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The Southwest Florida Water Management District has revised and extended the water shortage emergency order for the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority to protect the drinking water supply for more than 250,000 residents. The order is now scheduled to expire on October 26, 2008 unless it is rescinded or extended by District’s Governing Board or executive director. The order was slated to expire June 25, 2008.The executive order signed Wednesday will…

The District has been receiving questions about its ability to move water out of Lake Thonotosassa through the Flint Creek water control structure. The lake was lowered to the maximum amount possible before the storm. However, due to historic rainfall from Hurricane Milton, the Flint Creek water control structure on Lake Thonotosassa is completely under water and the water is flowing over the land around the structure. Under normal circumstances, water naturally…

For the past 60 years, the District has worked to protect water resources and ensure the public’s water needs are met. But as Florida’s population continues to grow, it will take careful planning and innovative new ideas to ensure the state’s water supply. An estimated 1,000 people move to Florida each day, and Florida will need an additional one billion gallons per day by 2040. The water supply is not endless, so legislators passed the Clean Waterways Act in 2020, which…

Tampa Bay Regional Reclaimed Water and Downstream Augmentation Project The Tampa Bay area already leads the nation in the reuse of reclaimed water. An innovative new project will make a good system even better, making use of both dry-season and wet-season supplies. The Tampa Bay Regional Reclaimed Water and Downstream Augmentation Project is an ambitious reclaimed water project that will save millions of gallons of potable water per day, make additional water…

Where do you think most of the water pollutants in our region come from? Did you know that about half of them come from septic tanks? That’s according to Dr. Mary Lusk, faculty in the Soil and Water Science Department at the University of Florida-Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. She spoke at this year’s “Florida Water: Decade for Decisions” seminar and said conventional septic tanks do not remove much nitrogen (about 30 percent) and are greatly contributing to…

April… a month known for April Fool’s Day, tax day, Earth Day and, in Florida, water conservation. The state Legislature designated April as water conservation month. This year the District will celebrate water conservation month by participating in a variety of festivals and educational events. District staff will speak at two series of educational workshops aimed at helping elected community, county and municipal officials and decision-makers learn more about the…

Anthony Andrade, senior water conservation analyst, is the national WateReuse Person of the Year. This is Anthony Andrade’s year. The District project manager and senior water conservation analyst has been named national “WateReuse Person of the Year” for 2006. The award was presented in September at the 2006 WateReuse Symposium, which was held jointly by the WateReuse Association, American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation. Each…

Year-Round Water Conservation Measures in Effect Districtwide The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board is allowing once-per-week watering and other stringent water restrictions in the District's northern region to expire on Oct. 1, 2017. This region includes Citrus, Hernando, Sumter and portions of Lake, Levy and Marion counties. All 16-counties throughout the District's boundaries are now on year-round water…

Year-Round Water Conservation Measures Return Elsewhere Due to lingering drought effects and water resources not recovering as quickly as other areas, the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board voted today to maintain once-per-week lawn watering and other restrictions in the District's northern region, which includes Citrus, Hernando, Levy and portions of Lake, Marion and Sumter counties. This order in Marion County would be limited to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to modify its existing Phase I water shortage, expanding it to cover the District’s entire 16-county area beginning May 8.  Under Phase I, water utilities and their local governments are expected to review and revise water restriction enforcement procedures, begin monthly enforcement reporting and…

Due to lingering drought effects and water resources not recovering as quickly as other areas, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to maintain once-per-week lawn watering and other restrictions in the District’s northern region, which includes Citrus, Hernando, Levy and portions of Lake, Marion and Sumter counties. This order in Marion County would be limited to the city of Dunnellon and the area encompassed by The Villages because…

Housekeeper proudly displays Water C.H.A.M.P. materials at the Holiday Inn Express. The District’s award-winning Water Conservation Hotel And Motel Program (Water C.H.A.M.P.) reached a major milestone in July when the Holiday Inn Express Hotel &Suites on North Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa signed up as its 300th hotel. Water C.H.A.M.P. is the District’s linens and towels reuse program, which began in September 2002 as a pilot project in the Pinellas- Anclote…

May 7-15 is National Travel and Tourism WeekAre you planning a 'staycation' to avoid the cost of rising fuel prices? You can enjoy the area's natural beauty and still make a difference in preserving its natural resources, thanks to conservation programs developed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.National Travel and Tourism Week is May 7-15, and the District offers many ways to enjoy some time off close to home without sacrificing the environment.Saving…

Focusing on Florida's Future This September, water managers, state and local government officials, representatives from academia, the business community and other interested people will come to Tampa to attend Florida’s 28th Annual Conference on Water Management. The conference, which is being held September 3–5 at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel, will provide a forum for attendees to share information on emerging technologies, discuss policy and social issues,…

Above: This culvert/riser, which is an example of the types of items available for cost-share through the Mini-FARMS program, is used for water control on an agricultural site in southern DeSoto County. Right: Weather stations are funded through FARMS and Mini-FARMS as a way to irrigate more precisely, based on weather conditions. A good example is using a weather station for frost-freeze protection. The farmer has exact data for that area of the farm and can turn on…

Citrus County Utilities earned this year’s bragging rights for having the tastiest tap water in West Central Florida. The utility won the annual Best Tasting Drinking Water Contest for Florida Section Region 4 of the American Water Works Association. The District’s Water Supply manager, Jason Mickel, was one of the judges for Region 4 which includes: Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter counties. Twenty-two public water supply contestants…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a water use permit to increase Charlotte County’s water supply from the Burnt Store Wellfield to an average of 3.1 million gallons per day (gpd) of brackish ground water to meet its needs.The county was previously permitted 914,000 gpd. The increase in quantities is due to an increase in the projected population through 2012.This water use permit will allow construction of three new wells…

How much water does Polk County use? Where does the county get its supply? What resource alternatives are available? These are just some of the questions tackled at the Polk County Water School. The seven-week course educates the public on key water issues to encourage improved public policy decisions. “We deliver science-based information to help citizens of Polk County make informed decisions,” said Nicole Walker, the county extension director at the UF/IFAS Polk…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has released as much water out of Lake Tarpon as possible, however storm surge from Hurricane Debby is overtopping the structure and water cannot be released until the storm surge recedes.The Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal is one of 84 water-control structures throughout the District’s 16-county area. The three-mile canal extends from the south end of Lake Tarpon and empties into Old Tampa Bay. The structure is designed…

Did you know that outdoor water use can account for up to 50 percent of water consumed by households?While the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org advocates "water conservation(Water conservation)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/ year-round, an extra effort is being made to promote conservation throughout April. Governments and water management districts throughout the state have…