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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 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 at the District's Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301.The workshop will provide…

The District’s Governing Board voted unanimously in October to tighten water restrictions in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. The Governing Board was responding to a request by Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale water supplier, because its water supplies have not returned to pre-drought conditions. “The Tampa Bay area is the most impacted region in the District,” said David Moore, District executive director. “The water shortage order in the Tampa…

Janey Baldwin, secretary of the Withlacoochee River Basin Board, left, talks with Jay Yingling, District senior economist, at the Regional Water Supply Plan public workshop for the Northern Planning Region. In an effort to plan for future water supplies and demands in our area, the District is updating the 2006 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP). This document was first published in 2001, in accordance with Florida Statute 373.0361, and is…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recognized the Southwest Florida Water Management District for its part in the Three Sisters Springs land acquisition project. Eric Sutton, former District Land Resources director, and Gary Williams, District senior environmental scientist, were among the 18 individuals and organizations who recently received the Regional Director’s Conservation Award for their roles in the land acquisition project. “It’s great to have the…

A study of Flatford Swamp in Manatee County could lead to a project that could help improve groundwater levels, reduce saltwater intrusion and benefit the 3,000-acre habitat.District staff will conduct a feasibility study to recover groundwater levels by recharging millions of gallons per day of naturally-treated surface water from the swamp into the Upper Floridan aquifer. This is the most impacted area of the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA), a designation given to…

Maritza Rovira-Forino, Governing Board member, assists visitors at the District’s display. The District celebrated the Hillsborough River and the Hillsborough River watershed by holding a series of events along the river during “Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week” in October. The District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board and the participating city and county governments declared the week of October 20–27 as Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will open Phase 2 hog hunt registration Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 9 a.m. The District holds a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population. What you need to know about Phase 2 hunts:

• Phase 2 will include six hunts that occur in January 2020.
• Permits are transferable.
• The single top…

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…

Conservation Is Always In Season In west-central Florida, water conservation is always in season. That means some conservation measures are in effect year-round, whether it is the rainy season or the dry season. After nearly two years of public input, debate and review, revised year-round water conservation measures went into effect Sept. 15. The District began discussing possible updates to Rule 40D-22 (mandatory year-round conservation measures) in November…

From toddlers to grandparents, volunteers of all ages recently planted salt marsh at the District’s Rock Ponds restoration site.  About 275 volunteers from across the Tampa Bay area joined the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management Program and Tampa Bay Watch in the planting of 32,000 marsh grass plugs. Hillsborough County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped organize the event.  The plants were installed at the…

Spending more than two hours on a bus in a traffic jam did not dampen the enthusiasm students had for the task they came to complete. These sixth graders from Learning Gate Community School were at the Schultz Preserve, which is located in southeastern Hillsborough County, to plant 5,000 plugs of marsh grass. The planting was coordinated by the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program and Tampa Bay Watch. Learning Gate Community School…

John Parker (left), his wife Leslie, daughters Melissa and Jessica, and son-in-law Dylan Nugent gather near “Other Man Lake” in Quetico Provincial Park. Sadness spread across the District’s Brooksville Headquarters as coworkers learned about John Parker’s death in a car accident in May. “When you spend more than 20 years working with someone on projects that define your life, and when you share in a common goal, you have a bond, even if you didn’t hang out…

Volunteers Remove Invasive Plants Volunteers from the Tampa Bay Sea Aquarium, University of Tampa, and Sexton and 74th Street elementary schools picked air potatoes during a recent cleanup event at the park. Twenty-nine volunteers recently plucked potatoes at Sawgrass Lake Park, but these aren’t the spuds you’ll find on your dinner table. Volunteers from the Tampa Bay Sea Aquarium, University of Tampa, and Sexton and 74th Street elementary schools picked…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will open Phase 2 hog hunt registration Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 9 a.m. The District holds a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population. What you need to know about Phase 2 hunts:

• Phase 2 will include six hunts that occur in January and…

February is Hiking Trails Month, a great time of year to enjoy the beauty of west-central Florida.Explore more than 60 recreational hiking sites across District properties. Check out our Hiking Pinterest Board for direct links to the various properties and their unique features.  Most hiking properties also have other recreational activities such as fishing, boating…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve":http://hoghunts.watermatters.org/ will be the site of wild hog hunts at night Jan. 22-24.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property at night during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve is located east of Interstate 75 and north of US 301 near the New Tampa area.This activity is one of a series of wild hog…

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…

SWIM Success Story An ugly duckling was transformed into a pollution-removing swan through a District Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) project. The “ugly duckling” in this story was a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) borrow pit that was turned into a stormwater pond to improve the water quality of 600 acres of runoff that flows into Tampa Bay. While the project may not sound like a big deal to someone who doesn’t know anything about…

Todd Pressman, Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board co-chair, third from left, joins the Oldsmar mayor, city council and utility staff for the groundbreaking of the city’s reverse osmosis plant. District Board members and Pinellas County, Oldsmar and District staff were on hand as the city of Oldsmar broke ground on its reverse osmosis water treatment plant. The plant, capable of producing two million gallons per day, is part of a $20 million project to provide…

Hunters can apply online beginning Oct. 11 for permits to hunt wild hogs on District properties. Properties in Pasco, Marion and Polk counties will open for scheduled wild hog hunts, with the first hunt planned for November and the last hunt in March. Starting 9 a.m. on Oct. 11, online permit registration for the 2010–2011 hog hunts will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at …