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The purpose of the Public Supply Advisory Committee (PSAC) is to provide professional and technical input into District programs and activities.This includes regulatory programs, rule revisions, water conservation activities, water resource planning, water resource and supply development projects, research and other water resource management projects that relate to the environment. Subject matter considered by the PSAC shall relate to the statutory duties and… Read more

Extremely low water supplies in storage as region enters dry seasonThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted Tuesday to tighten water restrictions for all of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.The Governing Board has enacted these additional measures at the request of Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale water supplier. Tampa Bay Water requested the District’s assistance because its water supplies have not returned to… Read more

It’s official. District employees in Tampa now have a new home. While the subject of maintaining flood control structures caught the nation’s attention after Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, structures have always been at the top of the District’s priorities. Flood protection is one of the District’s areas of responsibility. The District’s goal is to minimize the potential for damage from floods by protecting and restoring the natural water storage and… Read more

The District encourages water conservation by partnering with local governments to provide high-efficiency toilet rebate programs.Most offer up to a $100 rebate when residents replace inefficient toilets with high-efficiency models. The District splits the cost with participating local governments and utilities. Commercial/institutional properties could also be eligible for a grant from the District’s WISE program.To find out more… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is encouraging residents to turn off their irrigation systems after this weekend’s rain.Outdoor water use can account for up to fifty percent of residential water use.“Many homeowners have a rain sensor shut-off device, which can be programmed to shut off an irrigation system when half an inch of rain has fallen,” said Sylvia Durell, Florida-friendly landscaping project manager. “Those homeowners who don’t have one should… Read more

At a time when most news reports about the economy are negative, a District program is providing a boon to the local economy. A project funded through the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Program, a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and improves water quality, created work for ten local contractors and subcontractors. The project involved the design, permitting and construction of a five-acre surface water… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is prohibiting campfires and other sources of open flames on District conservation lands in conjunction with numerous county burn bans and dry conditions. Lack of rainfall this spring has made grasses and other light vegetation extremely dry and volatile, increasing the potential for wildfires. Burning is thereby prohibited on these District properties with camping until sufficient rains occur and county burn bans… Read more

TheSumter County Extension Office will receive a $5,000 Community Education Grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for its “Watering Smart- Living Green in The Villages” project.This project will target new residents of The Villages. Each month, 60 to 80 new residents will attend irrigation awareness workshops and receive hands-on instruction in setting and maintaining their sprinkler systems. Additional residents will be reached through a… Read more

h3. Old World climbing fern threatening the Green SwampWith threats from new invasive plants and animal species continuing to rise in Florida, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is battling to keep a new invasive vine from infesting the "Green Swamp(Interactive Green Swamp)":/education/interactive/greenswamp/greenswamp.html."Old World climbing fern(Old World Climbing Fern)":/projects/invasives/old-world-fern.php… Read more

With the hustle and bustle of the season, there’s one thing residents can skip on their “to do” list watering their lawns.Faced with an increasingly severe drought, the Southwest Florida Water Management District is encouraging residents who irrigate their lawns to “skip a week” during the cooler months to save water.“Over-watering makes your lawn less drought tolerant and can encourage disease and pests,” said Sylvia Durell,… Read more

Three Citrus County projects expected to reach up to 167,000 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/. This year the District approved 29 grants Districtwide for a total of $120,471. This is the 14th year "Community Education Grants(Community Education Grant program)":/business/communitygrants have been available. These grants offer reimbursement up to $5,000 to help… Read more

April 2025Q: What is a spring?A: A spring occurs when groundwater that is under pressure flows through natural cracks in the aquifer and creates a natural opening in the ground. The pressure causes the water to flow from the aquifer to the earth’s surface. Our groundwater is the result of seasonal rainfall that soaks into the ground and into the aquifer. Springs can occur as an individual vent but more often as many… Read more

A project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management Districts Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board and the City of Clearwater will improve water quality, reduce erosion and increase flood protection along the Stevensons Creek Watershed.The watershed encompasses an area of approximately 10 square miles in western Pinellas that includes the cities of Dunedin and Clearwater.This multi-year project will allow the implementation of the Best Management Practices (BMPs)… Read more

Improving communication between the District and the more than 190 public supply utilities in the region is the focus of a new utility outreach program that officially kicked off this summer. This outreach program provides tremendous benefit to utilities by offering District tools, programs and resources that can help them meet the District’s regulatory requirements, conserve water and save money. The need for strengthened communication was identified last year… Read more

Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director David L. Moore today declared a modified Phase II Severe Water Shortage which restricts lawn watering to one-day-per-week throughout the 16-county District.The restrictions apply to the use of water from public and private water utilities as well as the use of all wells and surface water sources (ponds, rivers, etc.). The order goes into effect January 16 and remains in place until July 31 unless otherwise… Read more

Charlotte Harbor has about 985 acres of seagrass beds, according to the 2014 seagrass mapping study by the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program. The District’s study results show Charlotte Harbor now supports 19,896 acres of seagrass beds. That’s the largest amount of seagrass measured since 1996.  Seagrasses are an important barometer of a bay’s health because they require relatively clean water to flourish, thus they are… Read more

table(webalert). |*Who:*|Representatives from "Keep Manatee Beautiful(Keep Manatee Beautiful)":http://www.manateebeautiful.com/, the "Florida Department of Environmental Protection(Florida Department of Environmental Protection)":http://www.dep.state.fl.us and the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program staff and volunteers.||*What:*|As part of the 25th annual… Read more