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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has scheduled restoration work on the Orange State Canal located in Citrus County. The work is scheduled to take place from May 16 to June 15. Boat access from the Withlacoochee River through the canal will not be available during the scheduled restoration work. Activity is scheduled to occur during daylight hours between Monday and Friday each week. Restoration work on the Orange State Canal will focus on…

David W. Dunbar recently was appointed to the District’s Governing Board by Gov. Rick Scott. Dunbar, of Palm Harbor, is a commercial banker and chairman of Synovus Bank of Florida. He was appointed to succeed Jennifer Closshey and his term ends March 1, 2017. The Governing Board position represents both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.  The 61-year-old describes himself as an avid coastal fisherman with an understanding of water issues and the impact on the…

Gov. Rick Scott appointed George Mann to the Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ Wednesday.Mann, of Polk City, is a retired business development manager at Treatt USA, which processes citrus products. Mann was appointed to succeed Neil Combee, and his term ends March 1, 2013.Mann is currently serving as a board member of Anchor House Ministry. Previously, he served on the Florida Citrus…

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…

 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…

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…

Projects in local communities, a new water use caution area in Hillsborough County, an organizational restructuring and a new executive leadership team were some of the changes that marked the District’s 50th year. Positive Results West-central Florida water resources showed signs that efforts to reduce pollution were having positive effects. Scientists with the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management Program recorded major gains in seagrass growth in…

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+…

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…

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…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum and guidance levels for selected Pasco County lakes.A public workshop will be held to discuss proposed levels for King Lake, King Lake (East) and Lake Linda. The meeting will be held Wednesday, Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m. at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Boulevard (U.S. Highway 41), Land O’ Lakes.A minimum flow or level (MFL) is the limit at which…

A study of the fish and invertebrates in the Weeki Wachee River estuary will help the Southwest Florida Water Management District in establishing minimum flows for the Weeki Wachee River.Aimed at determining the freshwater needs of biological communities associated with the river, the study is being conducted by the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science.Researchers have been collecting fish and invertebrates, such as pink shrimp and blue crab, on a…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum and guidance levels for Citrus County lakes.A public workshop will be held to discuss proposed levels for Fort Cooper Lake and the Floral City, Hernando and Inverness pools of Tsala Apopka Lake in Citrus County. The meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the Citrus County Auditorium, 3610 South Florida Avenue (U.S. Highway 41), Inverness. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.A…

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 is seeking public input about proposed minimum flows and levels (MFL) for Lake Panasoffkee in Sumter County.A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment. The District Governing Board sets these limits as part of achieving a balance between meeting human water needs and those of Florida’s natural systems. Minimum lake levels…

Governor Charlie Crist recently appointed Roland Dove and Janet Hoppe to the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board(Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/pinellas-anclote.php.Dove is from New Port Richey in Pasco County. He is a civil engineer for Spring Engineering Inc., and has been appointed to succeed Mitch Hammer, for a term beginning Sept. 24, 2010, and ending…

Governor Charlie Crist recently reappointed Patricia Crisman and appointed Gordon 'Mac' Martin to the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Peace River Basin Board(Peace River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/peace.php.Crisman is from Bartow in Polk County. She is a retired insurance agent, and has been reappointed for a term beginning Sept. 7, 2010, and ending March 1, 2013.Martin is from Arcadia in DeSoto County. He…