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The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be spot treating infestations of water hyacinth and water lettuce on the Braden River July 28-31. The portion of the river that will be treated is located south of State Road 70 in Manatee County.Treatment involves the spot application of the aquatic herbicide Reward to scattered infestations. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Treated river…

For the past 60 years, the District has worked to protect water resources and ensure the public’s water needs are met. But as Florida’s population continues to grow, it will take careful planning and innovative new ideas to ensure the state’s water supply. An estimated 1,000 people move to Florida each day, and Florida will need an additional one billion gallons per day by 2040. The water supply is not endless, so legislators passed the Clean Waterways Act in 2020, which…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is offering six easy ways to prepare for your holiday meals and parties without running up your water bill. During the holidays, water plays a role in everything from food preparation to the clean-up process. Here's how to incorporate water conservation into your holiday preparations:

• Defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator or the microwave instead of running hot water over them.
• Rinse…

Sixty-six school teachers across the District’s 16-county region will teach issues surrounding our freshwater resources with the help of Splash! school grants from the District. The goal of the Splash! school grant program is to provide teachers with funding to enhance student knowledge of topics that meet the District’s core mission and teach students about their local watersheds, water conservation, quality and supply. Splash! school grants provide up to $3,000 per…

The Dunnellon Homeschool Club will share information it learned about protecting and conserving our water resources with the community at a workshop Thursday, April 23 at 10:30 a.m.The workshop, which is being held at the Dunnellon Public Library meeting room, 20351 Robinson Road. in Dunnellon, will discuss current events impacting our water supply, the aquifer and other natural systems, and water conservation methods, including Florida-friendly landscaping and rain barrels.…

Description: There is a place in the middle of the state, far from either coast, where people can go to experience the unaltered natural beauty of central Florida. The 51,000-acre East Tract of the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve offers visitors the ability to hike, hunt, bike, camp or fish in a rare wilderness full of local flora and fauna. The Green Swamp East Tract, which stretches across Sumter, Lake, and Polk counties, contains a variety of habitat types —…

On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board adopted a $256.2 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2026, including $114.3 million in Cooperative Funding Initiatives and District grants for water resources projects.The budget reflects the District’s commitment to protect Florida’s water resources and to improve Florida’s economic vitality. Some of the key initiatives in the District’s FY2026 budget include:

• $102.9 million for…

Polk County residents are invited to celebrate Earth Day with “Water, Wings and Wild Things,” a family event being held Saturday at IMC Park, next to the Bartow Civic Center.The celebration, which is from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., will feature environmental presentations, exhibits and educational displays. The displays will highlight Polk County’s environmental resources, plants, animals and water conservation.Participants who answer water conservation…

Tougher Restrictions Aim to Conserve Dwindling Water Supplies Faced with the impacts from an ongoing, three-year drought, the District’s Governing Board enacted its strongest water shortage restrictions in February and March to address water needs while protecting the water resources. Seven of the counties within the District’s 16-county region are now under critical or extreme water shortage alerts. The District identifies four possible levels of water shortage,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating water hyacinths and water lettuce on portions of the Withlaccochee River June 20-23.Two sections of the river will be treated. The first site is located between State Road 41 and State Road 200 in Citrus and Marion counties. The second site is located between State Road 44 and the Wysong Coogler Adjustable Water Conservation Structure in Citrus and Sumter counties.Treatment involves the spot application of the…

The District is scheduled to adopt new minimum levels for Lake Angelo and Lake Denton, which are located in northern Highlands County. Minimum Flows and Levels are a protective measure used by the District for water use permitting, water supply planning and environmental resource permitting. This meeting is open to the public and the purpose is to share the proposed new minimum lake levels and accept public comments for consideration. More information and draft reports…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored Kristen Russell-Milford, an Inverness Primary School teacher, for her students’ outstanding water resources education project. A total of 27 projects were recognized during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Lake Mirror Complex in Lakeland.Through Russell-Milford’s project, “Water is Part of the Solution,” Inverness Primary School students learned about Florida-…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored three outstanding Hillsborough County projects that focused on water resources education. A total of 26 projects were recognized Wednesday during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East Hotel.

• Diane King and Brad Jackson, Valrico Elementary School teachers, were recognized for their project, “Cycles of Life.” As part of a 2006-2007 Splash! mini-…

 Roger Araya spent several weeks with the Resource Conservation and Data Department collecting water samples and learning about water quality. While many high school students spend their summer breaks doing anything but preparing for their futures, Roger Araya chose to plunge headfirst into the world of water resources. A recent graduate of Arenal Guanacaste High School in Costa Rica, Araya received some hands-on experience as a temporary addition to the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized the Marion County 10th Annual Master Gardener Spring Festival 2004 as an outstanding water resources education program.Approximately 9,000 people attended this Florida-friendly landscaping event, which is organized by the Marion County Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program. Information on proper plant material, water conservation and water quality materials was distributed. More than 1,000 people also…

Hold Back The Rain     Gene Farley’s days are spent watching and listening for signs of trouble. Farley is the “structures guy,” otherwise known as the Structure Controls Supervisor, at the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Farley is the man who makes the decision when to open or close one of the 80 water conservation and flood control structures the District operates and maintains in the 16-county area of west-central Florida. While…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $113,138 in grants to 52 educators within the District as part of the Splash! school grant program. The program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources in grades K-12.Splash! grants encourage hands-on student learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities as well as engagement of the greater school community through awareness…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to modify the tightened turfgrass restrictions for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, which will allow builders to sod and residents to replace lawns under a specific set of conditions.District staff met with members of the sod industry last week to discuss solutions to the extreme water shortage in the Tampa Bay area as well as the serious economic conditions affecting the sod…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored six outstanding Polk County projects that focused on water resources education. A total of 27 projects were recognized during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Lake Mirror Complex in Lakeland.The Polk County recipients are listed below. Portions of Polk County are represented by each of these District Basin Boards, Alafia River, Hillsborough River, and Peace River.Scott Nelson, a…

On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board adopted a $231.6 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025, including $86.6 million for Cooperative Funding Initiatives and District grants for water resources projects.The budget reflects the District’s commitment to protect Florida’s water resources and to improve Florida’s economic vitality. Some of the key initiatives in the District’s FY2025 budget include: 

• $76.5 million…