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The Southwest Florida Water Management District, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, will treat hydrilla on selected areas of Lake Panasoffkee.Approximately 200 acres of the 4,000-acre Lake Panasoffkee will be treated May 9-11. Treatment involves applying the aquatic herbicide Aquathol K from the air.Maps of the treatment areas will be posted at local fish camps as well as on floating buoys… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be treating hydrilla on the Lake Panasoffkee Outlet River Aug. 21, weather permitting. Hydrilla will be controlled on the Outlet River which flows from Lake Panasoffkee to the Withlacoochee River. The aquatic herbicide Aquathol K will be applied. There are no restrictions on the use of treated water for swimming, fishing or irrigating… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Monday, July 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Lutz Community Center, located at 98 1st Ave. NW in Lutz. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum and guidance levels for lakes Allen, Virginia and… Read more

Left: Mary Margaret Hull, District lead youth education coordinator, simulates the sounds of a thunderstorm during a “Rain Game” exercise with Countryside Montessori Elementary School students. Right: Countryside Montessori Elementary School students learn about the hydrologic cycle. District staff educated more than 1,000 students about water resources, conservation and water management careers at this year’s Great American Teach-In. The Great American Teach-… Read more

At its August 16 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.285 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2006 is $15,875,555, which represents an increase of $4,058,230 over the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values and revenue from the state’s newly created Water Protection and… Read more

Two water management districts are teaming up to offer a variety of interactive games and exercises at the 5th Annual Marion County Springs Festival.Because Marion County is within the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the St Johns Water Management District, staff members from both districts are working together to teach kids about our water resources. Some of the hands-on activities include “In the Bubble,” “Make it Sink,” and “… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at the River Greens Golf Course located at 47 W. Lake Damon Drive in Avon Park. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum and guidance levels for Lake Damon in Highlands County. During the workshop, District staff will present the technical basis for the proposed minimum levels for Lake Damon. Minimum levels… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is soliciting stakeholder input on the annual update of the Priority List and Schedule for the Establishment of Minimum Flows and Levels. A workshop will be held at the District's Tampa Service Office, 7601 Highway 301 North on Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Minimum flows and levels are limits set by the District Governing Board for surface waters and groundwater that are… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 5:30 p.m. at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center located at 3940 Keystone Road in Tarpon Springs. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum and guidance levels for Lake Alice, located in Hillsborough County. During the workshop, District staff will present the technical basis for the proposed… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Monday, August 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library located at 2902 W. Bearss Ave. in Tampa. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum and guidance levels for Saddleback and Round Lakes in Hillsborough County. During the workshop, District staff will present the technical basis for the proposed minimum levels for… Read more

The District recently honored 26 water resources education projects at its “Partners in Watershed Education” awards luncheon and conference. The award-winning projects were completed by teachers and their students, community members, local governments, nonprofit groups and District-sponsored programs that use volunteers to educate others about water resources. The District holds the awards ceremony every two years and projects from throughout its 16 counties are… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Wednesday, July 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the City of Lake Wales Commission Chambers located at 201 W. Central Ave. in Lake Wales. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum and guidance levels for Lake Easy in Polk County. During the workshop, District staff will present the technical basis for the proposed minimum levels for Lake Easy. Minimum… Read more

Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 activation Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring Tropical Depression 13 and have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2. The EOC provides direction regarding… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently approved an agreement to continue funding the St. Petersburg Toilet Replacement Program.The program, which began in 1997, is a cooperatively funded effort between the City of St. Petersburg and the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. The goal of the ninth phase of the project is to promote water conservation by providing toilet rebates of up to $100 for each high-volume toilet replaced with a low-flow… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Pinellas Park recently signed an agreement to move forward on the next phase of a project to collect and treat stormwater runoff, which will improve water quality in Sawgrass Lake.This multi-year funded project has several phases, including the design, development of construction documents, construction permitting, land acquisition, bidding and contractor selection and the actual construction of two stormwater… Read more

Slight decline documented in Charlotte HarborScientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program continue to see an increase in seagrass growth in Sarasota Bay and Lemon Bay.According to the District’s 2008 seagrass mapping study, seagrass acreage in Sarasota Bay has increased nearly 2,786 acres since 2006, a 28 percent increase. This increase follows a seven percent increase seen between 2004… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping and stormwater runoff at Parke Family Hydrofarm.The project involves building a half-acre tower hydroponic section. Tower hydroponics is a farming method that involves planting crops in containers and using drip irrigation to deliver water and nutrients to the center of the stacked containers so each plant’s roots are sufficiently saturated.… Read more

A Southwest Florida Water Management District project will help a Hillsborough County vegetable grower reduce groundwater pumping and stormwater runoff.The project is at the Tornello Landscape Corporation and is 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.The project involves collecting stormwater from the roofs of three acres of… Read more

Two Pasco County projects that are expected to reach about 10,000 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. These grants provide up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 38 grants Districtwide for a total of $136,598. This is the 11th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community… Read more

WhoThird- and fourth-grade Wildwood Elementary School students; Louise Ross, Director of Elementary Education for the Sumter County School Board; and Southwest Florida Water Management District Youth Education staffWhatDistrict Youth Education staff will visit a third- and fourth-grade class at Wildwood Elementary School to observe water education projects funded through its Splash! mini-grant program.Ms. Benachoice Caruthers third-grade students will demonstrate their… Read more