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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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is seeking public input to determine the priority of minimum flows and levels (MFLs) establishment for lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District as well as the establishment of water reservations. Legislation requires the District to review and, if necessary, revise this schedule each year. The District will hold a virtual public meeting Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. Members of the public can join the… Read more

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… Read more

• Many rivers in the Tampa Bay region have been severely impacted by flooding from Hurricane Milton. The only flood records higher than what we are experiencing now were in the early 1930s.
• The region received above average rainfall in its rainy season of June through September, and its lakes, streams, ponds, wetlands and aquifer levels were already full before Hurricane Milton brought a tremendous amount of rain to the region…

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Innovative ways to test and track water were the themes of this year’s student winners of the District’s Water Matters! Awards. The District recently awarded three students with the Water Matters! Award for their work at the Pasco County Science and Engineering Showcase. This is the second year the District has given the award, which was developed in partnership with Pasco County School District. The award recognizes notable projects relating to the mission of protecting… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's ":http://www.WaterMatters.org Governing Board yesterday approved funding for a project that will reduce groundwater withdrawals in Polk County by an estimated annual average savings of 21,000 gallons per day.John Crum Lake McLeod Blueberries will be reimbursed up to $41,810 for a surface water irrigation reservoir and tailwater recovery system at its 20-acre blueberry farm. The property is located within the Southern Water… Read more

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… Read more

A project in Highlands County to educate residents about Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ was recently awarded a Community Education Grant from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org.Twelve grants were awarded Districtwide this year for a total of $50,319. This is the 15th year "Community Education Grants":http://www.WaterMatters.org/CommunityGrants have been available. These grants currently help fund projects that provide communities an… Read more

They tackled topics that ranged from soils and forestry to aquatics and wildlife. More than 300 students from four counties recently participated in the 2014 Nature Coast Envirothon at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. The competition is a problem-solving, natural resources education program for high school students allowing them to use critical-thinking skills to solve problems or conduct hands-on investigations about current environmental issues.  This is… Read more

As the District stepped into its second decade, the hints of change that began in the late 1960s moved to the forefront. One of the District’s largest flood control systems, the Tampa Bypass Canal and its flood control structures, became fully operational in the 1970s. The flood protection mission that sparked the District’s birth continued on schedule. By 1970, major flood protection projects were complete, or nearly so in Pinellas, Citrus, Hernando… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ and the "City of Lake Alfred(City of Lake Alfred)":http://www.mylakealfred.com are offering Lake Alfred Utilities customers rebates of up to $100 for replacing their high-flow toilets and faucet aerators.Replacing older high-flow toilets with water-efficient toilets, which use 1.6 gallons per flush or less, or high efficiency toilets, which use 1.28 gallons per flush, and… Read more

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… Read more

Gov. Rick Scott on April 26 reappointed Albert Joerger, H. Paul Senft, and Doug Tharp to the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard.Joerger is from Sarasota and is the founder and president of The Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. His new term ends March 1, 2015. Joerger is also co-chair of the "Manasota Basin Board(Manasota Basin Board)":/about/… Read more

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.… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

Residents have just a few weeks left to enter their water-wise yard in Tampa Bay Water’s annual Water-Wise Awards. If you live in Pasco, Pinellas or Hillsborough counties or the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg or Tampa, you are eligible to enter the contest. The Community Water-Wise Awards program recognizes individuals and businesses that are committed to conserving water resources and protecting the environment by using the best in attractive, Florida-… Read more

The deadline to apply for a Community Education Grant through the Southwest Florida Water Management District is approaching. Grant applications are due Aug. 24, 2007. The grants, which offer funding up to $5,000 each, are designated for projects that motivate adults to get involved in education projects that promote water resources protection.Government agencies, private individuals, educational facilities, business and industry, neighborhoods, homeowner and service… Read more

Educators interested in securing a Splash! mini-grant through the Southwest Florida Water Management District are invited to apply online on the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/mini-grants/.The District’s Splash! mini-grants provide teachers with funding for classroom projects on water quality, natural systems, water conservation, alternative water sources, flood protection or watersheds. The goal of the mini-grant program is to promote hands-on water… Read more