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 Photo Courtesy Jason Polk Beneath your feet exists a part of Florida few ever see but all should value. Deep below the earth’s surface, caverns have formed by water seeping into cracks and slowly dissolving the rock below. Over thousands of years, these voids become larger and create sinkholes and caves. That water can flow into disappearing streams, and underground rivers and then flow back up to the land surface as springs. These features are…

Low- and moderate-income first time home buyers in the Tampa Bay area will soon have the opportunity to purchase affordable, water-conserving homes.Florida Home Partnership, Inc. has agreed to take part in the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Florida Water StarSM Gold (FWSG), a new comprehensive water conservation program for new home construction. This voluntary certification program for builders encourages water efficiency in household appliances,…

Disaster struck the District over the Independence Day weekend when a fire sprinkler flooded Building 4 at District Headquarters in Brooksville. The problem began just after 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 3. A ceiling-mounted fire sprinkler activated on the third floor of the four-story building. The sprinkler worked as it was designed, with the fire pumping station supplying enough water pressure to douse a fire. The building’s alarm system detected the water flow and sent…

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 monitor Tropical Depression Fred. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities during an emergency weather event. The District is evaluating potential impacts from the tropical depression that could occur throughout its 16-county region. District staff are operating structures in anticipation…

h2. Project Will Improve Water Quality and Restore HabitatWork is under way to restore habitat and repair erosion along the banks of the Palm River in Tampa.The Palm River is part of the Tampa Bypass Canal, and flows from the District's S-160 Flood Control Structure, located just north of the Selmon Expressway, to the mouth of McKay Bay. During the construction of the Tampa Bypass Canal in the 1960s, the Palm River required significant dredging. In the 1970s, areas of…

table(webalert). |Who:|Stewart Middle School students and staff.||*What:*|Students will continue a shoreline restoration project that began in 2008 by collecting trash along the Hillsborough River shoreline and planting 300 native plants. It's part of a unique project between the District and Hillsborough County Public Schools at Stewart Middle School, which is located on the Hillsborough River near downtown Tampa. The project involved restoring a section of shoreline by…

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officially approved adding three first-magnitude spring systems – Weeki Wachee River, Chassahowitzka River and Homosassa River – to the Surface Water Improvement Management (SWIM) Program priority list.In January, "The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/voted to begin the process of officially adding those systems to the existing…

Four Hillsborough County projects expected to reach up to 73,000 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year the District approved 29 grants Districtwide for a total of $120,471. This is the 14th year "Community Education Grants(Community Education Grant program)":/business/communitygrants have been available. These grants offer reimbursement up to $5,000 to…

As teachers go back to school, the Southwest Florida Water Management District would like to remind them about another important date to add to their calendar. The deadline to "apply for a Splash! mini-grant":/education/minigrants/ is Sept. 11, 2009.The goal of the mini-grant program is to promote hands-on water resources education that teaches students about their local watersheds and the freshwater resources within them. Splash! mini-grants provide up to $5,000 per school…

The school year may have come to an end, but educators interested in securing grant funding for next year can begin applying online for a Southwest Florida Water Management District Splash! mini-grant.Grant funding is for classroom projects that focus on water quality, natural systems, water conservation, alternative water sources, flood protection or watersheds.The goal of the mini-grant program is to promote hands-on water resources education that teaches students about…

Two Sarasota County projects expected to reach more than 2,000 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.…

Two Hernando County projects expected to reach up to 5,700 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.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping at a strawberry farm in southeastern Hillsborough County.The project involves installing an integrated irrigation system that will include a weather station, soil moisture sensors, and automated valves at Berry Bay Farms.Installing a weather station helps farmers irrigate more precisely, based on weather conditions. For example, during frost-freeze…

Caver Studies Effects on Springs Beneath your feet exists a part of Florida few ever see but all should value. Deep below the earth’s surface, caverns have formed by water seeping into cracks and slowly dissolving the rock below. Over thousands of years, these voids become larger and create sinkholes and caves. That water can flow into disappearing streams, and underground rivers and then flow back up to the land surface as springs. Photo Courtesy Jason Polk…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to comment on proposed minimum levels for Crystal Lake and North Lake Wales, both located within the city of Lake Wales, at a public workshop on Thursday, Oct. 14. The workshop will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lake Wales City Commission Chambers, 201 W. Central Ave., Lake Wales.The state Legislature requires the District to set "minimum flows and levels…

Who: Highlands County teachers and administrators, Southwest Florida Water Management District and Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center (CHEC) staff.What: Approximately 12 science teachers and school administrators are participating in a field study that focuses on the Peace River Basin. The two-day excursion includes a guided wading tour of the Charlotte Harbor Estuary, a discussion about the watershed led by a CHEC scientist, and a boat tour on the Peace River to conduct…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating infestations of hydrilla on the Rainbow River in Marion County Feb. 4-7. The treatment area is from the County Road 484 bridge to where the Rainbow River meets the Withlacoochee River.Treatment involves the application of the aquatic herbicide Aquathol Super K. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable restrictions. Water from the treated section of the river…

 Mark Brown, senior environmental scientist, and Paul Miselis, senior environmental engineer, were recognized for their work on the Fort DeSoto Ecosystem Restoration Project. The project restored the natural flow between two back bays at Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County. In May, the District’s Governing Board recognized two staff members for their roles on a successful restoration project that received national recognition. Mark Brown, District senior…

Left photo: David Moore, executive director, and Jerry Rice, Governing Board chair, chat before an employee meeting in Brooksville. Right photo: David Moore, executive director, answers a question from Malcolm Hudson, senior tradesworker, between employee meetings in Brooksville. In May, the District’s Governing Board recognized two staff members for their roles on a successful restoration project that received national recognition. Mark Brown, District senior…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District wants to remind members of the agricultural community who hold water use permits to complete and return the annual crop reporting forms, which were mailed this week.The reports, which are a condition of a water use permit, are also used to help calculate the correct annual conservation credits that each permit holder has earned. Conservation credits allow permit holders to use additional irrigation quantities during dry…