Search Content

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board approved additional funding Tuesday for a project that will connect the Town of Longboat Key to the City of Sarasota’s water supply.The project is funded between the District and the Town of Longboat Key. The District’s Manasota Basin Board’s 2005 budget included $50,000 for the project. Now Longboat Key will receive an additional $200,000 in financial assistance from the District…

Fritz Musselmann, District land resources director. The Sierra Club’s Florida Chapter recognizes Fritz Musselmann’s appreciation for the land. The organization presented the District’s Land Resources director with the Osprey Award at the District’s October Governing Board meeting. “I really appreciate the recognition,” said Musselmann. “However, I can assure you that this award would not have come to me without the hard work, dedication and trustworthiness…

High school students from Pasco, Hernando and Sumter counties displayed their knowledge for the 2017 Nature Coast Envirothon. The competition is a problem-solving, natural resources education program which tests high school students on their surrounding environment.  Frank Gargano, Katie Carswell, Krista McKean, Gabrielle Kiliman, Kim Dymond, Carolyn Pina and David Sauskojus represented the District this year at Fort Cooper State Park. The Regulation staff…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is assisting the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) in performing maintenance on the Inglis Bypass Spillway water control structure located in Levy County on the Inglis Bypass Channel. The work has been rescheduled to take place Jan. 22 to Feb. 9.During that time, the water control gates will need to be partially or fully closed. Closings are anticipated to occur during daylight hours and for a…

A series of workshops aimed at familiarizing seasonal residents of Crystal Springs and Zephyrhills with Florida habitat and Florida-friendly landscape practices will begin March 6 at the Crystal Springs Preserve.The series of “Welcome to Our Watershed” workshops will encourage residents to take an active role in protecting the portion of the Hillsborough River watershed that travels through their neighborhoods. Participants who complete the workshop series will…

Butterfly lovers will have a weekend to explore the Museum of Science and Industry’s (MOSI) Bio Work’s Butterfly Garden at no charge.Butterfly Weekend at MOSI is being held Saturday, Sept. 24 and Sunday Sept. 25. The Bio Works Butterfly Garden will be open to the public, free of charge, on both days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Besides exploring the Bio Works Butterfly Garden, attendees will also be able to participate in several hands-on activities on Saturday, Sept. 24.…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) will hold a public workshop in Sarasota about the draft 2015 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP.) The plan presents the projected water demands across the District and all water use sectors for a 20-year planning period as well as identifies water supply sources and potential water supply project options. The workshop will be accessible via interactive webcast accessed remotely via…

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District staff and approximately 70 childrenWhat:The District’s 12th Annual “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.” Students between the ages of nine and 18 will spend the day at the District headquarters and service offices learning about District careers. This year the event will focus on the Governor’s Climate Change Initiative and how it relates to the District’s mission as well as “earth friendly” actions students can take to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will keep District-managed recreation lands open for individual and small group day use in its 16-county region to provide the public with a place to get outside and exercise. However, all campgrounds and campsites remain closed. (Please note, some lands are managed in partnership with other agencies. Please visit the individual property’s webpage to see if it is managed by another agency, and check property…

The Town of Lake Placid will receive a $4,332 grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 2007 Community Education Grant Program.As part of the project, approximately 20,000 Lake Placid residents will be sent packages containing information about watersheds, an identification sheet for nonnative, invasive plants and an invitation to attend a local Earth Day event. Recipients will learn how their behavior impacts the watershed and how to identify…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is seeking public input about the order in which minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District will be determined. Legislation requires the District to review and, if necessary, revise this schedule each year. A public workshop will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, at the District’s Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301. The…

The John Chestnut Senior Park in Tarpon Springs is about to undergo a little “spring cleaning.”The Pinellas County Parks & Recreation Department received a $4,083 grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 2006 Community Education Grant Program to help fund their “Perk Up A Park/Save a Day for the Bay” project on May 13. The grant funding comes from the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board, which includes…

Teachers interested in securing a "Splash! school grant(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants/ for hands-on water resources projects through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us can begin applying online. The application is available on the District's web site at www.WaterMatters.org/schoolgrants/. Grant applications are due Sept. 10, 2010.The District's Splash! grants provide…

Left: Jason LaRoche, a District professional geologist and engineer, volunteered his time to gather seeds. Top: Mary Barnwell, District senior land management specialist, collects bags of seeds from volunteers at the preserve. Above: Volunteers spread out to collect seeds from a variety of natural grasses. Right: Butch DeVary, District senior heavy equipment operator, helped collect seeds during National Public Lands Day. Picking up trash and planting trees are…

 District staff and contractors discuss floodplain concerns with residents. District Governing Board members and staff recently got a firsthand view of a successful agricultural alternative water-use project built through the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Program. The project involved constructing a surface water tailwater recovery system that was built at Lallymix Farms’ Poucher Road farm in Hardee County. The…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is celebrating February as Florida Hiking Trails Month by inviting the public to "Get Outside!" and explore the more than 850 miles of hiking trails on District lands.The District has organized two "Get Outside!" guided hikes in February. District employees will guide three hikes at each property, with a maximum of 15 people on each hike. Hikers are encouraged to pre-register…

Charlotte County Utilities residential customers are now eligible to participate in a toilet rebate program aimed at conserving water.The toilet rebate program, which is a cooperatively funded program by the county and the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board, offers rebates to replace high-volume toilets with water efficient low-flow toilets or high-efficiency toilets. Low-flow toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush or less while high-…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is teaming up with the United States Geological Survey and the American Ground Water Trust to offer a free, two-day Ground Water Institute for teachers in the Peace River watershed.The Ground Water Institute is June 5 and 6 at the Turner Agric-Civic Center in Arcadia and is open to educators from schools and organizations in Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties, specifically middle and high school teachers.The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is seeking public input about the order in which minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District will be determined. Legislation requires the District to review and, if necessary, revise the schedule each year. A public workshop will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m…

The District recently kicked off a new multimedia public service advertising campaign to educate residents on Florida-friendly fertilizing. “There are a lot of misconceptions about how to fertilize properly,” said Virginia Sternberger, senior communications coordinator in the District’s Public Education Section. “For example, some residents think that if a little fertilizer will help their lawns, a lot will be even better. Some think that the best time to fertilize is…