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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is reminding residents who irrigate their lawns to “Skip a Week” or more of watering during the cooler months of January and February. According to research by the University of Florida, grass doesn’t need to be watered as often during the cooler months. One-half to three-quarters of an inch of water every 10–14 days is sufficient. In fact, if your lawn has received any significant rainfall, then you can turn off…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is reminding residents to check the timers on their irrigation system controllers this weekend, which is the end of daylight saving time. Saturday night is when we will turn our clocks back one hour. The time change is also a good time to make sure irrigation system timers are set correctly to ensure that the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Marion County. The District will provide a virtual public comment period now through July 12 at …

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is reminding residents to check the timers on their irrigation system controllers this weekend, which is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. Saturday night is when we will turn our clocks ahead one hour. The time change is also a good time to make sure irrigation system timers are set correctly to ensure that the systems operate consistently with year-round water conservation measures. All 16 counties…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is reminding residents who irrigate their lawns to "Skip a Week" or more of watering during the cooler months of January and February. According to research by the University of Florida, grass doesn't need to be watered as often during the cooler months. One-half to three-quarters of an inch of water every 10–14 days is sufficient. In fact, if your lawn has received any significant rainfall, then you can turn off…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a modification of a water use permit that will allow Polk City to pump more water to meet the projected population growth through 2013.The permitted quantity was an annual average of 320,000 gallons per day (gpd.) Under the modified permit, the city will now be able to withdraw an annual average of 967,200 gpd. This permitted quantity will primarily supply potable water to single and multi-…

Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Surface Water Improvement and Management, or SWIM program, released the results of the 2016 seagrass mapping study showing Sarasota Bay now supports 13,469 acres of seagrass beds; an increase of 180 acres in seagrass coverage. Sarasota Bay waters includes five bay segments made up of Manatee and Sarasota County waters. Three of the five bay segments gained seagrass from 2014 to 2016 with an overall…

The District’s new public awareness campaign is encouraging residents who irrigate their lawns to skip a week during the cooler months. According to research by the University of Florida, as temperatures grow cooler, grass doesn’t need to be watered as often. The “Skip a Week” campaign is using radio and print advertisements to encourage reduced outdoor irrigation. The ads highlight the following tips people can use to determine when their grass needs water. Your…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is reminding residents to check the timers on their irrigation system controllers this weekend, which is the end of Daylight Saving Time. Saturday night is when we will turn our clocks back one hour. The time change is also a good time to make sure irrigation system timers are set correctly to ensure that the systems operate consistently with year-round water conservation measures. All 16 counties throughout…

A project in Sumter County to distribute 200 water conservation kits was recently awarded a Community Education Grant from the "Southwest Florida Water Management ":http://www.watermatters.orgDistrict.Twelve grants were awarded Districtwide this year for a total of $50,319. This is the 15th year "Community Education Grants":http://www.WaterMatters.org/CommunityGrants have been available. These grants help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/has appointed Robert Beltran to serve as the District's executive director. Beltran replaces Blake Guillory who was recently hired as the executive director for the South Florida Water Management District."The Board is confident in Robert's abilities to lead this organization as we continue to focus on our core mission of managing water and related natural…

Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 activationSouthwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring Hurricane Milton and have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities before, during and after an emergency weather event.Hurricane Milton has the potential to bring significant rainfall to our area throughout the District’s 16-county…

With the rainy season still a few weeks away, the Southwest Florida Water Management District would like to remind residents that conservation is the key to maximizing our water supply. Approximately 60 percent of our annual 52 inches of rain falls from June through September.“We’re at the height of our dry season when our water levels are at their lowest, so it’s important that we make an extra effort to conserve,” said Lou Kavouras, District deputy…

From building water-conserving gardens to visiting a local estuary, District Splash! grants provide students the opportunity to learn about water resources in a hands-on way. The Splash! school grant program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources. The grants help teachers build on existing classroom lessons by providing hands-on activities. “Splash! grants are a great way to support activities that empower students to…

Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Surface Water Improvement and Management, or SWIM program, released the results of the 2014 seagrass mapping study showing Sarasota Bay now supports 13,288 acres of seagrass beds; an increase of 701 acres in seagrass coverage. Sarasota Bay waters include five bay segments made up of Manatee and Sarasota County waters. All bay segments gained seagrass from 2012 to 2014 with an overall 5.6% increase…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project that could replenish the Floridan aquifer by up to two to three million gallons of water per day (mgd).The project involves the development of an alternative water supply at CF Industry’s South Pasture mine, located in Hardee County. The plan is to capture excess surface water and storm water at the mine and route it through a constructed wetlands treatment area, and then to a sand…

With the hustle and bustle of the season, there’s one thing residents can skip on their “to do” list watering their lawns.Faced with an increasingly severe drought, the Southwest Florida Water Management District is encouraging residents who irrigate their lawns to “skip a week” during the cooler months to save water.“Over-watering makes your lawn less drought tolerant and can encourage disease and pests,” said Sylvia Durell,…

At its August 3 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.400 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2006 is $38,655,311, which is an increase of $6,614,869 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to ad valorem tax revenue from increased property values and revenue from the state’s newly created Water…

Water Management on the Move A cooperative project between Pinellas County and the District has restored the natural flow of water between two back bays at Fort DeSoto Park near the mouth of Tampa Bay. Restoring the circulation will help improve water quality and habitats in the estuary. When the park was being developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s, a dredge-and-fill project connected a series of small mangrove islands from the mainland to a barrier…

The "Central Florida Water Initiative's":http://cfwiwater.com/ (CFWI) Steering Committee has released two updated draft documents that will set a path forward for meeting water supply needs in central Florida for the next 20 years.During several public meetings over the summer, the public was invited to learn about and comment on the draft 2035 Water Resources Protection and Water Supply Strategies Plan (Solutions Plan) and minor changes to the draft 2015 Regional Water…