region can plan for future… Read more

The District celebrated successful water conservation education grant projects and recognized the volunteers that make them happen at the spring conference, “Water Conservation: Reflect, Connect, Celebrate.” Approximately 140 people involved with school and community water conservation education grant projects participated in the conference, held at the Pinellas County Extension office in Largo. Besides recognizing successful projects and volunteers, District… Read more

District Lands Offer New Features New trail maps and other information have been added to the kiosks on District properties to enrich the experience for guests. The new trail maps were created for 16 of the District’s most popular properties using detailed information including global positioning coordinates. The maps are part of an ongoing effort to update information at District properties. In recent years, land use specialists marked District trails using an… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) successfully collaborated with the City of Mulberry to approve a new conservation ordinance based on Florida Water Star℠ (FWS) standards. FWS is a water conservation certification program… Read more

Restaurants use an average of 5,800 gallons per day of water. Following a comprehensive water use evaluation, a Largo, Florida restaurant was given the following recommendations for water conservation: Bathroom Retrofits

• replacing toilets with new 1.6 gallon per flush models
• installing lavatory aerators that reduced the water flow from 2.7 to 1.5 galons per minute

Potential savings of 700,00 gallons of water and $3,860 each… Read more

The District encourages water conservation by partnering with local governments and utilities to provide landscape and irrigation efficiency programs. A certified irrigation professional will evaluate your landscape or irrigation system and provide a list of recommendations to improve efficiency. To find out more information, please contact one of the following participating programs in your area. City of St. Petersburg (727) 892-5688 … Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday modified two water use permits (WUPs) for Marion County Utilities to meet projected increases in water use. Both permits are achieving a per capita rate of 150 gallons per person per day.Marion OaksThe Marion Oaks WUP combines and modifies two public supply permits and increases the permitted quantities. The 91-acre Marion Oaks service area is approximately eight miles southwest of… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District maintains and operates 84 structures throughout the District’s 16-county region. These structures help provide flood protection, manage lake water levels and prevent salt water from flowing up freshwater streams and creeks.            

Your Questions Answered November 2019 We often receive questions from the public about wetlands and why they are important. Tasha Dailey is certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist by the Society of Wetland Scientists and explains why wetlands are a critical part of our natural environment. Q: What is a wetland? A: A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded by water, either permanently or seasonally, where… Read more

Weeki Wachee Springs has an extensive underwater cave system and is known for its world-famous mermaids. About the SpringsThe Weeki Wachee River is a first-magnitude spring system originating in Hernando County. The headspring is home to … Read more

Fifty-one Hillsborough County teachers and three private school teachers are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness… Read more

Where possible, launch facilities are provided for boaters on District lands. There are many recreational opportunities available on water bodies throughout the District including boating, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. All visitors taking part in water sports should keep safety first. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) regulates… Read more

Overview Applicants will be asked to break this down in more detail in the application. Students will work together to test various water quality parameters and conduct a macroinvertebrate sampling at locations along the Hillsborough River. To determine a healthy ecosystem, students will work in groups and use different monitoring tools to collect data on the river’s temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and nutrient levels. Students… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with Manatee County Utilities to help their customers save money and conserve water by providing rebates to customers who replace their high-volume toilets.Residential, commercial and industrial customers within the Manatee County Utilities service area, which includes western unincorporated Manatee County and the cities of Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach, are eligible to participate in the rebate… Read more