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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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 365,000 gallons per day (gpd) at two Manatee County farms.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 the owner of 4-Star Tomato Long Creek Farm and Clay Gully Tree Farm, will voluntarily reduce actual…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping in DeSoto County.Project partner Island Grove Agricultural Products’ Farm #5 is located along S.R. 763 in the Hawthorne Creek watershed. This watershed drains to Joshua Creek and is approximately 14 miles upstream of the Peace River, in the Shell, Prairie, and Joshua Creek Priority Area. This area is also part of the District’s…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Winter Haven recently signed an agreement to begin a master plan that will identify ways to use reclaimed water and conserve the groundwater supply.“The master plan will ultimately recommend how the City of Winter Haven should focus its efforts to best accomplish its goals and use its reclaimed water reuse resources from its two wastewater treatment plants,” said Tammy Antoine, District staff water conservation…

Brian Armstrong, District Water Supply & Resource Development manager, taught students at Watergrass Elementary School in Pasco County during the Great American Teach-In. More than 1,400 students in 16 schools recently learned about the District and water resources during the annual Teach-In. Members of the District’s Youth Education Team spoke to students about watersheds, the water cycle, plant and animal habitats as well as careers in the water industry.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 178,000 gallons per day (gpd) at a Hillsborough County nursery. 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 Holmberg Farms, Inc., is located in central Hillsborough County. Fishhawk Creek flows through the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, will treat hydrilla along the western shoreline (Outlet River side) of Lake Panasoffkee.Approximately 200 acres of the 4,000-acre Lake Panasoffkee will be treated May 30 though June 2. Treatment involves the application of the aquatic herbicide Aquathol K by helicopter.Maps indicating the treatment…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, Radio Disney and the Pier Aquarium are inviting families to participate in a variety of interactive educational activities on Saturday, October 1.The day begins at 10 a.m. at the Pier. Visitors can take part in the grand opening of the new Water Walk Exhibit. The Pier Aquarium created the colorful outdoor educational display that leads visitors along the walkway to the Pier. The District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board…

At its June 2 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a tentative fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.240 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The tentative budget for FY2006 is $4,795,390, which is an increase of $233,673 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values. FY2006 will run from Oct. 1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2006.For…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted unanimously today to support a non-adversarial process to resolve a dispute with Tampa Bay Water on how a seawater desalination plant will be operated.Disagreements develop in the best of long-term relationships, said Heidi McCree, Governing Board chair. We want to work with Tampa Bay Water to resolve this issue and continue to strengthen the partnership that has led to so many successes in recent years.…

Area farmers are seeing big benefits from joining the District’s FARMS program.Farmers recently shared their success stories in a new District video on the Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems program. FARMS is a cost-share program offered by the District that promotes water savings and water quality improvements. “As a farmer, you worry,…

At its July 25 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.3701 mill, which is .0299 less than the current fiscal year. This reduction is in accordance with the tax reduction mandated by the Florida Legislature.The FY2008 millage rate has been set equal to 97 percent of the rolled-back rate in compliance with House Bill 1B, the tax reform legislation signed into law…

At its June 6 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.375 mill, which is .025 lower than the current fiscal year.In the event that a tax reduction is mandated by the Legislature during its special session later this month, the Basin Board has authorized the Executive Director to recalculate its millage rate to reflect the change in revenue prescribed by the…