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QR Codes Added for Most Up-to-Date Property DetailsThe Southwest Florida Water Management District published its new, free recreational guide highlighting nearly 70 properties. With its new sleeker design, users can scan QR codes to discover specific up-to-date details about each property.There are thousands of acres of recreational lands throughout the District and access to most of them is free to visitors. The new recreation guides also allow users to take notes…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $108,304 in grants to 51 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 City of Wildwood in Sumter Counter is known as “the crossroads of Florida” for its central location near several major roadways in the state. Now, it can also add the distinction of tastiest tap water in West Central Florida. The city’s water department won the annual Best Tasting Drinking Water Contest for Florida Section Region 4 of the American Water Works Association. Mandi Rice, the District’s assistant executive director was one of the judges for Region 4…

A District staff member was recently recognized for his quick thinking when assisting a citizen, possibly saving a life. Alan Saxton, a senior heavy equipment operator for the District, received an Award of Excellence for his actions in August 2017. The Award of Excellence is a series of awards given internally to staff twice a year for contributing to the success of the District’s mission, vision, values and goals.  Saxton was leaving the Green Swamp…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has a new Community Affairs Coordinator for the District’s Sarasota Service Office. Terri Behling, APR will serve as a liaison between the District and the constituents of Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. She will work closely with the city and county governments and coordinate the District’s Cooperative Funding Initiative. The Sarasota Service Office is located at 6750 Fruitville Road. Behling…

A project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Englewood Water District will bring reclaimed water to the 73 homes in Englewoods Park Forest subdivision.The project includes the design and construction of more than 3,800 linear feet of reclaimed water transmission lines.This project is expected to provide approximately 43,800 gallons per day (gpd) of reclaimed water to meet the current demands of the residential customers, which will offset…

Ekker Preserve, top, before restoration. At bottom, the restoration project after completion of the final grading. A tropical fish nursery that was dominated by nonnative plants and mosquitoes was recently converted into a maturing 23-acre wetland habitat for many native species. The wetland habitat is part of the 85-acre Ekker Preserve in Gibsonton. The District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management Program recently completed construction of the…

A cooperatively funded program between the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of North Port will identify what is causing degraded water quality in the region. The information gathered by the program will be used to develop a water quality improvement plan.The North Port Water Enhancement Program consists of a study that includes water sampling, data collection and analysis.During the course of a year, monthly water samples will be taken from…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pasco County recently signed an agreement to work together on a project that will maximize the use of reclaimed water resources in the county.The Pasco County Wet Weather Reclaimed Water Reservoir project involves constructing a reservoir on 35 acres next to the Land O’ Lakes wastewater treatment facility. The reservoir will be built to store up to 100 million gallons of reclaimed water from the facility.Reclaimed…

 Clockwise from top left:1: This marked plant indicates beetles were placed on it so the rancher does not tamper with it. 2: One tropical soda apple fruit can contain hundreds of seeds. 3: Mike Terry, District plant management crew leader, and Dr. Julio Medal prepare to release TSA leaf-eating beetles. 4: The small beetles come from Medal’s cages in Gainesville. 5: This is an example of what a TSA plant looks like after the beetles are through with it.…

A project funded by the Southwest Florida Management District and St. Petersburg will improve the quality of the water entering Lake Maggoire.The project will expand on the city’s alum injection system at the16th Street South outfall. Alum is a chemical agent that promotes the formation of large particle aggregates, or floc. The floc is made up of aluminum hydroxide and absorbed constituents of the stormwater. The floc precipitates out of solution, removing a…

Kass Sink looked harmless enough from the edge, but just below the surface, piles of garbage and debris sat potentially poisoning the drinking water. Kass Sink is like many other sinkholes in Hernando and Citrus counties. Most are clustered around or are considered a part of one of the five first-magnitude springs systems: Weeki Wachee, Homosassa, Chassahowitzka, Kings Bay and Rainbow springs. Some of the sinks have a direct connection to the aquifer. While others may…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Inverness recently signed an agreement for a project that will save 700,000 gallons of water per day (gpd).This project will allow the Inverness Golf and Country Club to reduce its dependence on potable water sources for irrigation at its golf course and give the city the ability to provide reclaimed water, through existing piping, to the Citrus County Holden Park athletic fields to reduce its use of groundwater…

World Water Monitoring Day is Sept. 18 and highlights the importance of monitoring water quality and protecting our water resources. The District’s Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP) collects data from waterbodies around the District so the information can be used to determine whether our water is suitable for drinking, recreational activities and wildlife.When monitoring water quality, staff evaluate factors like changes in water temperature, dissolved oxygen…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District today approved an important plan to coordinate efforts with two other water management districts to meet the growing water supply needs of a five-county region in Central Florida while also protecting the water and related natural resources.The Action Plan for the Central Florida Coordination Area is a cooperative effort among the Southwest Florida, South Florida and St. Johns River water management districts. The Coordination…

Educators interested in securing grant funding for classroom projects that focus on water quality, natural systems, water conservation, alternative water sources, flood protection or watersheds are encouraged to apply for a Splash! mini-grant through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The goal of the mini-grant program is to promote hands-on water resources education that teaches students about their local watersheds and the water resources within them. Splash…

The public is invited to an open house Thursday, June 28 for a plan to address the current and long-term water supply needs in the central Florida region.A regional water supply plan is being developed by the Central Florida Water Initiative, a collaboration of agencies to address water issues in southern Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk and Seminole counties. The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org is part of the initiative, which is focused…

A reclaimed water project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Winter Haven will expand reclaimed water service in the northern service area, offsetting about 454,000 gallons of potable water per day.The project will connect several developments, including Hampton Cove, Lakes at Lucerne Park, Sunset Hills, Royal Hills, and Lake Henry Isles, to the reclaimed water system. As a result, reclaimed water will be available to approximately 2,…

Southwest Florida Water Management District employees recently removed 15 tons of tires and 68 tons of other garbage and debris from a sinkhole near Crews Lake in Pasco County.The removal efforts are part of the District’s Springs Cleanup Initiative to remove solid waste from sinkholes and other karst features within the Springs Coast Basin, which includes Citrus, Hernando, Pasco and Marion counties. The project is in its second year and has been approved for a third year.…

A project funded by the Southwest Florida Management District and the city of Belleair Beach will reduce flooding and improve water quality.The project will upgrade the city’s stormwater management system near 12th Street. The roadways and stormwater infrastructure in the area were built before current water quality programs so the area experiences heavy sediment and pollution loading from Gulf Boulevard. The sediment-laden runoff flows directly into an outfall pipe…