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Shephard’s Beach Resort has signed up to become the 400th establishment to participate in the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s award-winning Water Conservation Hotel And Motel Program (Water CHAMP).As a Water CHAMP property, the popular Clearwater Beach resort agrees to participate in the District’s linen and towel reuse program. By implementing the program, the hotel or motel management agrees to launder linens every third day of a guest…

At its July 26 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.2163 mill, which is .0237 less than the current fiscal year. This reduction is in accordance with the tax reduction mandated by the Florida Legislature.The FY2008 millage rate has been set equal to 97 percent of the rolled-back rate in compliance with House Bill 1B, the tax reform legislation signed into law by Gov.…

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, United States Geological Survey, the American Ground Water Trust and middle and high school teachers from Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee and Polk countiesWhat:The goal of this free, two-and-a-half-day workshop for teachers is to increase water awareness among teachers and students so that they are empowered to play an active role in protecting water resources.When:Thursday night through Saturday, June 19-21. Media…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized four Sarasota County projects as outstanding school, community grant or volunteer programs that focus on water resources education. A total of 52 projects were recognized during the October 7 Reflect, Connect, Celebrate Water Resources Education Conference at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center in Tarpon Springs.To select the awardees, District staff reviewed grants applied for by…

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has awarded more than $7.5 million in grants for water-quality enhancement projects in Citrus County to protect the health of Kings Bay and Crystal River’s unique spring-fed systems comprised of more than 70 freshwater springs throughout a 600-acre bay.  “We are pleased to provide springs funding for projects that will help restore and protect these important waterways,” said DEP Secretary Jon Steverson. “This…

District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the wild hog population.  Wild hogs, which are not native to Florida, feed on roots, tubors and grubs by rooting with their broad snouts and can leave an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock and humans. Additionally, hogs may facilitate the…

District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the wild hog population.  Wild hogs, which are not native to Florida, feed on roots, tubors and grubs by rooting with their broad snouts and can leave an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock and humans. Additionally, hogs may facilitate the…

Seven Sarasota County teachers are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Sarasota County to…

Five counties within the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/16-county region are now under a Modified "Phase III":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/restrictions/phase3.php water shortage order due to below normal rainfall this winter.The District's Governing Board voted today to declare the Phase III order for northern counties in the District's region which are: Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy, and Sumter as well as the City…

Four Southwest Florida Water Management District projects will help DeSoto County agricultural operations reduce groundwater pumping by an average of 50 percent or more.These projects are part of the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program, which is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.Because three of these projects are expected to reduce withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer…

Animal Assistance Some people panic when they hear disaster is heading their way; others mobilize and see what they can do to help. When Leigh Rogers, a regulation processing specialist at the District’s Sarasota Service Office, heard that Hurricane Charley was going to hit Florida’s west coast, she began looking for ways she could lend a hand. “I have always been interested in volunteer work,” said Rogers, who first looked into volunteering for the District’s…

District Dedication Navigational Lock Operating Hours Daily Hours Oct. 15– Feb. 15 7 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. Daily Hours Feb. 16–Oct. 14 7 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1 p.m. –8 p.m. “This structure is placed here to protect and enhance this riverine system. It is here through the persistence and tenacity of hundreds of citizens who cared enough to get involved. If we continue our work together, we can save this wonderful river for future generations.” So said…

The skies opened up and heavy rains came down when water managers gathered in Tarpon Springs this September for the Annual Conference on Water Management. Coincidentally, impacts from the recent serious hurricane seasons and the “new reality” of water management in Florida were the focus at this year’s conference. The conference, which is co-sponsored by the state’s five water management districts and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), had a…

Hundreds of volunteers trudged through the mud to get to hard-to-reach places that needed planting.               This September approximately 400 volunteers set out across 32 acres of muddy ground at the Terra Ceia Aquatic and State Park preserves restoration project in Manatee County with one goal in mind: The volunteers were determined to set a new record for the most plants installed during a…

Volunteers participating in cleanup. More than 50 District employees, Board members and their friends and families were among the hundreds of volunteers taking part in the 21st Annual Hillsborough River & Waterways Cleanup. This annual event, held in November, is one of Tampa’s largest volunteer activities. Each year, volunteers scour dozens of shoreline locations along the Hillsborough River and connected waterways to pick up litter and remove…

 Tampa Bypass Canal Structure 160 is one of the 81 water-control structures the District operates in its 16-county area. With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting 14 to 23 named storms this hurricane season, the District’s Operations Department is standing by and ready for what could prove to be a very active summer. “All of the District’s 81 structures are inspected regularly to ensure proper functioning,” said David…

A Lakeland business saved thousands of gallons of water and paid a smaller utility bill in its first year by constructing its new headquarters to "Florida Water StarSM(Florida Water Star)":/conservation/florida_water_star standards.Kyra InfoTech, an information technology consulting, project outsourcing and staffing organization headquartered in Lakeland, used 70 percent of the water a comparable business in the area used, according to Ruffin Gray, environmental coordinator…

Scientists with the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program(SWIM)":/projects/swim/ recorded an 11 percent increase in seagrass growth in "Tampa Bay(SWIM Priority Water Body: Tampa Bay)":/projects/swim/tampabay.php since 2008, the largest increase in seagrass growth since the District began the seagrass mapping program. The "District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ study also shows gains in St.…

When residents set their clocks back one hour this weekend, the Southwest Florida Water Management District would like them to also check the timers on their irrigation system controllers.The time change is a good reminder to make sure your irrigation system timer is set correctly so you do not run the risk of receiving a water restriction citation because your system was set incorrectly.All 16 counties within the District are under one-day-per-week lawn watering…

Slight decline documented in Charlotte HarborScientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program continue to see an increase in seagrass growth in Sarasota Bay and Lemon Bay.According to the District’s 2008 seagrass mapping study, seagrass acreage in Sarasota Bay has increased nearly 2,786 acres since 2006, a 28 percent increase. This increase follows a seven percent increase seen between 2004…