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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 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'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 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 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 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 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…

World Water Monitoring Day is Sept. 18 and highlights the importance of monitoring water quality and protecting our water resources. The District’s Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP) collects data from waterbodies around the District so the information can be used to determine whether our water is suitable for drinking, recreational activities and wildlife.When monitoring water quality, staff evaluate factors like changes in water temperature, dissolved oxygen…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board voted today to extend one-day-per-week watering restrictions again for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties until Dec. 31 due to ongoing efforts to refill the regional reservoir.Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Manatee, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has a new Community Affairs Coordinator for the District’s Sarasota Service Office. Terri Behling, APR will serve as a liaison between the District and the constituents of Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. She will work closely with the city and county governments and coordinate the District’s Cooperative Funding Initiative. The Sarasota Service Office is located at 6750 Fruitville Road. Behling…

Southwest Florida Water Management District employees recently removed 15 tons of tires and 68 tons of other garbage and debris from a sinkhole near Crews Lake in Pasco County.The removal efforts are part of the District’s Springs Cleanup Initiative to remove solid waste from sinkholes and other karst features within the Springs Coast Basin, which includes Citrus, Hernando, Pasco and Marion counties. The project is in its second year and has been approved for a third year.…

Built on the concept of collaboration, the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) works with the area's 83 utilities to scale water conservation efforts and promote alternative water supplies for a growing population. "The CFWI is focused on regional, multijurisdictional solutions that serve more than one utility, and by extension more residents, businesses, the agricultural community and other water users in the region," said St. Johns River Water Management District…

A project funded by the Southwest Florida Management District and St. Petersburg will improve the quality of the water entering Lake Maggoire.The project will expand on the city’s alum injection system at the16th Street South outfall. Alum is a chemical agent that promotes the formation of large particle aggregates, or floc. The floc is made up of aluminum hydroxide and absorbed constituents of the stormwater. The floc precipitates out of solution, removing a…

The District is taking the state’s annual water conservation efforts in April to another level as the need to conserve is more important than ever. “April is part of Florida’s dry season and the time when the District makes an extra effort to remind residents about the need to conserve,” said Michael Molligan, communications director. “However, this year our water supplies are extremely low, so we have been stepping up our public awareness campaign because we need…