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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…

Brian Armstrong was appointed as the executive director of the Southwest Florida Water Management District in June 2016.Armstrong had previously served as the District’s assistant executive director where he provided daily oversight of three Divisions and more than 400 staff. As the assistant executive director, Armstrong introduced Six Sigma principles to the District creating a program to successfully reduce waste and unnecessary processes, saving money and time;…

Two Citrus County projects that are expected to reach approximately 31,000 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. These grants provide up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 38 grants Districtwide for a total of $136,598. This is the 11th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the…

In addition to flow from springs, the Withlacoochee River also receives water from several tributaries. The most notable are the Little Withlacoochee River, Gum Slough, Jumper Creek and the Outlet River from Lake Panasoffkee.Several lakes, including Lake Panasoffkee, Tsala Apopka and Lake Rousseau, are also key features that affect river flows. Along with the Withlacoochee and Rainbow rivers, these lakes are all designated Outstanding Florida Waters by the State of Florida.…

Learn about the District's founding and highlights of our 65 years in this interactive timeline of the District's history.- Requires a modern browser with javascript enabled

Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director David Moore signed two water shortage emergency orders last week that will allow the City of Tampa to withdraw additional water from Sulphur Springs and Tampa Bay Water (TBW) to withdraw additional water from the Tampa Bypass Canal to help meet the potable water demand of its member governments.Ongoing drought conditions have caused an acute water shortage within the region, so emergency actions are necessary to…

Northeast of the recently-restored Lake Panasoffkee, a wetland forest of freshwater marshes rises to the pine flatwoods and scrub oaks of upland sandhills to form the vast floodplain forest of the District’s Lake Panasoffkee property. The 9,911-acre property was acquired by the District to preserve the floodplain forest. Thick marsh vegetation prevents access to the lake from the property, but the property has a lot to offer. Visitors will find a large pavilion,…

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…

Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Surface Water Improvement and Management, or SWIM program, released the results of the 2016 seagrass mapping study showing Sarasota Bay now supports 13,469 acres of seagrass beds; an increase of 180 acres in seagrass coverage. Sarasota Bay waters includes five bay segments made up of Manatee and Sarasota County waters. Three of the five bay segments gained seagrass from 2014 to 2016 with an overall…

Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Surface Water Improvement and Management, or SWIM program, released the results of the 2014 seagrass mapping study showing Sarasota Bay now supports 13,288 acres of seagrass beds; an increase of 701 acres in seagrass coverage. Sarasota Bay waters include five bay segments made up of Manatee and Sarasota County waters. All bay segments gained seagrass from 2012 to 2014 with an overall 5.6% increase…

Scientists with the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) Surface Water Improvement and Management, or SWIM program, released the results of the 2014 seagrass mapping study showing Pinellas County waters now collectively support 17,334 acres of seagrass beds; an overall increase of 150 acres in seagrass coverage. Pinellas county waters include three bay segments: St. Joseph Sound, Clearwater Harbor North and, Clearwater…

The District is in the process of raising the levels of Lake Hancock to meet the minimum flows for the upper Peace River. During the 1990s, the District identified, planned and executed a number of programs and partnerships to implement changes necessary to protect our precious natural resources for future generations. It was a decade of proactive measures to promote the sustainability and growth of our area. Preservation 2000 The 1990s began with…

The District uses an extensive combination of research and analysis when assessing aquifer water level changes and the impacts to the state's springs, rivers and wetlands. A computer model is one of those tools used in that research and analysis. The District uses porous media models to monitor and regulate groundwater withdrawals and the impacts to resources. Porous media models are mathematical representations of a groundwater system made up of sand, clay and…

Rainfall deficits remain in all 16 countiesThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to extend all Phase II and Phase III water restrictions.Despite some instances of short-term heavy rainfall this summer that caused temporary, localized flooding, all of the counties within the District still have rainfall deficits and water levels are already declining.The Board voted to continue the…

Nearly a decade of public workshops, water resource analyses, and policy debates culminated this week in approval of the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) Recovery Strategy by the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board.This is an historic moment for the District, the public and the water resources, said Executive Director David L. Moore. Many years of labor and collaboration by Board members, staff, representatives of all the types of water users…

As bureau chief of Land Resources, Ellen Morgan Morrison is responsible for oversight of the District’s broad range of land-related activities covering more than 453,000 acres across all or part of 16 counties, including real estate services, land use requests and land management. Morrison oversees all District land acquisitions and sales, along with maintenance, recreation, security and management of the District’s approximately 265,000 acres of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) manages lands under its stewardship for the protection of water resources and natural systems through the application of effective, efficient and fiscally responsible land management practices. The purposes and attributes for which the lands were acquired provide the foundation for designating the appropriate land use and management strategies on the lands. As stewards of more than 343,000 acres of land within the 16…

Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Surface Water Improvement and Management, or SWIM program, released the results of its 2016 seagrass mapping study showing Tampa Bay now supports 41,655 acres of seagrass beds. This increase continues the success of the previous mapping efforts reported in 2015, supporting the largest amount of seagrass measured since the 1950s.This increase in seagrass has surpassed the recovery goal of 38,000…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District manages lands under its stewardship for the protection of water resources and natural systems through the application of effective, efficient and fiscally responsible land management practices. The purposes and attributes for which the lands were acquired provide the foundation for designating the appropriate land use and management strategies on the lands. As stewards of more than 343,000 acres of land within the its 16-county…