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March 2024Q:  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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized eight Pinellas 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…

March 2023 Q: Why is it important to use best practices when visiting rivers and springs? A:  The District has found direct links between river recreational use and environmental damage. For example, visitors leaving kayaks while on the river have trampled vegetation and eroded riverbanks and sand point bars. Also, numerous trees have been damaged from climbing and rope swinging. Over time, these actions can have negative long-term…

Five Hernando County teachers were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.Mary Margaret Hull, District lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Hernando County to the strong partnership with Hernando County Schools. Jeff Yungmann, curriculum supervisor for Hernando County Schools, serves as the District's liaison to teachers and helped…

Six Highlands County teachers were awarded Splash! school grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Mary Margaret Hull, District lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Highlands County to the strong partnership with Highlands County Schools. Dorothea Strickland, Highlands County science curriculum specialist, serves as the District's liaison to teachers and helped get the word out."The District recognizes…

Longevity Recognized When Ron Vanlerberghe started working at the District, Lyndon B. Johnson was president, Florida was home to just over 6 million people, and the first issue of the alternative magazine “Rolling Stone” was about to hit newsstands. Thirty-five years later a lot has changed in our world, as well as the District. Florida now has more than 16 million people, “Rolling Stone” is considered mainstream, and Ron has become the longest serving District employee…

In 1995, the Schultz Preserve was purchased with funding from the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) and Hillsborough County through its Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection program. This 134-acre tract is currently managed by the Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Department. Formerly used to deposit dredge material, the Schultz Preserve was restored to mangrove forest, coastal and freshwater…

Twenty-eight Pinellas County teachers were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.Mary Margaret Hull, District lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Pinellas County to the strong partnership with Pinellas County Schools. Julie Poth, K–8 science supervisor for Pinellas County Schools, serves as the District's liaison to teachers and…

The District is nearing completion of its effort to upgrade the datum, or starting point, used to record water level elevation. The upgrade will improve accuracy of water elevation, which is measured in feet above the mean sea level.Staff are projected to finish the upgrade by completing the southern regions of the District in 2016.  The datum is being upgraded from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988…

Nine Citrus County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s school…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board Tuesday approved an agreement with Polk County as part of a plan to protect and preserve thousands of acres of environmentally sensitive land.The District and the county have agreed to jointly acquire the parcel, which is approximately 3,509 acres, for $7.369 million. Polk County will provide $2 million while the District will provide $5.369 million. Funds for the District's portion of the purchase are…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is offering Community Education Grants to members of the community who want to make a positive impact on the water resources in their area.The goal of the District’s Community Education Grant Program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues pertaining to conservation, protection and preservation. Funded by the District’s Basin Boards, the program is intended to motivate communities to get involved in…

Left: Philip Rhinesmith, District senior environmental scientist, demonstrates animal track plaster casting techniques to a group of students. Center: Students examine and identify macroinvertebrates in a water sample at the water quality station. Right: The soil sampling station was popular among many of the students on the field trip. Seventh-grade science students from Wildwood Middle High School recently stepped outside the classroom to collect and…

Students and teachers from Twin Lakes Elementary in Tampa were honored today with a Water Stewardship Award from the Southwest Florida Water Management’s Hillsborough River Basin Board.The board chose the Twin Lakes Elementary “Water Everywhere, Put It First, Make It Last” project to receive the Water Stewardship Award because of the student involvement. The school used a District grant to educate and engage students in water resources by planting a…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday renewed a water use permit (WUP) for Rolling Oaks Utilities in Citrus County.The annual average permitted quantity is 2.5 million gallons of water per day.The utility provides potable water to the Beverly Hills service area, which is approximately six miles east of Crystal River.The permit requires the city to investigate the feasibility of using reclaimed water or other alternative water supply sources…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org and Manatee County are giving residents a chance to learn about local water resource issues and how to make a difference during the Manatee County Extension Water School.The District believes citizens need to become actively engaged in water-related issues including conservation, protection and preservation. The school motivates communities to get involved in protecting their water resources. The…

Sixteen Pasco County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communication coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s school…

April 2023 Q:  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…

Citrus County students at two schools will study the issues surrounding our freshwater resources thanks to "Splash! school grants":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/schoolgrants/ from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The Citrus County awardees are:* Marla Gangler, *Hernando Elementary*, was awarded $1,141. Students will study the effects of pollution on the aquifer by collecting and analyzing water samples.* Zachary Leonard, *Citrus Springs Middle*, was…

Students at Sumter Alternative School will learn about freshwater habitats in Florida thanks to a "Splash! school grant":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/schoolgrants/ from the Southwest Florida Water Management 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.…