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There are thousands of acres of recreational lands throughout the District and most of them are free to visitors. Now the District has two new resources to give more information about these opportunities. The District has published a new recreational guide highlighting nearly 70 properties in a new…

With spring break season approaching, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District), along with other local and state partners, wants to remind Weeki Wachee River visitors about the recreational best practices that will help protect the river and reduce ecological impacts.  A recent ecologically based study found direct links between recreational use on the river and environmental damage. For example, visitors leaving kayaks while on the river have…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District), along with other local and state partners, launched the Chassahowitzka River Education Campaign to inform river visitors about the recreational best practices that will help protect the river and reduce ecological impacts.  Recreational activities can have a direct impact on the health of the river. For example, visitors leaving kayaks while on the river have trampled vegetation and eroded riverbanks.…

Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director David L. Moore today declared a modified Phase II Severe Water Shortage which restricts lawn watering to one-day-per-week throughout the 16-county District.The restrictions apply to the use of water from public and private water utilities as well as the use of all wells and surface water sources (ponds, rivers, etc.). The order goes into effect January 16 and remains in place until July 31 unless otherwise…

Shinn Ditch Restoration Project Wins National Award The North American Lake Management Society presented its 2010 Technical Merit Award to the District for work on the Shinn Ditch restoration project in the District’s Flying Eagle Preserve in Citrus County. Shinn Ditch was originally intended to improve land for agricultural use by draining water from the property into the Withlacoochee River. The restoration project consisted of a series of blocks within the ditch,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District), along with other local and state partners, launched the Weeki Wachee River Education Campaign to inform river visitors about the recreational best management practices that will help protect the river and reduce ecological impacts. A recent ecologically based study found direct links between recreational use on the river and environmental damage. For example, visitors leaving kayaks while on the…

Where do you think most of the water pollutants in our region come from? Did you know that about half of them come from septic tanks? That’s according to Dr. Mary Lusk, faculty in the Soil and Water Science Department at the University of Florida-Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. She spoke at this year’s “Florida Water: Decade for Decisions” seminar and said conventional septic tanks do not remove much nitrogen (about 30 percent) and are greatly contributing to…

To help lower lake levels and prevent flooding, the District recently partnered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants and the Panavista Fish Camp to treat and remove hydrilla from the Lake Panasoffkee Outlet River in Sumter County. Water naturally flows out of Lake Panasoffkee to the Withlacoochee River through the Outlet River. Hydrilla, an invasive species, recently grew so dense…

On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board adopted a $176.3 million budget for FY2019, including approximately $66 million for the Cooperative Funding Initiative and District grants for water resources projects. The budget reflects the District’s commitment to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Bradenton have increased the budget for a project that will reduce flooding along Wares Creek.The Wares Creek Bridge Replacement project involves replacing four bridges and improving the existing stormwater management systems at three locations. The bridges being replaced are at 9th, 12th, 14th and 17th Avenues West. The stormwater management facilities being improved are at 9th and 20th Avenues West and at…

A cooperatively funded project between the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Sarasota County will develop a computer model to determine how much pollution is entering the countys surface waters.The model will estimate how much pollution will result from proposed land development designs, estimate the effectiveness of projects, and relate pollutant loads to water quality. This model will help the District and the county with efforts to improve the water quality…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized the Marion County 10th Annual Master Gardener Spring Festival 2004 as an outstanding water resources education program.Approximately 9,000 people attended this Florida-friendly landscaping event, which is organized by the Marion County Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program. Information on proper plant material, water conservation and water quality materials was distributed. More than 1,000 people also…

"Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District land this fall and winter to help reduce the wild hog population.Beginning at 9 a.m. on Oct. 11, prospective hunters can purchase permits for these hunts on the District's web site at "WaterMatters.org/hoghunts/(Feral Hog Hunts)":/hoghunts. Permits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis through 5 p.m. on Oct…

District information will soon be just a simple “point and click” away with its newest innovation, the Water Management Information System, or WMIS. WMIS will centralize information from the District’s well construction permitting, resource data, water use permitting and environmental resource permitting databases, making it easily accessible for both the staff and the public. Upon completion, WMIS will increase the amount of information online, facilitate online…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org is working to move water out of Lake Tarpon; however, the sustained winds and high tides caused by Tropical Storm Debby are pushing water in from Old Tampa Bay, hampering efforts.The Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal is one of 81 water "control structures":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/newsroom/fact_sheets/details/8/ throughout the District's 16-county area. The three-mile canal extends from the south end…

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 DeSoto County by an estimated annual average savings of 160,000 gallons per day.J.R. Paul Properties, Inc. will be reimbursed up to $128,000 for a surface water irrigation reservoir and tailwater recovery system at its 1,833-acre citrus grove and 17-acre field nursery. The property is located…

Award-Winning Restoration A place where people used to illegally dump everything from scrap metal to household waste is the site of an award-winning restoration project. The joint project between SWIM, Hillsborough County’s resource management section and the District’s Davis Tract restoration project received the Hillsborough County Planning Commission’s top environmental award, the Award of Merit, 2002. The 60-acre former landfill is part of the 354-acre…

Approximately 200 people will have the opportunity to learn about karst features such as sinkholes, caves and springs, and their relationship to ground water through a Community Education Grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Hernando County Utilities was awarded the $4,900 grant for a one-day workshop that will teach Hernando County citizens, developers and leaders about the best management practices for living near karst features. Participants can…

The Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve West Tract is an ideal place for visitors to explore some of central Florida’s flora and fauna in their natural state. Rainwater drains across the Green Swamp region’s 560,000 acres of wetlands, flatlands and low ridges to form the headwaters of four major rivers: Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha, Hillsborough and Peace. The West Tract’s 37,350 acres of unspoiled habitat is transected by the Florida National Scenic Trail. More than…

Left, Harry Downing accepts a first-place award for equitation at a horse show in Homosassa, FL; Center, Harry and wife Diane; Right, Harry waterskiing on Hunter’s Lake in Hernando County. A Florida native with a love of the outdoors, Harry Downing was drawn to work in support of the environment. Downing was born in St. Petersburg and moved with his family to Brooksville at age 10. He took to his new environment right away, naturally favoring the outdoors and…