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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… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

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,… Read more

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… Read more

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District staffWhat: The District is installing a pump and pipes at the Morris Bridge Sink. The pump system will allow the District to test to see if it is feasible to pump water from the sink to augment the Hillsborough River. In addition, the water pumped from the sink will be made available to Tampa Bay Water as a water supply source.When: Friday, April 3, 10 a.m.Where: Morris Bridge Sink, just east of I-75 and the Tampa Bypass… Read more

Doris Heitzmann, a horticulturist and community outreach coordinator with the Pinellas County Extension office, evaluates the landscape at Venetian Bay. Members of the Venetian Bay Homeowners Association (HOA) wanted to do their part to conserve water, so they looked to the City of St. Petersburg and the Pinellas County Extension office for help. The Venetian Bay community consists of 22 waterfront and 51 nonwaterfront townhomes in St. Petersburg. In August… Read more

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… Read more

  H. Paul Senft Jr., Governing Board Chair This edition of WaterMatters Magazine celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Created in 1961 through legislative action to serve as the local sponsor for a series of federal flood control projects, the District’s responsibilities have grown dramatically over time. Recognizing that our water resources — our coasts, rivers,… Read more

Two water management districts are partnering with Marion County Utilities to offer customers rebates of up to $100 for replacing their high-flow toilets.The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ and "St. Johns River Water Management District(St. Johns River Water Management District)":http://floridaswater.com are partnering to help "Marion County Utilities(Marion County Utilities)":… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is encouraging residents to turn off their irrigation systems after it rains.During the winter months your lawn only needs water one-half to three-quarters of an inch every 10 to 14 days.Because the area is experiencing below-normal rainfall and groundwater conditions, the need to conserve is greater than ever. Outdoor water use can account for up to fifty percent of residential water use.“Many homeowners have a rain… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District moved one step closer to more effectively measuring how efficiently utility customers are using water.Last week, the District’s Governing Board approved proposed rules that standardize Districtwide public supply per capita and related reporting requirements, which currently are in place in the southern eight counties of the District known as the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA.)The Governing Board voted in January… Read more

Representative Mike Grant presented the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board with a ceremonial check for $15 million for the District’s West-Central Florida Water Restoration Action Plan (WRAP.)Gov. Charlie Crist included WRAP in his 2008-09 budget request to the Legislature. Rep. Grant is a strong advocate for WRAP and helped secure support among House members, which led to inclusion of WRAP in the state’s budget.“… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) will be treating the invasive aquatic plant hydrilla on the Rainbow River in Marion County during the period of March 9-12. District workers will treat scattered infestations on the portion of the river upstream of the Rio-Vista area.Workers will apply the aquatic herbicide Aquathol Super K and post informational signs in the treated areas noting treatment dates and applicable water… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us and the "City of St. Petersburg(St. Petersburg)":http://www.stpete.org are offering city water customers a free sprinkler system checkup.City of St. Petersburg water customers who have an operating in-ground sprinkler system with a timer are eligible for the free program. Customers who irrigate with reclaimed, well or drinking water can apply for the… Read more

ORLANDO, Fla., May 26, 2015 – Two public meetings are scheduled for next week to provide an opportunity for the public to learn about and comment on the "Central Florida Water Initiative ":http://cfwiwater.com/ (CFWI) draft 2035 Water Resources Protection and Water Supply Strategies Plan (Solutions Plan) and minor changes to the draft 2015 Regional Water Supply Plan. The two draft documents will set a path forward for meeting water supply needs in central Florida for the… Read more