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The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org will be treating hydrilla on the Rainbow River during the week of April 2-5.District workers will treat scattered infestations on the river from upstream of KP Hole Park to the Withlacoochee River.Workers will apply the aquatic herbicide Aquathol Super K and post warning signs in the treatment areas noting treatment dates and water use restrictions. Treated river water should not be used for… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board Thursday adopted a fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.1885 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board covers portions of Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.This millage rate, combined with a reduction in taxable property values as certified by the county property appraisers, will result in an estimated 9.9 percent decrease in ad valorem… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Town of Indian Shores recently signed an agreement to move forward on the fourth phase of a water quality improvement project that will collect and treat stormwater runoff prior to discharging into the Intracoastal Waterway.This phase includes the design, permit and construction of flow-through stormwater treatment systems at five locations. The systems allow storm water to pass through while the solids and heavier… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is joining with local governments to “campaign” against the drought.In this grass roots campaign, local governments and utilities are partnering with the District to raise public awareness of the drought and promote water conservation by placing water conservation signs in their communities. The signs are the size and shape of political yard signs.The participating governments and utilities are: Bartow, Bradenton,… Read more

The third phase of a water quality improvement project that will collect and treat stormwater runoff prior to discharging into the Intracoastal Waterway is about to begin.The project is cooperatively funded between the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board and the Town of Indian Shores.The first two phases involved the construction of 12 improvement areas, or treatment systems. These treatment systems are a combination of dry… Read more

As the drought continues to make front-page news across the country, the District is taking steps to stretch our limited water supply and raise public awareness about what people can do to help. The District has had below-average rainfall since January 2006. As of December, the Districtwide 24-month rainfall deficit is approximately 23 inches. “Conditions have not improved, particularly in the southern portion of the District,” said Richard Owen, District deputy… Read more

At its August 11 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2005 (FY2005) millage rate of 0.400 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget forFY 2005 is $32,040,442, which is an increase of $5,217,586 from the approvedFY2004 budget.FY2005 will run from Oct. 1, 2004, through Sept. 30, 2005. The increase in the budget is due to additional ad valorem property taxes resulting from… Read more

Michael Sole, secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, applauds Dr. David York as he receives a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from David Moore, District executive director. This spring the District proudly presented its first-ever “Lifetime Achievement Award” to Dr. David York for his leadership, vision and contributions to reclaimed water and sustainable water resources in Florida. York has been the state’s only Florida Department of… Read more

The North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) recently awarded the Southwest Florida and St. Johns River water management districts with the Technical Merit Award in the area of research for their work on minimum flows and levels (MFLs.) NALMS is a professional organization that produces an international, peer-reviewed scientific journal, Lake and Reservoir Management, as well as a quarterly magazine, LakeLine. The award was presented at the NALMS annual… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating hydrilla on the Rainbow River from the Withlacoochee River to upstream of the Rainbow Springs State Park Campground during the week of November 2-6.Treatment involves the spot application of the aquatic herbicide Aquathol Super K to scattered infestations. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable water use restrictions. Treated river water should not be used… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board Friday adopted a fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.1827 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Peace River Basin Board area includes Hardee, DeSoto and portions of Polk, Highlands and Charlotte counties.This millage rate combined with a reduction in taxable property values as certified by the county property appraisers, will result in an estimated 10 percent decrease in… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 1,358,400 gallons per day (gpd) at a Charlotte County citrus grove.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project, proposed by Ben Hill Griffin, Inc., C & S Grove, is located within the Shell Creek Watershed in… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 200,000 gallons per day (gpd) at a Manatee County citrus grove.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project, proposed by CFI USA, Inc., is located upstream from Lake Manatee on its 332-acre citrus grove. Lake Manatee is… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, Polk County Utilities, and the cities of Lakeland, Winter Haven, Haines City, Auburndale and Polk City are offering city water customers a free landscape and irrigation system evaluation.The free Landscape and Irrigation Evaluation program provides evaluations for customers so they can learn how to make their landscaping and irrigation systems more efficient.Water customers who irrigate with reclaimed or drinking water, and… Read more

A Southwest Florida Water Management District project will help a Hillsborough County farm reduce groundwater pumping.The project involves the use of an integrated irrigation system at Balaban Farms, LLC, located in the Hillsborough River watershed. The property drains predominantly to the west, where surface water enters Flint Creek and flows into the Hillsborough River. Hillsborough County is part of a designated water use caution area because it is experiencing… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted its Fiscal Year 2009 (FY2009) millage rates and a budget that is less than the current fiscal year. FY2009 runs from Oct. 1, 2008, through Sept. 30, 2009.The District’s total FY2009 budget is $376.5 million. That is 4.7 percent lower than the adopted budget for FY2008, which was $395 million. The $18.5 million decrease in the budget is primarily due to the $21.4 million reduction in ad… Read more

Two Hardee County projects expected to reach up to 2,200 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org. These grants offer up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources. This year the District awarded "35 grants Districtwide(2010 Community Education Grant Projects)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.… Read more

Construction began this fall on projects at Lake Hancock that will result in improved flows and better water quality in the upper Peace River. Contractors began work Nov. 14 on the Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification Project, which will replace the P-11 Water Conservation Structure that was built in 1963. The new structure will allow the District to maintain higher lake levels, increasing the elevation from 98.7 feet above sea level to 100 feet. The additional stored… Read more

District Lands Offer New Features New trail maps and other information have been added to the kiosks on District properties to enrich the experience for guests. The new trail maps were created for 16 of the District’s most popular properties using detailed information including global positioning coordinates. The maps are part of an ongoing effort to update information at District properties. In recent years, land use specialists marked District trails using an… Read more

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… Read more