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The Southwest Florida Water Managemet Distrit (District) in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be treating hydrilla on the Lake Panasoffkee Outlet River March 31 and April 1, 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,… Read more

Parts of the Tampa Bay area may continue to see freezing temperatures during early morning hours for the next several days. This has prompted the "Southwest Florida Water Management District (Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org to advise residents who live near Plant City and Dover to switch off the pumps on their wells at night and leave the pumps off until the temperatures warm up in the morning. During a freeze or near freezing… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board recently adopted minimum flows for portions of the Alafia and Myakka rivers, along with minimum and guidance levels for five lakes.The 5 lakes include: Lakes Allen, Harvey and Virginia in Hillsborough County; Lake June-In-Winter in Highlands County; and Lake Parker in Polk County.A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District approved funding for an additional phase of the Pinellas County Ultra Low-flow Toilet Rebate Program in response to an unexpected increase in consumer demand.The program promotes water conservation by providing toilet rebates of up to $100 for each high-flow toilet or urinal replaced with a low-flow model. The program targets residential and commercial customers of Pinellas County Utilities and the cities of Clearwater,… Read more

The Governing Board charged District staff in January with initiating a public process to receive input on four strategies aimed at protecting the natural resources in the northern portion of the District due to rapid growth and development. The four strategies include expansion of the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) per capita requirements Districtwide; expansion of the Northern Tampa Bay WUCA into northeastern Hillsborough and the remainder of Pasco counties… Read more

Defining Moment In an effort to make conservation more “user-friendly,” the Governing Board has adopted the term “Florida-friendly” to use in the District’s landscape management outreach and education projects. Florida-friendly will replace the terms “Xeriscape™” and “water-wise.” Why the change? Two reasons: concept and consistency. While Xeriscape landscapes are defined as landscaping that conserves water and protects the environment, some people still… Read more

Educators interested in securing grant funding for classroom projects that focus on water quality, natural systems, water conservation, alternative water sources, flood protection or watersheds are encouraged to apply for a Splash! mini-grant through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The goal of the mini-grant program is to promote hands-on water resources education that teaches students about their local watersheds and the water resources within them. Splash… Read more

An annual Marion County event is growing! This year the 3rd Annual Springs Festival will be held Sept. 24-26, in three different locations. In past years the festival was a one-day event.“We are excited about being able to engage more children in learning about the spring’s preservation with programs such as our art show and our community outreach efforts,” said Criss Specht, Environment, Government & Tourism Director, Ocala/Marion County Chamber of… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping at a DeSoto County farm.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project at Island Grove Agricultural Products, Inc. is located on its 57-acre blueberry farm in the Joshua Creek Watershed. The property drains to Hog Bay Slough, a… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District approved funding for the fourth phase of the Pinellas County Ultra Low-flow Toilet Rebate Project.The project is a cooperatively funded effort between Pinellas County and the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. The goal of the fourth phase of the project is to promote water conservation by providing toilet rebates of up to $100 for each high-volume toilet or urinal replaced with a low-flow model. The goal is… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board approved the purchase of the Southworth Tract, a 589-acre parcel of land located within the Weekiwachee Preserve. This important property purchase will allow the District to substantially complete the Weekiwachee Preserve Project by connecting seven District-owned parcels. This acquisition meets all four of the District’s Areas of Responsibility, which are water supply, water quality,… Read more

Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Executive Director Brian Armstrong has received the 2020 Geology Alumni Society Award from the University of South Florida (USF) Geology Alumni Society (GAS). This is the most prestigious award given by the GAS and is presented to alumni who have distinguished themselves through achievement and career success. The award was presented at the virtual GAS banquet Jan. 30. Award winners are selected by… Read more

A pirate obsessed with water resources will be looking for a few good “mateys” at World Rivers Day Fest, Saturday Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center.Captain Brackish will talk to his new friends about his three main water concerns – conservation, pollution and monitoring.Water monitoring is one of the key topics at World Rivers Day.The first 200 attendees will receive water friendly care packages… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has deactivated the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (LHFDA), reopening the S-155 structure and allowing boat traffic to resume along that portion of the Hillsborough River. High water levels caused by Hurricane Irma have receded, allowing the Hillsborough River to return to its natural flow pattern.In September, the Hillsborough River reached an elevation of 25 feet above sea level, which triggered the Army… Read more

At its June 5 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2010 (FY2010) 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 proposed millage rate combined with a reduction in taxable property values as estimated by the five county property appraisers will result… Read more

Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials have raised the activation level of the District's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 1 as they continue to monitor Hurricane Irma. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities during an emergency weather event. The District is evaluating potential impacts from the storm that could occur throughout its 16-county region. Numerous lake levels in Northwest Hillsborough County were above normal… Read more

A two-year project aimed at measuring the effectiveness of the McIntosh Park enhanced stormwater treatment wetland (ESTW) is about to begin. The ESTW is a cooperatively funded project completed by Southwest Florida Water Management District, Plant City and Hillsborough County.Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. has been contracted to monitor the water quality and flow rates at the McIntosh Park ESTW, which removes sediment and pollutants from a 6,000-acre watershed that drains… Read more

At its June 5 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.2163 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Alafia River Basin Board area covers the southern portion of Hillsborough County and the southwestern portion of Polk County.This millage rate combined with a reduction in taxable property values as estimated by the county property appraisers will… Read more

*Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 Activation*Southwest Florida Water Management District officials are preparing for "Tropical Storm Isaac":http://www.WaterMatters.org/EOC and have raised the activation level of the District's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2. The EOC provides direction and controls District activities during an emergency weather event.The District is monitoring Tropical Storm Isaac and preparing for the effects depending on its path.… Read more

Projects expected to inform more than 100,000 people in Sarasota County about water conservation and water quality issues were recently awarded Community Education Grants from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org. This year the District awarded 12 grants Districtwide for a total of $50,319. This is the 15th year Community Education Grants have been available. These grants currently help fund projects that provide communities an… Read more