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_First test this Saturday, Oct. 3 at noon_The Southwest Florida Water Management District will begin monthly audible testing on Saturday, Oct. 3 of three sirens installed near the Edward Medard Park reservoir in southeast Hillsborough County.The audible testing will continue to occur the first Saturday of each month at noon to ensure these sirens perform properly. During testing, the sirens will sound for about 15 seconds and are expected to reach a two-mile radius.The…

Southwest Florida Water Management District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District land this fall and winter to help reduce the wild hog population.Beginning at 9 a.m. on Oct. 12, prospective hunters can purchase permits for these hunts on the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/hoghunts/. Permits will be available on a first-come, first-…

District staff moderated discussion sessions and presented studies during the 8th Biennial Conference on Stormwater Research and Watershed Management. The conference, which was held in late April, was co-sponsored by the District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The two-day conference provided a forum to discuss and debate a wide range of stormwater treatment and watershed management ideas and issues and provide initial peer review.…

Want to know if we’re catching up on the drought? How does the current drought compare to the historic drought of 2000-2001?A new Southwest Florida Water Management District web page provides information on long-term rainfall and river flows in west-central Florida.Color-coded charts and maps compare current rainfall and river flows to historical levels, illustrating the degree to which levels deviate from normal over the 16-county District.The District developed the…

Throughout the year Southwest Florida Water Management District employees volunteer their time and donate money to help support a variety of charitable organizations, but the greatest support comes during the holiday season.The District’s employee committee coordinates the holiday season benevolent efforts, which begin in the fall with an auction to raise funds for the “adopt-a-family” program that helps employees, their families, and their friends and neighbors. Families…

Residents are invited to give input on the District’s Withlacoochee River Watershed Initiative during a series of public workshops. The initiative is a multi-year effort designed to better understand the dynamics of the river and watershed, identify how alterations have affected the system, and evaluate alternatives to better manage the water resources.  Nineteen river model scenarios have been identified through years of citizen input. These scenarios were…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, April 27, at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. The meeting is open to the public however, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will be followed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and facemasks are required inside District buildings. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September at the following Pasco County properties:  

• Cypress Creek Preserve…

Kurt Durham and Mitch Malone, senior field technicians, each received the District’s Shining Star award. Richard Owen, deputy executive director; Cheryl Johnson, field technician supervisor; and Ross Morton, Sarasota regulation director, are also pictured. The District’s Employee Committee recently surprised two of its own members, Kurt Durham and Mitch Malone, by presenting each with a Shining Star award for March…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns January through March at the following Pasco County properties:

• Cypress Creek Preserve
• …

Plant City High School students clear debris from the District’s Channel G Salinity Barrier. Volunteers recently gathered at a District structure to help prevent trash from traveling to Tampa Bay. National Honor Society club members and sponsors from Plant City High School gathered trash from the structure on Channel G as part of the 2011 International Coastal Cleanup. Channel G directs flows from Rocky Creek in western Hillsborough County into Old Tampa Bay…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns October through December at the…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September at the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, March 23, at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. The meeting is open to the public however, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will be followed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and facemasks are required inside District buildings. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. The meeting is open to the public however, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will be followed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and facemasks are required inside District buildings. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through March at the following Pasco County properties:

• Cypress Creek Preserve
• …

Education Goes Outdoors A watershed education program is giving Pasco County middle school students and teachers the opportunity to learn about Florida’s watersheds, including the Springs Coast Watershed. The program is called the Wetlands Ambassadors Program. The District sponsors the Wetlands Ambassadors Program by funding the transportation, materials and supplies, and by assisting with the corresponding teacher training. The program began during the 2002–…

Florida-Friendly Landscaping 101 A watershed education program is giving Pasco County middle school students and teachers the opportunity to learn about Florida’s watersheds, including the Springs Coast Watershed. The program is called the Wetlands Ambassadors Program. The District sponsors the Wetlands Ambassadors Program by funding the transportation, materials and supplies, and by assisting with the corresponding teacher training. The program began during the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. The meeting is open to the public however, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will be followed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and facemasks are required inside District buildings. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. This meeting is open to the public however, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will be followed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and facemasks are required by the public inside District buildings. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the…