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The District is helping people replace those water wasters in the bathroom by partnering with area cities and utilities to provide low-flow toilet rebate programs. There are numerous ongoing low-flow toilet rebate programs currently within the District. Most offer up to a $100 rebate when residents replace inefficient toilets with low-flow models. The District splits the cost with participating cities and utilities. Choosing low-flow toilets is important because… Read more

Governing Board urges water conservationDespite normal rainfall in April, west-central Florida remains abnormally dry. The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board is urging residents to continue conserving the water resources.Since January 2006, the District has accumulated more than a 15-inch rainfall deficit. As a result, lake levels are below their annual low levels and rivers are flowing below normal ranges.Last month, the Governing Board declared… Read more

Restrictions eased on car washing, pressure washing, fountains and air-conditioningThe Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted to modify and continue the Modified Phase IV (or Critical) Water Shortage restrictions for potable water use in theTampa Bay Water service area until August 31, 2009.Under the revised Phase IV order, lawn watering remains limited to the same once-per-week schedule from midnight to 4 a.m. for properties less than one… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Town of Redington Beach recently signed an agreement for a project that will reduce flooding and improve water quality.This project involves upgrading the stormwater system by adding inlets and storm piping, a Continuous Deflective Separation (CDS) unit, that filters out sediment from the stormwater runoff and the associated roadway reconstruction. These infrastructure improvements will be built within the area of 1st… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District would like to invite local schools to participate in this year’s World Water Monitoring Day activities.World Water Monitoring Day is actually a month-long, international outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. The annual event invites students to monitor the quality of their local rivers, streams, estuaries, and other waterbodies from September 18 to… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday renewed and modified a water use permit (WUP) for the City of Lakeland.The modified permit increases the permitted quantities for the city. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 30.2 million gallons of water per day (mgd.) The new permitted quantity is 35.03 mgd.The quantity was increased because the permit expiration date was changed from 2014 to 2028, with a corresponding increase… Read more

Pinellas County waters saw an overall increase of 150 acres in seagrass coverage, according to recently released results from the District’s 2014 seagrass mapping study. Pinellas County waters — St. Joseph Sound, Clearwater Harbor North and Clearwater Harbor South – now collectively support 17,334 acres of seagrass beds.  The District maps seagrass in five estuaries spanning the five coastal counties of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday renewed and modified a water use permit (WUP) for Temple Terrace.The modified permit increases the permitted quantities for the city. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 5,098,000 gallons of water per day (gpd.) The new permitted quantity is 5,150,000 gpd, which is an increase of 52,000 gpd.The quantity was increased to meet the potable water demands of the city through 2018.The permit is… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of North Port are working together on two projects that will help reduce demand and conserve water.North Port Water Conservation and Retrofit ProgramThe North Port Water Conservation and Retrofit Program will offer financial incentives to residents who retrofit their homes with water efficient fixtures such as low-flow toilets, low-flow showerheads and rain sensors. Residents who install a low-… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Monday approved the renewal and consolidation of five water use permits (WUP) for Hernando County Utilities’ east service area.The consolidated permit includes an increase of 2,791,817 gallons of water per day (gpd) based on projected population growth in the east service area, which is expected to reach approximately 25,000 residents by the year 2014. The new permitted annual average day quantity for the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has scheduled repairs to the culvert at the District's P-3 water conservation structure. The structure is located northwest of Auburndale near the northeast shore of Whistler Lake, off Kirkland Lake Drive. The structure's gate is manually operated to help maintain water levels on Lake Arietta.Repair work is scheduled to begin the first week of April and will be completed before the rainy season, which typically… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Manatee County are offering residents a financial incentive to save water by replacing high-volume toilets and showerheads with low-volume models.As part of the program, Manatee County customers can apply for a rebate of up to $100 when they replace high-volume toilets with low-flow models. The application must be approved prior to purchasing and installing the new low-volume toilet to receive a rebate. Up to 600 single-… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the consolidation of three water use permits (WUP) for Sarasota County Utilities.The consolidated permit does not include an increase in quantities. The three permits that were consolidated allowed an annual average permitted quantity of 13,737,400 gallons per day (gpd). Additional quantities needed during the term of the permit will be met by the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply… Read more

A project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board and Clearwater will make the city’s reclaimed water system more efficient, allowing more customers to connect.The Clearwater Reclaimed Water System Meter Retrofit Project consists of retrofitting approximately 3,300 existing Clearwater reclaimed water connections with individual meters and their related equipment. Retrofitting the meters will allow the city… Read more

A Tampa Bay area developer is the first to sign on with the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s new, comprehensive water conservation program for new home construction, Florida Water Star (FWSG).FWSG is a voluntary certification program for builders. It encourages water efficiency in household appliances, plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems and landscapes, as well as water quality benefits from best management practices in landscapes.Carl Krave, president… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has begun construction of a project that will improve water quality entering McKay Bay and Tampa Bay.The McKay Bay-Eastshore Commerce Park Parcel Stormwater Retrofit project will treat runoff from the 1,050-acre basin within the McKay Bay watershed of Tampa Bay, which is a Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) priority water body. The project will be built on land owned by Tampa Bay Water.Stormwater will be diverted… Read more

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is inviting greenhouse, nursery, foliage, strawberry and vegetable growers to attend a free tour and workshop promoting the use of recycled and reclaimed water in the horticulture industry.The workshop is April 29 from noon – 4 p.m. at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, 14625 County Road 672, Wimauma. This regional workshop will feature presentations from industry and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has completed a draft of an updated Regional Water Supply Plan that assesses projected water demands and identifies potential sources of water to meet those demands through the year 2025.The updated plan also addresses the need to sustain water resources and the related natural systems, and includes estimated costs for potential projects. The current plan was developed in 2001.The challenge will be meeting growing water supply… Read more

When Wayne Rubow designed his new Citrus County home, he wanted water conservation to be a central concept of the design. Inside, he chose low-flow faucets, showerheads and toilets. He installed water-efficient appliances like a dishwasher and washing machine. Outside, his landscape has no grass and no irrigation, instead opting for plants that require little water. "Water is a very important aspect of our conservation," Rubow said. "I just wanted to give… Read more

Hernando County residents who completed a rain barrel class at the county Extension office each took home their own rain barrel. Darcy Paust used to collect rainwater in buckets placed around her Spring Hill home to water her plants. Then she read about a rain barrel class in the paper and thought having a rain barrel would be easier than collecting the water from her buckets. Paust joined the thousands of residents who attend rain barrel classes at their… Read more