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A cooperatively funded program between the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of North Port will identify what is causing degraded water quality in the region. The information gathered by the program will be used to develop a water quality improvement plan.The North Port Water Enhancement Program consists of a study that includes water sampling, data collection and analysis.During the course of a year, monthly water samples will be taken from… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pasco County recently signed an agreement to work together on a project that will maximize the use of reclaimed water resources in the county.The Pasco County Wet Weather Reclaimed Water Reservoir project involves constructing a reservoir on 35 acres next to the Land O’ Lakes wastewater treatment facility. The reservoir will be built to store up to 100 million gallons of reclaimed water from the facility.Reclaimed… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Inverness recently signed an agreement for a project that will save 700,000 gallons of water per day (gpd).This project will allow the Inverness Golf and Country Club to reduce its dependence on potable water sources for irrigation at its golf course and give the city the ability to provide reclaimed water, through existing piping, to the Citrus County Holden Park athletic fields to reduce its use of groundwater… Read more

The public is invited to an open house Thursday, June 28 for a plan to address the current and long-term water supply needs in the central Florida region.A regional water supply plan is being developed by the Central Florida Water Initiative, a collaboration of agencies to address water issues in southern Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk and Seminole counties. The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org is part of the initiative, which is focused… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District today approved an important plan to coordinate efforts with two other water management districts to meet the growing water supply needs of a five-county region in Central Florida while also protecting the water and related natural resources.The Action Plan for the Central Florida Coordination Area is a cooperative effort among the Southwest Florida, South Florida and St. Johns River water management districts. The Coordination… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored two outstanding Sumter County projects that focused on water resources education. A total of 27 projects were recognized during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Lake Mirror Complex in Lakeland.The Sumter County recipients are listed below. Part of Sumter County is within the District’s Withlacoochee River Basin, which also includes portions of Citrus Hernando, Marion, Pasco and Levy counties.… Read more

Portions of Citrus County received more than 10 inches of rain in the last four days, including more than six inches Monday night. This prompted District staff to raise the gates of the Inglis Main Dam to increase flows out of Lake Rousseau. Citrus County has nearly reached its historical average rainfall of 30.8 inches for the entire wet season (June through September) having received an average of 30 inches of rain the past two months. District staff have been… Read more

A reclaimed water project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Winter Haven will expand reclaimed water service in the northern service area, offsetting about 454,000 gallons of potable water per day.The project will connect several developments, including Hampton Cove, Lakes at Lucerne Park, Sunset Hills, Royal Hills, and Lake Henry Isles, to the reclaimed water system. As a result, reclaimed water will be available to approximately 2,… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently signed an agreement with Polk County Utilities for a project to create 10 million gallons of storage capacity at the county’s Northeast Regional Waste Water Treatment Facility. The expanded storage capacity will increase the reliability of the reclaimed water system to meet customers’ needs. Using reclaimed water reduces the need to use potable water for irrigation.The Polk County Utilities Northeast… Read more

Due to below normal rainfall, reduced river levels and increasing water supply concerns, the Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted today to increase "water restrictions":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/restrictions/TBphase3.php in the Tampa Bay area. Even though December rainfall was near normal for our region, rainfall in January and February was 3.5 inches below normal.The… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday renewed and increased a water use permit for the City of Punta Gorda to meet the projected population growth through 2027.The previous annual average permitted quantity was 5,358,000 gallons of water per day (gpd.) The new permitted quantity is 8,088,000 gpd. However, the additional quantities will come from surface water, not groundwater. The surface water comes from the Shell Creek reservoir, located… Read more

A project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Bay Laurel Center Community Development District will bring reclaimed water to residents who live in the Marion County communities of Candler Hills and On Top of the World.The project includes the design, permitting and construction of a reclaimed water storage and transmission system, which will involve constructing a 2.5 million gallon ground storage tank, 3,500 linear feet of reclaimed water… Read more

A reclaimed water project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Dade City is expected to offset about 300,000 gallons of potable water per day.This project will provide approximately 500,000 gallons per day (gpd) of reclaimed water to the Little Everglades Ranch for irrigating the race track area and sod farm as part of a 20-year service agreement between the city and the ranch.The project includes the design and construction of approximately 15,000… Read more

Visitors to this year’s Florida State Fair will have the opportunity to learn about the drought and water conservation when they visit the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s information booth and water-conserving restroom trailer.The District will promote water conservation and Florida-friendly landscaping at the fair, which is being held Feb. 7-18 in Tampa.“Because the area is experiencing a severe drought, water conservation is even more… Read more

The City of Clearwater recently celebrated the grand opening of its second reverse-osmosis water treatment plant.  District staff joined the celebration of the plant that treats brackish water using state-of-the-art technology to produce more than 5 million gallons per day of potable water. Reverse osmosis is a process that purifies water by removing dissolved particles, minerals and ions.  This $34 million project includes three major components: the… Read more

Susan Douglas, Florida Water StarSM program coordinator, presents employee Fred Hartless with his Florida Water StarSM certificate. Hartless is the first District employee to earn the certification. For every drop of water conserved, Fred Hartless knows more money will stay in his wallet. That’s why Hartless made sure his new Wesley Chapel home was water efficient. He recently made it official by becoming the first District employee to get his home… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is unveiling a new tool to help residents determine how much water they can conserve at home.The new tool is an online water conservation calculator that allows residents to estimate how much water they use, and provides tips on how they can reduce that amount.Participants will then have the opportunity to pledge to conserve at least 10 percent of their daily use. Visit the District’s web site at… Read more

Information on how residents can conserve water during the drought will be a focal point at this year’s Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival being held Jan. 19-20 at Al Lopez Park in Tampa.The Southwest Florida Water Management District will promote water conservation and Florida-friendly landscaping with its water-conserving restroom at the annual event.“Because the area is experiencing a severe drought, water conservation is even more crucial,” said Melissa… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized six Polk County projects as outstanding school, community grant or volunteer programs that focus on water resources education. A total of 52 projects were recognized during the October 7 Reflect, Connect, Celebrate Water Resources Education Conference at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center in Tarpon Springs.To select the awardees, District staff reviewed grants applied for by teachers… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is unveiling a new online tool to help students and teachers determine how much water they can conserve at home and pledge to make a difference.The District’s Youth Education Section launched the new web-based water conservation challenge for schools in anticipation of water conservation month, which begins in April. Each year the state, water management districts, and local governments recognize April as water… Read more