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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…

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-…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

A water conservation and retrofit program funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of North Port will reduce demand and conserve water.The 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. As part of the program, participating homeowners will receive low-flow showerheads free of charge. The funding will provide rebates of…

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…

As we prepare to "fall back" with the end of daylight saving time next weekend, it's not just your clocks that need adjusting—your irrigation system could use a quick check too! When we turn our clocks back an hour Saturday, Nov. 2, take a moment to ensure your sprinkler timers are set correctly. This simple step helps your system run efficiently and keeps you in line with water conservation practices.At the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District), we’re all…

Homeowners and gardeners looking to perk up their yard can learn a lot about landscaping at the Green Thumb Festival in St. Petersburg. In fact, they can even pick up Florida-friendly landscaping tips when they use the restroom!The Southwest Florida Water Management District is bringing its water conservation restrooms to the festival being held April 29-30. Community festivals allow the District to spread the word about water conservation to a variety of audiences.In…

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…

Palmetto residents now have a new Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well. District leaders recently helped the City of Palmetto and other agencies cut the ribbon on the new facility, which will create an anticipated 144 million gallons per year of storage for reclaimed water that would otherwise be discharged into Terra Ceia Bay. In the past 10 years, the city has developed a reclaimed water system that services the majority of residential and commercial customers.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the consolidation of three water use permits (WUP) for Hernando County Utilities.The consolidated permit includes an increase in quantities. The new permit is for a combined annual average quantity of 24,390,000 gallons per day (gpd), which is an increase of 3,360,000 gpd or 16 percent.Gross per capita use is projected to decrease by 12 percent, from 187 gallons per person per day to 164 gallons…

Blog note: Projects and Partners is a new WaterMatters Blog series that highlights various innovative projects of the District and its partners to benefit the community. District leaders recently celebrated with other community partners the new reclaimed water project at Tampa Electric Company’s Polk Power Station. When in operation later this year, the City of Lakeland plants will pump waste water to a treatment plant about 15 miles away.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is offering Community Education Grants to members of the community who want to make a positive impact on the water resources in their area.The goal of the District’s Community Education Grant Program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues pertaining to conservation, protection and preservation. Funded by the District’s Basin Boards, the program is intended to motivate communities to get involved in…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting area landscaping professionals to compete for the title of "Ruling Water Champion" at the District's second Landscape Challenge competition, from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, March 17 at the District's headquarters, 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville.Teams of landscape maintenance professionals will compete by demonstrating landscape management practices that protect our…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org and the University of Florida are offering a free seminar on using advanced irrigation tools to save water. The University's "Florida Automated Weather Network(Florida Automated Weather Network)":http://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu/ (FAWN) is holding the seminar from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 13, at the Hillsborough County Extension office, 5339 County Road 579, Seffner.…