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Nearly a decade of public workshops, water resource analyses, and policy debates culminated this week in approval of the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) Recovery Strategy by the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board.This is an historic moment for the District, the public and the water resources, said Executive Director David L. Moore. Many years of labor and collaboration by Board members, staff, representatives of all the types of water users…

Originally purchased as part of the Four River Basins project, the Green Swamp is the headwaters of the Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha, Hillsborough and Peace rivers. Protecting the Green Swamp is vital to protecting the quality and quantity of Florida’s water supply. Hundreds of thousands of acres of conservation lands have been protected and restored by the District during the past 50 years. These lands are managed to protect vital water functions and…

Twelve Highlands County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s…

Summer rains not enough for water resources to fully recoverThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to extend the current Water Shortage Order, which restricts lawn watering throughout the District to one-day-per-week, through Feb. 27, 2009.The Governing Board chose to extend the term of the water shortage order because the region is still impacted by the two-year drought and portions of the District did not receive enough rain…

Six projects in the Manasota Basin were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Manasota Basin includes Manatee and Sarasota counties. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 49 grants Districtwide for a total of $171,444. This is the 10th year Community Education Grants have been available.The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board today approved the joint acquisition of the property known as the Overstreet parcel with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and Polk County.This is a great opportunity for the District to partner with Polk County and the state to purchase the property, said Heidi McCree, Governing Board chair.The motion to approve the purchase was made by Governing Board member Neil Combee, who is co-…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is proud to announce the recipients of the 2006 Community Education Grant Program. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 34 grants Districtwide for a total of $151,278. Of those 34 grants awarded, five were awarded to groups in Pinellas County.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant…

Restrictions eased for Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto and Charlotte countiesEditor's note: Contact Robyn Felix at Robyn.Felix@WaterMatters.org to receive a color map via email.The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board voted today to ease water restrictions for Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto and Charlotte counties. The Board voted to lift the Phase III restrictions for the Southern counties in the District due to improvements in public water supply storage as a…

Recent cold weather has taken a toll on Florida plant life, and may have damaged area sprinkler systems too. The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org is providing a few simple steps that residents can use help to their plants, lawns, and irrigation systems recover from freezing temperatures. h3. Wait to water and prune"University of Florida county Extension agents(Find your local county Extension…

Advanced technology has reached nearly every single aspect of the District in one way or another throughout the organization’s history, most notably in the past two decades. “The technological changes during my tenure alone were like going from horse and buggy to putting a man on the moon in a very short period of time,” said Pete Hubbell, District executive director from 1988 to 1997. Information Resources In the early 2000s, the District’s operating system…

Partnership Between District and Middle School Students Benefits All Woodworking class at D. S. Parrott Middle School is about more than making spice racks and bird feeders. Approximately 40 seventh- and eighth-grade students in two woodworking classes make signs to identify trails and wildlife areas on District property. “This is a year-round shop class,” said seventh-grader Clayton Neff. “We work on personal projects and make these signs,” said Cody Lamb,…

 Dozens of District staff donate blood each time the LifeSouth bloodmobile visits the Brooskville office. I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for blood donors” That’s what a District employee told Susan Wood, LifeSouth donor recruiter, during a recent blood drive at the District’s Brooksville Headquarters. The staff member is a six-year leukemia survivor who needed blood transfusions during her treatment. “I hear stories like this all the time,” said…

Deborah Webb, student intern,working on the Alkalinity Titrator; Matt Jablonski, staff chemist, measures chlorophyll concentrations. Every day, Laura Casino, District chemist, takes water samples from ice-filled coolers delivered to the lab for chlorophyll analysis. Since chlorophyll degrades quickly, the samples are collected in opaque containers that protect it from any light and then preserved in ice. Laura removes the containers, taking short breaks between…

**Manatee County students at 11 schools will study the issues surrounding our freshwater resources thanks to "Splash! school grants":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/schoolgrants/ from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The Manatee County awardees are:* Reinhardt Badow, *Bayshore High*, was awarded $1,986. Students will learn about native versus invasive plants as they design, install and maintain native vegetation on the school's campus and wetland area…

April is Water Conservation Month and a great time to improve your home without incurring the high cost of remodeling.Each week the Southwest Florida Water Management District is providing a few simple water conservation tips that the average resident can use. This week the focus is on checking for leaks and retrofitting your fixtures.Leak DetectionA dripping sink faucet can waste up to 30 gallons of water per day and a leaky toilet can waste up to 100 gallons of water per…

More and more community associations are asking the District and the county Extension agents with the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods program for help with their landscape and irrigation concerns. Some of the common problems Extension agents see include excessive watering and fertilizing as well as overpruning and improperly maintained irrigation systems. By taking a proactive approach to learn about efficient irrigating techniques and Florida-friendly landscaping,…

Left: The loader machine strips the branches off the tree, cuts it to length and loads it onto the semitrailer. Center: Trees being loaded onto the semitrailer. Right: Will VanGelder, District senior land management specialist, counts the rings on a harvested sand pine. Starkey restoration area in southwestern Pasco County. The sound of chainsaws and heavy equipment ushered in the beginning of a three-year restoration project at the District’s J.B…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to modify the tightened turfgrass restrictions for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, which will allow builders to sod and residents to replace lawns under a specific set of conditions.District staff met with members of the sod industry last week to discuss solutions to the extreme water shortage in the Tampa Bay area as well as the serious economic conditions affecting the sod…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board Thursday adopted a fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.2308 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Withlacoochee River Basin Board area covers portions of Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Sumter, Marion, and Levy counties.This millage rate, combined with a reduction in taxable property values as certified by the county property appraisers, will result in an estimated 7.9…

Ron Oakley, his wife, Tamara, and their daughters Ashley and Hannah Mae. For Ronald Eugene Oakley, “Your word is who you are. Be honest, truthful and treat people right.” Ron believes in making meaningful connections to people, to the land and to his faith. Born in Dade City, his Christian upbringing shaped the man he has become. His mother, Mae Belle Oakley, set a wonderful example for Ron to follow as she did volunteer work at the First Baptist Church and…