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Festival coincides with first Springs Awareness WeekThis year’s Marion County Master Gardeners’ Spring Festival, which is being held March 14 – 15 at the Marion County Extension Service Office in Ocala, coincides with the first Springs Awareness Week.The Southwest Florida Water Management District has partnered with Citrus and Marion counties and the cities of Crystal River and Dunnellon to proclaim March 14-21 as Springs Awareness Week. The goal is to… Read more

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… Read more

The District is building upon the success of its award-winning Water Conservation Hotel And Motel Program (Water CHAMP) by launching a new companion program for restaurants. The Water Program for Restaurant Outreach (Water PRO) was launched in May. Water PRO is a free program that helps restaurants conserve water by educating staff and customers. By implementing Water PRO, restaurant management agrees to only serve water upon request, display water conservation… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

In an effort to conserve water during the ongoing drought, the Southwest Florida Water Management District is encouraging residents who irrigate their lawns to “skip a week” 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. In fact, three-quarters of an inch of water every 10–14 days is sufficient.“The cooler months are a good… Read more

Engineer Matt Preston keeps watch from the boat, while swimmers Stephanie Powers and Mary Szafraniec, District environmental scientists, survey seagrass. Vital Marine Habitat Shows Improvement in Six Water Bodies Increases in seagrass presence in the Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor regions have given District scientists encouraging signs that the health of some important water bodies is continuing to improve. The Surface Water Improvement and Management… Read more

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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is in the process of developing the 2025 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP). The plan lists projected water demands as well as possible water sources for each region of the District through the year 2045. The draft RWSP is posted on the District webpage. Comments may be submitted virtually thought the webpage.… Read more

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,… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is in the process of developing the 2025 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP). The plan lists projected water demands as well as possible water sources for each region of the District through the year 2045. The draft RWSP is posted on the District webpage. Comments may be submitted virtually thought the webpage. At the workshop… Read more

The 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 your irrigation system and operate it… Read more

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… Read more

Overwatering in winter can encourage pests and diseaseThe 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… Read more

With recent rainfall and cooler temperatures this week, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ 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,… Read more

The 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 your irrigation system and operate it… Read more

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… Read more

The 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 your irrigation system and operate it… Read more