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Polk county residents and families are invited to attend Water, Wings & Wild Things at Circle B Bar Reserve this Halloween. The free, annual event takes place Saturday, Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Water, Wings & Wild Things features more than 40 exhibitors providing fun opportunities to learn about the area’s nature and conservation efforts, including planting with native plants, water conservation and litter prevention.The Southwest Florida Water Management…

 Just like a great workout strengthens your body, your lawn can benefit from a little training to become healthier and more resilient. This winter, help your lawn build its “water muscles” by skipping a week between irrigation sessions. Cooler temperatures mean your grass naturally requires less water and this seasonal adjustment can save you time, money and resources.  Why Should You Train Your Lawn?When you reduce watering during the winter…

A cooperatively funded project between the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Sarasota County will develop a computer model to determine how much pollution is entering the countys surface waters.The model will estimate how much pollution will result from proposed land development designs, estimate the effectiveness of projects, and relate pollutant loads to water quality. This model will help the District and the county with efforts to improve the water quality…

A cooperatively funded project between the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pinellas County will determine how much pollution is entering Pinellas Countys impaired waters.The study, which will estimate pollutant loads and yields discharged to impaired Pinellas County waters, will help the District and the County with efforts to improve the water quality in Pinellas County watersheds and ultimately Tampa Bay. To compute estimates of annual pollutant loads,…

The District continues to monitor lake and river levels and manage its water control structures around the clock during this historic flooding event caused by Hurricane Milton.Lake and River Level Update

• Lake water levels in most areas are starting to decline and most structures are discharging at maximum capacity. 
• Upper portions of the Hillsborough River have crested and are beginning to decline while the lower portions are…

Community leaders recently gathered with water experts to discuss the needs to protect and restore springs. It was part of Hernando County’s “Water You Doing?” workshop educating the public about watersheds, springs and groundwater. Several District staff participated in the event. Dr. Chris Anastasiou, a chief environmental scientist at the District, opened the day-long event with an overview of the water challenges the community faces. Sky Notestein, a senior…

As the school year comes to a close, so does another successful season of the District’s Splash! school grant program. This year the District awarded 65 Splash! grants to K-12 educators to help enhance and support water education activities. In total the grants engaged more than 20,000 students and adults. For many educators, the Splash! grant program enables them to give students hands-on experiences that otherwise would not occur. This may include a field study at…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, June 25, at 9 a.m. at Tampa Bay Water, located at 2575 Enterprise Road in Clearwater. To view the Governing Board meeting online, visit WaterMatters.org and click on the “Live Video Stream” link. The video stream link becomes active and the live video feed begins approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board recently approved plans to move forward on a restoration project with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to improve water quality in the Palm River.Palm River is located near the Tampa Bypass Canal in central Hillsborough County. The canal stretches from north of Tampa where the Hillsborough River crosses I-75 to McKay Bay. During the canal’s construction in the 1960s, an underwater…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is seeking public input to determine the priority of minimum flows and levels (MFLs) establishment for lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District as well as the establishment of water reservations. Legislation requires the District to review and, if necessary, revise this schedule each year.The District will hold a virtual public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. Members of the public can…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored Angela Maraj yesterday during a District ceremony that recognized outstanding programs that focused on water resources education. Maraj serves as the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Builders/Developers Outreach coordinator in Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota counties. A total of 27 projects were recognized during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Lake Mirror Complex in Lakeland.In…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the City of Safety Harbor on a project that will reduce erosion within the Harbor Woods Village subdivision and improve water quality in Tampa Bay.During the last 25 years, Bishop Creek has eroded outside the established easement and is encroaching onto adjoining residential properties. Eroded sediment from the banks is being washed downstream and is eventually deposited into Tampa Bay.The Harbor Woods Village…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 24 at 10 a.m. at Tampa Bay Water, located at 2575 Enterprise Road in Clearwater. To view the Governing Board meeting online, visit …

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 25 at 10 a.m. at Tampa Bay Water, located at 2575 Enterprise Road in Clearwater. To view the Governing Board meeting online, visit Watermatters.org and click on the "Live Video Stream" link. The video stream link becomes active and the live video feed begins approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting time.The meeting agenda and meeting materials are…

The District recently presented the Water Matters award to three Pasco County students searching for solutions to improve water quality and sustain freshwater supplies. The Water Matters awards were given as part of the 2022 Pasco Science and Engineering Showcase last month. Hosted by the District School Board of Pasco County, this annual event encourages students to work through the scientific research process to explore pressing issues and problems to create powerful…

More than 700 of the best and brightest minds in water reuse met in Tampa this September to take part in the 22nd Annual WateReuse Symposium, which focused on water reuse and desalination. This is the first time the WateReuse Association has held its annual event in the Tampa Bay area. The association is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the beneficial and efficient use of water resources through education, sound science and technology using…

Staff from four water management districts across the state recently attended a week-long training at District headquarters to learn more about a software program that facilitates environmental flow assessments through instream habitat analysis. The November training on System for Environmental Flow Assessment (SEFA) was led by Ian Jowett and Tom Payne, two leading experts in hydraulic habitat modeling and co-developers of the software program. “The program ensures…

Kass Sink looked harmless enough from the edge, but just below the surface, piles of garbage and debris sat potentially poisoning the drinking water. Kass Sink is like many other sinkholes in Hernando and Citrus counties. Most are clustered around or are considered a part of one of the five first-magnitude springs systems: Weeki Wachee, Homosassa, Chassahowitzka, Kings Bay and Rainbow springs. Some of the sinks have a direct connection to the aquifer. While others may…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is seeking public input to determine the priority of minimum flows and levels (MFLs) establishment for lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District as well as the establishment of water reservations. Legislation requires the District to review and, if necessary, revise this schedule each year. The District will hold a virtual public meeting Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. Members of the public can join the…

Innovative ways to test and track water were the themes of this year’s student winners of the District’s Water Matters! Awards. The District recently awarded three students with the Water Matters! Award for their work at the Pasco County Science and Engineering Showcase. This is the second year the District has given the award, which was developed in partnership with Pasco County School District. The award recognizes notable projects relating to the mission of protecting…