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The Southwest Florida Water Management District, St. Johns River Water Management District and South Florida Water Management District have scheduled a virtual joint public meeting at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 6, to solicit stakeholder input on each district’s annual update of their priority list and schedule for the establishment of minimum flows and water levels as well as water reservations.Participants can join the virtual meeting at … Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is proud to announce the recipients of the 2006 Community Education Grant Program. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 34 grants Districtwide for a total of $151,278. Of those 34 grants awarded, five were awarded to groups in Pinellas County.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant… Read more

Eight Pinellas County projects that have the potential to reach approximately 298,800 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. These grants offer up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 32 grants Districtwide. This is the 12th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community… Read more

Built on the concept of collaboration, the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) works with the area's 83 utilities to scale water conservation efforts and promote alternative water supplies for a growing population. "The CFWI is focused on regional, multijurisdictional solutions that serve more than one utility, and by extension more residents, businesses, the agricultural community and other water users in the region," said St. Johns River Water Management District… Read more

The Florida House of Representatives and Senate each adopted a resolution last week declaring April 14 through April 21 Peace River Watershed Awareness Week.The Senate resolution was sponsored by Sen. J.D. Alexander. Sens. Michael Bennett, Lisa Carlton and Rhonda Storms co-sponsored the resolution.The House resolution was sponsored by Rep. Michael Grant. Reps. Frank Attkisson, Marty Bowen, Seth McKeel and Dennis Ross co-sponsored the resolution.“We’re pleased that our… Read more

Looking for a New Year’s Resolution you’ll keep in 2016? Resolve to conserve water in the new year with these easy ideas: 

1. Reduce daily showers by two minutes and save up to 240 gallons per month. 
2. Fix dripping faucets and save around 1,650 gallons per month.
3. Replace showerheads with low-flow models and save about 480 gallons per month.
4. Turn off the faucet while brushing teeth and shaving, and save up to 225…

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It started with a single blade of eelgrass, actually thousands of them.  District springs experts are hoping those blades of grass will thrive and grow into dense vegetation that will improve water quality and sustain beneficial fish and wildlife habitats in Kings Bay. The pilot project is part of the District’s Hunters Cove Restoration Project. The first phase of the project is to grow a special type of eelgrass in mats made of coconut coir material. This… Read more

A national program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calls the District’s Water Conservation Hotel and Motel Program (Water C.H.A.M.P.) a “Gulf Guardian.” The District’s water conservation program took second place among government programs at the Gulf Guardian Awards in Corpus Christi, Texas. Water C.H.A.M.P. began in September 2002 as a two-year pilot program in the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin of the Southwest Florida Water Management… Read more

Anthony Andrade, senior water conservation analyst, is the national WateReuse Person of the Year. This is Anthony Andrade’s year. The District project manager and senior water conservation analyst has been named national “WateReuse Person of the Year” for 2006. The award was presented in September at the 2006 WateReuse Symposium, which was held jointly by the WateReuse Association, American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation. Each… Read more

Over time, the springs’ water quality and amount of water they discharge have been threatened by both human activities and natural factors. The challenges facing our springs include:  

• Increases in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus due to development in springsheds, excessive fertilizer use and failing septic tanks. Excess nitrate levels in water can be harmful to aquatic insects, amphibians and fish. If algae have an…

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Pirate Parrot, Pittsburg Pirates mascot, gives Governing Board Chairman Todd Pressman the ball after Pressman threw out the first pitch. The District teamed up with the Pittsburgh Pirates to promote water conservation, dubbing the March 8 spring training game against the New York Yankees as Water Matters Day. The District gave the first 2,000 fans a free baseball-shaped shower timer, and Governing Board Chairman Todd Pressman threw out the first pitch.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has developed a new conservation program to incentivize utilities, institutions and commercial water users to reduce their water use. This 50 percent cost-share reimbursement program, known as Water Incentives Supporting Efficiency or WISE, will support water conservation efforts Districtwide. WISE will award applicants up… Read more

During the dry season, the Southwest Florida Water Management District would like to remind homeowners that they can conserve water by maintaining current kitchen and bathroom fixtures or by upgrading to water conserving fixtures.A dripping faucet can waste up to 30 gallons of water per day. Dripping faucets can be repaired by replacing the washers or tightening the fixture. A variety of repair kits can be found in local home improvement and hardware stores. Most kits… Read more

Restrictions eased for Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto and Charlotte countiesEditor's note: Contact Robyn Felix at Robyn.Felix@WaterMatters.org to receive a color map via email.The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board voted today to ease water restrictions for Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto and Charlotte counties. The Board voted to lift the Phase III restrictions for the Southern counties in the District due to improvements in public water supply storage as a… Read more

Cowboys recently cracked their whips and recreated history on District property. The District hosted the Hernando Southern Heritage Days Cracker Cattle Drive at Potts Preserve in Citrus County. The Cracker Cattle Drive is a yearly event sponsored by the Hernando Heritage Council of About two dozen community leaders and other citizens got an up-close look at the condition of Kings Bay when the District hosted a boat tour last week.  The tour was one of the… Read more

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… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us will be treating water hyacinth and water lettuce on the Braden River during the week of Aug. 2–6.District workers will treat portions of the river south of SR 70.Workers will apply the aquatic herbicides Reward® or Aqua Star™ to scattered infestations, and post warning signs in the treatment areas noting treatment dates and water use restrictions.… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org will be treating water hyacinth and water lettuce on the Braden River during the week of June 7-11.District workers will treat portions of the river south of SR 70.Workers will apply the aquatic herbicide Reward to scattered infestations, and post warning signs in the treatment areas noting treatment dates and water use restrictions. Treated river water… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized six Polk County projects as outstanding school, community grant or volunteer programs that focus on water resources education. A total of 52 projects were recognized during the October 7 Reflect, Connect, Celebrate Water Resources Education Conference at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center in Tarpon Springs.To select the awardees, District staff reviewed grants applied for by teachers… Read more

Representatives from the Tampa Water Department were honored Tuesday with a Water Stewardship Award from the Southwest Florida Water Management’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board.The board chose the Tampa Water Department “Sensible Sprinkling and Irrigation Evaluation” program because it educates participants about outdoor water use efficiency. Participants receive a free evaluation performed by a certified irrigation auditor and a detailed report with… Read more