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The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored two outstanding Sarasota County projects that focus 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.Here are the Sarasota County recipients. Sarasota County is in the District’s Manasota Basin, which also includes Manatee County.Myriam Springuel, with the Science and Environment Council…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board voted today to increase water restrictions throughout the region. The modified Phase III water shortage order affects counties throughout the District's boundaries including Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter.District hydrologists report a rainfall deficit of 11-inches since the start of the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is offering six easy ways to prepare for your holiday meals and parties without running up your water bill. During the holidays, water plays a role in everything from food preparation to the clean-up process. Here's how to incorporate water conservation into your holiday preparations:

• Defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator or the microwave instead of running hot water over them.
• Rinse…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $113,138 in grants to 52 educators within the District as part of the Splash! school grant program. The program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources in grades K-12.Splash! grants encourage hands-on student learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities as well as engagement of the greater school community through awareness…

The “water wars” in the Tampa Bay region spanned three decades, cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, and taught us valuable lessons about how to address regional water supply issues. Now the Tampa Bay region has one of the most diverse, drought-resistant water supplies in the country. The war was not won in the courtroom, despite all the money spent on attorneys. The issues were resolved by cooperating on our shared interests, fairly distributing costs of new water…

On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board adopted a $231.6 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025, including $86.6 million for Cooperative Funding Initiatives and District grants for water resources projects.The budget reflects the District’s commitment to protect Florida’s water resources and to improve Florida’s economic vitality. Some of the key initiatives in the District’s FY2025 budget include: 

• $76.5 million…

On Tuesday, the Southewest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board adopted a $202.7 million budget for FY2020, including more than $81 million for the Cooperative Funding Initiative and District grants for water resources projects. The budget reflects the District’s commitment to protect Florida’s water resources and to improve Florida’s economic vitality. Some of the key initiatives in the District’s FY2020 budget include:

• $25.7 million for…

On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board adopted a $176.3 million budget for FY2019, including approximately $66 million for the Cooperative Funding Initiative and District grants for water resources projects. The budget reflects the District’s commitment to…

District leaders recently helped celebrate the dedication of Habitat for Humanity homes that received the Florida Water Star℠ certification. The four homes were built in the Laurel Gardens Community in Nokomis. Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that, together with volunteers and donations, helps to build homes for families in need. The families help build the homes. The builders incorporated water-saving features into the new homes like efficient…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/(District) today approved an important water supply plan for Central Florida. The strategy charts a long-term course of more aggressive water conservation, expanded and more efficient water reuse projects and alternative water-supply project options to ensure adequate water supplies for the region through 2035.The plan was developed as part of the "Central…

Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order remains in effect DistrictwideThe 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 September 1. This also includes the existing water shortage order currently in effect for Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Manatee, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is offering six easy ways to prepare for your holiday meals and parties without running up your water bill."It is especially important to conserve water during the holidays, as they fall within our traditional dry season," said Robyn Felix, the District's media relations manager. "We can all make a difference by incorporating a few simple tips into our routines."During the…

The District approved an important water supply plan for Central Florida. The strategy charts a long-term course of more aggressive water conservation, expanded and more efficient water reuse projects and alternative water-supply project options to ensure adequate water supplies for the region through 2035. The plan was developed as part of the Central Florida Water Initiative…

Following Hurricane Milton, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has deactivated the Tampa Bypass Canal System and the Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (HFDA), as water levels in the Hillsborough River have returned to normal. This marks a positive step as the region recovers from the heavy rainfall caused by the storm. To assist with flood control during the storm, the District activated the Tampa Bypass Canal System on October 8 to protect…

Visitors can learn how to protect Florida's precious springs through a variety of activities during Citrus County's "Save Our Waters Week":http://soww.citrus2020.org/.The weeklong event, bringing awareness about the area's springs, is coordinated by Citrus 20/20 Inc. and is part of the Southwest Florida Water Management District's regional "Springs Awareness Week":http://www.WaterMatters.org/Springs campaign. The week's activities run from Friday, Sept. 14 to Saturday, Sept…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is expanding the availability of reclaimed water to new residential developments through a new grant program aimed at builders and developers.The goal of the Grants for Reclaimed Irrigation Projects (GRIP) program, which was developed from a recommendation by the District’s Reclaimed Water Task Force, is to help offset the cost of installing reclaimed water distribution lines in new residential developments. Transmission…

A project jointly funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pasco County will allow approximately 300 residential customers to connect to reclaimed water service.The Timber Greens Golf Course currently pumps reclaimed water directly from the Pasco County Reuse Transmission System, which lowers reclaimed water pressure in the area near the golf course. Because of this loss in pressure, the county has not been able to offer reclaimed water to some nearby…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is urging residents to skip their next watering day if they’ve received at least a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch of rain today.Outdoor water use can account for up to fifty percent of residential water use and skipping a week of irrigation will help conserve our limited drinking water supplies.All 16 counties within the District are feeling the effects of the three-year drought.“Even if it is your assigned…

The Southwest Florida Management District’s Governing Board agreed to increase funding for a cooperative funding project with the city of Belleair Beach to reduce flooding and improve water quality.The project’s budget has been increased from $100,000 to $192,000 because the bids the city received for the project exceeded the available funding. The cost will be divided equally between Belleair Beach and the District’s Pinellas Anclote River Basin Board…

A reclaimed water project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Marion County will provide approximately 500,000 gallons of water per day (gpd) to the Oak Run Golf Course, which will offset an estimated 375,000 gpd of potable water currently being used for irrigation.This project involves the design, permitting and construction of a reclaimed water storage and transmission system for the golf course. The system will include approximately 13,500 feet…