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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) anticipated activating the Tampa Bypass Canal system Monday night in response to heavy rains in the Tampa Bay area from Hurricane Hermine, however, the Hillsborough River has not reached an elevation of 25 feet above sea level, which triggers the Army Corps of Engineers activation level of the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention (LHFDA) area.The Hillsborough River remains closed to boat traffic, east of the I-75… Read more

The Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the next 12 months within the Green Swamp. This includes the following properties: Green Swamp East, Green Swamp West, Hampton and Upper Hillsborough. These properties are located in eastern Pasco, southeastern Sumter, southwestern Lake and northern Polk counties. Approximately 20,000 acres will be prescription burned in manageable units by… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state's wildfire emergency in early spring. That's why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns November through March 2018 at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County. Halpata Tastanaki Preserve is located two miles east of Dunnellon and seven miles northeast of the City… Read more

In preparation for Hurricane Dennis, the Southwest Florida Water Management District is removing a large tree and several smaller trees that are blocking the Peace Creek Canal in Bartow. The trees recently fell into the creek because the area is so saturated.The District has budgeted $10,000 to complete the work today. Hess Construction Company is the contractor removing the debris. The company is one of the contractors the District used to remove hurricane-related debris… Read more

Dozens of Lealman residents joined representatives from the District and Pinellas County in September to celebrate the opening of the first phase of the Joes Creek Greenway to the public. The restoration project is a cooperative effort to restore wildlife habitat and improve water quality in Joes Creek through treatment of stormwater runoff, while providing the community access to the greenway for recreation. Lealman is a small community in central Pinellas County… Read more

 Brandt Henningsen, District chief environmental scientist, center, and Dr. Kate Spencer, right, with her students from the University of London. Each winter for the past eight years, Dr. Kate Spencer, a University of London professor, has brought a group of her students to the Tampa Bay area to tour District coastal ecosystem restoration projects and the TECO Manatee Viewing Center. Spencer has been bringing student groups to Florida since 2000, and she… Read more

District Accepting Applications for Community Education Grants Community members who want to make a positive impact on the water resources in their area may apply online for a District Community Education Grant. Funded by the District’s Basin Boards, the program is intended to motivate communities to get involved in watershed protection through various educational activities. These grants offer up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide… Read more

Basin Board Members Appointed Governor Charlie Crist recently appointed new members to the Pinellas-Anclote River, Withlacoochee River and Peace River basin boards. Roland Dove and Janet Hoppe were appointed to the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. Dove, from New Port Richey in Pasco County, succeeded Mitch Hammer. Hoppe, from Indian Shores in Pinellas County, succeeded Chet Renfro. Burton Eno and Alan Grubman were appointed to the Withlacoochee River Basin Board… Read more

WFLA-TV meteorologist Brooks Garner interviews Rebecca Valone, project manager for the Tampa Port Authority, about McKay Bay. When the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program began looking into the possibility of restoring the 56-acre McKay Bay Dredge Hole, there was only one problem. The project would need enough clean fill material to fill two football stadiums. However, as SWIM staff began talking to the program’s local partners,… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns June through September on the Lower Hillsborough Flood… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns June through September at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in Sarasota County. Myakka River -… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns January through March on the Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County. Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is located 2 miles east of Dunnellon and 7 miles northeast of the city of Hernando and is… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September on the Edward W. Chance Reserve - Gilley Creek Tract (Gilley Creek) in Manatee County.… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September on the Prairie Shell Creek Tract in Charlotte County. Prairie Shell Creek is located… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September on the Deep Creek Preserve Tract in DeSoto County. Deep Creek Preserve is located at… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns July through September on the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (LHFDA) in Hillsborough County. The… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through March on the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (LHFDA) in Hillsborough County. The LHFDA… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through December on the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (LHFDA) in Hillsborough County. The… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns June through September at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in Sarasota County. Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns June through September on the Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County. Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is located 2 miles east of Dunnellon and 7 miles northeast of the city of Hernando and is… Read more