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Basin Board: Manasota Basin Board Term: First appointed March 26, 2001. Currently in her third term, which expires March 1, 2010 Occupation: Land Planner Current residence: Manatee County Hometown: Saginaw, Michigan Reason you applied to be a Basin Board member: Opportunity to get involved in one of the most important planning issues…

An area home builder has been honored for the second time in one year for the use of water-wise landscaping.Rusaw Homes was presented with the Water-Wise Landscape Recognition Award Thursday at the Citrus County Builders Association Spring Parade of Homes event. This is a repeat performance for the builder, which also received the top award during the fall Parade of Homes.The winning design can be seen at Rusaw Homes’ Oakdale Anniversary model, 2819 West Lantana Drive…

Three Manatee County projects expected to reach nearly 5,000 residents 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…

 Far left: Student “reporters” take part in a skit that shows them what it’s like to work in the District’s Communications Department. Center: Chan Springstead, planner, taught students not to be a water pig. Right: Jason Mickel, senior planner, shows students the role planners play in managing the District’s water resources. With 14 interactive educational displays, students between the ages of 9 and 18 spent the day learning about a variety of careers at…

Homeowners and gardening enthusiasts are invited to “play in the dirt” at this year’s Florida Yard Fandango March 10, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.This is the second year the Florida-friendly gardening event is being held at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI.)The goal of the Fandango is to promote Florida-friendly landscaping and lawn maintenance because it is beautiful and saves water, time and energy. Participants will enjoy touring the butterfly gardens and…

At today’s meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.268 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2007 is $9,288,171, which is an increase of $180,006 from the adopted FY2006 budget. The main reason for this increase is due to increased property values offset by a reduction in state funding. FY2007 will run from Oct. 1, 2006, through Sept. 30…

Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board Sets Proposed Millage RateAt its June 8 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.268 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The proposed budget for FY2007 is $8,213,055, which is a decrease of $895,110 from the adopted FY2006 budget. The main reason for this decrease is a reduction in state funding. FY2007…

District staff, Governing Board members and Hillsborough River Basin Board members recently welcomed the first wave of warm weather with a canoe trip down the upper Hillsborough River. The outing was an opportunity to see firsthand a highly protected natural river in its upper reaches, which ultimately provides water supplies to the City of Tampa and freshwater flows to Tampa Bay. “The upper Hillsborough River is in excellent ecological condition, with good water…

Who:Canterbury School of Florida teachers and students, Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Coast Guard, the Pinellas County Science Center and Tampa Bay WatchWhat:The Canterbury School of Florida is celebrating the grand opening of the Marine Studies Education Center at its Knowlton campus.District staff will be among the guest speakers. The school received a Splash! mini-grant for a project that focused on learning about native…

Who:Hillsborough County Extension Service staff, homeowners and gardenersWhat:A Water-Wise workshop to teach interested homeowners about Florida-friendly landscaping practices, including proper irrigation techniques.Pre-registration is required for this free workshop. Participants will receive a micro-irrigation kit at the conclusion. Call 813-744-5519, ext. 145 to register.The workshop is part of “Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week,” which is sponsored by the…

Five Sarasota County projects expected to reach more than 7,000 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…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks for three Marion County watersheds.This information is being developed as part of the *Withlacoochee River*, *Withlacoochee River 2* and *Withlacoochee Region* watershed management plans. The plans were cooperatively funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Marion County.The District is…

According to the National Weather Service, parts of the Tampa Bay area may see freezing temperatures during early morning hours on Friday. 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 Thursday night and leave the pumps off until the temperatures warm up in the morning. Temperatures are…

Left: The group toured the tailwater recovery system at Strawberry Red Ranch. Top right:Bill Orendorff, FARMS Program manager, describes the tailwater recovery project to the group. Bottom right: Glenn Harrell of Harrell’s Nursery, right, speaks with Bruce Wirth, District deputy executive director. District Governing Board and staff members got a firsthand look at ways to reduce the use of groundwater for freeze protection during a recent tour of agricultural…

Website Enhancement The District recently launched two new WaterMatters.org microsites featuring information on the Alafia River watershed and the Florida Water StarSM program. Alafia River Watershed Excursion WaterMatters.org/alafia takes you on a virtual journey…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Polk County for the Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification Project. Polk County is scheduled to consider the MOA on Aug. 9.The MOA outlines what each party is responsible for and addresses the county’s North Central landfill. The county’s North Central landfill is located near the Lake Hancock Project. It was originally permitted in 1974…

Gov. Charlie Crist recently appointed a new member to the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Henry Paul Senft of Haines City was appointed to a newly created seat. The Governing Board was previously made up of 11 seats. Last year the State Legislature added two new seats for a total of 13.His term began March 7 and ends March 1, 2011. Senft is the owner of Townsend-Senft Consulting and Insurance Inc. He will also be appointed by the…

According to the National Weather Service, parts of the Tampa Bay area are expected to have below freezing temperatures Wednesday morning. This has prompted the…

A Citrus County builder, landscaper and irrigation contractor are being recognized for incorporating water conservation and water-wise landscaping into a model home’s design with the county’s first Water-Wise Landscape Award.Rusaw Homes, The Greenery Landscaping and Coast to Coast Irrigation took first place for the Oakdale Anniversary model in the Citrus County Fall Parade of Homes. The Parade of Homes is being held through Oct. 28, 10 a.m. 5 p.m. weekdays and…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to comment on proposed "minimum flows and levels(Minimum Flows and Levels)":/mfl (MFLs) for the upper and middle Withlacoochee River at a public workshop on Wednesday, Nov. 3. The workshop will be held from 6:30 to approximately 9 p.m. at the "District's headquarters(Google map)":http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=2379+Broad+Street,+Brooksville,+FL+…