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Albert G. Joerger took his oath of office to serve on the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board during the February Board meeting. Joerger was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist to a newly created seat. The Governing Board was previously made up of 11 seats. Last year the state Legislature added two new seats for a total of 13. Joerger’s term ends March 1, 2011. The Sarasota resident is the founder and president of the…

Defining Moment In an effort to make conservation more “user-friendly,” the Governing Board has adopted the term “Florida-friendly” to use in the District’s landscape management outreach and education projects. Florida-friendly will replace the terms “Xeriscape™” and “water-wise.” Why the change? Two reasons: concept and consistency. While Xeriscape landscapes are defined as landscaping that conserves water and protects the environment, some people still…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping at a DeSoto County farm.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project at Island Grove Agricultural Products, Inc. is located on its 57-acre blueberry farm in the Joshua Creek Watershed. The property drains to Hog Bay Slough, a…

WUPs require submittal of an application form that is dependent upon the annual average quantities requested and one or more supplemental forms. Choose the appropriate application form and include the appropriate supplemental form(s).Application FormsTo renew or modify or apply for a new water use permit  (Form LEG-R.100.00; Rule 40D-2.101(1) – May 19, 2014) (Form LEG-R.035.02; Rule 40D-2.331(2)(b) – May 19, 2014)To transfer a water use permit (Form LEG-R…

Ten Hillsborough County projects were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. 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 49 grants Districtwide for a total of $171,444. This is the 10th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to…

Reuse of Wastewater Is Vital to the Region’s Future Reduce, reuse and recycle — the three R’s of reducing waste — is a phrase that traditionally applies to the trash we throw away. But a District program takes the idea of reuse and applies it to one of our most precious resources: water. The program is called water reuse: extending our water supply by using highly treated wastewater for irrigation and other uses. Using this treated wastewater, called reclaimed…

The Starkey Wilderness Preserve is one of the largest undeveloped tracts in Pasco County and protects sensitive environmental areas in the fast-growing western portion of Pasco County. The preserve consists of three tracts: 

• Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park
• Serenova Tract
• Anclote River Ranch…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with Manatee County Utilities to promote water conservation by providing toilet rebates of up to $100 for each high-volume toilet replaced with a low-flow model.High-volume toilets can use three gallons or more per flush, while low-flow toilets use up to 1.6 gallons per flush.Residential, commercial and industrial customers within the Manatee County Utilities service area, which includes western unincorporated…

The Coleman's Landing boat ramp on the east side of Lake Panasoffkee will reopen to the public on Saturday, July 15. The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has completed an aquatic plant removal project which required the temporary closure of the boat ramp.Aquatic plants were harvested to create boat access trails across the lake through areas of dense vegetation. For more…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 197,000 gallons per day (gpd) at a Charlotte County citrus and cattle company.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project, proposed by Diner Citrus & Cattle Company and OSS, LLC, is located upstream from the City of…

Ken Harrison, Carlton family friend and member of the Peace River Basin Board, led guests on a tour to highlight the property’s diverse habitats. More than 12,000 acres of environmentally sensitive lands in Sarasota County that have been part of a family ranch since 1947 will remain natural, thanks to an agreement among the family, the District and Sarasota County. In December 2007, the District and Sarasota County purchased a conservation easement over 7,…

Projects expected to inform more than 100,000 people in Sarasota County about water conservation and water quality issues were recently awarded Community Education Grants from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org. This year the District awarded 12 grants Districtwide for a total of $50,319. This is the 15th year Community Education Grants have been available. These grants currently help fund projects that provide communities an…

Rainfall summaries are available as spreadsheets for downloading to your computer. Summaries are tabulated by specific geographic areas, such as county or drainage basin boundaries, for that portion of the geographic area within SWFWMD boundaries. Each page within a spreadsheet shows period-of-record rainfall totals in inches (based on area-weighted average values) for 1915 through the previous calendar year by month, wet season, dry season, calendar year, or water year.…

Staff and dignitaries attended the grand opening ceremony of the Frances Archbold Hufty Learning Center and Adrian Archbold Lodge at Archbold Biological Station in Highlands County. The station is an independent, not-for-profit organization offering programs in ecological research, education and conservation. The District provided funding for educational exhibits, signage and a demonstration garden that will educate visitors about the Lake Wales Ridge, Florida scrub…

Originally purchased as part of the Four River Basins project, the Green Swamp is the headwaters of the Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha, Hillsborough and Peace rivers. Protecting the Green Swamp is vital to protecting the quality and quantity of Florida’s water supply. Hundreds of thousands of acres of conservation lands have been protected and restored by the District during the past 50 years. These lands are managed to protect vital water functions and…

AGMOD is a computer program used in our water use permitting process to calculate supplemental irrigation, crop establishment, cold protection and other irrigation water uses. The program is our main tool for allocating agricultural and recreational irrigation quantities. In addition, AGMOD has been used in the 30-year Needs and Sources Study, Water Resources Assessment Project (WRAP), District Regional Water Supply Plan, and as an alternative method for estimating annual…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is reminding residents who irrigate their lawns to “Skip a Week” or more of watering during the cooler months of January and February. According to research by the University of Florida, grass doesn’t need to be watered as often during the cooler months. One-half to three-quarters of an inch of water every 10–14 days is sufficient. In fact, if your lawn has received any significant rainfall, then you can turn…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and NOAA's National Weather Service will host a public information meeting about Lake Panasoffkee on Thursday, October 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Lake Panasoffkee Recreation Center, located at 1582 County Rd. 459 in Lake Panasoffkee.The District will present information about the lake levels and the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is reminding residents who irrigate their lawns to “Skip a Week” or more of watering during the cooler months of January and February. According to research by the University of Florida, grass doesn’t need to be watered as often during the cooler months. One-half to three-quarters of an inch of water every 10–14 days is sufficient. In fact, if your lawn has received any significant rainfall, then you can turn off…

Don’t miss Hillsborough County’s hiking spree featuring numerous District lands. The hiking spree encourages residents and visitors to get out and explore the county’s parks. Edward Medard Conservation Park,…