Tampa Bay Region - Southwest Florida Water Management District

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SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
FY2014 COOPERATIVE FUNDING INITIATIVE APPLICATION FORM
Project Name
Hillsborough County - Lake & Stream Management Program
Project Number K057
Cooperator
Hillsborough County BOCC
Department
Contact Person James Barrington
Address
601 E. Kennedy Blvd, 20th Floo
City Sate Zip Tampa, FL 33602
Phone # 813-307-4427
Email
barringtonj@hillsboroughcounty.org
Project Type:
Water Supply X Water Quality X Flood Protection X Natural Systems
Strategic Initiatives:
X Water Quality Maintenance and Improvement
X Water Quality Monitoring
Alternative Water Supply Conservation
Reclaimed Water Regional Water Supply Planning
Emergency Flood Response
X Floodplain Management
Minimum Flows and Level Establishment and Monitoring Minimum Flows and Levels Recovery
X Natural Systems Conservation and Restoration
X Natural Systems Identification and Monitoring
Indicate All Counties to Benefit From Project:
Charlotte Citrus Desoto Hardee Hernando Highlands X Hillsborough Lake
Levy Manatee Marion Pasco Pinellas Sarasota Sumter Polk
Project Description:
The Lake and Stream Management Program, formerly the Lake and Stream Monitoring Program, was established in 1997 to assist
residents in understanding and managing the lake and stream systems in Hillsborough County, collect water quality and natural
systems data on these resources, provide a vehicle and volunteer network to reach the public regarding pollution prevention and
natural systems management, and to achieve source control of pollutants through public involvement pursuant to NPDES and
TMDL requirements. To this end, the program contracts University of Florida Lakewatch to train volunteers, analyze samples, and
conduct research on lakes. The program also contracts USF Florida Center for Community Design and Research to conduct Lake
Assessments including bathymetry, water quality and Lake Vegetation Index parameters among others and to develop and manage
the Watershed Atlas. The atlas concept originated with this program and provides a GIS-based interface to access all available
water quality, natural systems, hydrologic, and historic information on water resources. The program also contracts Hillsborough
Community College to manage the Stream Waterwatch program to train volunteers to monitor water quality and natural systems on
streams. The Lake and Stream Management Program is a companion of the Adopt-A-Pond restoration program and provides
expert technical advice and information to the public regarding lakes and streams. The program assists communities in designing
Lake Management plans, evaluating BMP's, and in implementing those plans and BMP's. The Hillsborough County Extension
Service uses the Lake nad Stream Management Program Lakes Manager as a resource to refer inquiries.
All property around the majority of lakes and streams in Hillsborough County is privately owned. This means managers have little
access to these water bodies without the cooperation of the property owners. As such, Hillsborough County developed the concept
of volunteer-based, expert-guided resource programs to provide a mutually beneficial means to help manage water resources. In
the program's 17 year history, it has developed excellent relationships with resident groups, development districts, etc. and
frequently partners with these groups to manage water resources. This partnership is proving even more beneficial as the region
faces water conservation issues, TMDL compliance, and nutrient criteria. Without access to the properties, widespread ambient
data, and working partnerships with stakeholder groups, it will be more expensive and extremely difficult to achieve compliance with
these programs and to find resolutions to the challenges we face. Not only does this program provide a very cost-effective network
of data collection, but builds partnerships with organizations that voluntarily partner for and fund conservation and the
implementation of water quality projects.
In 2014, this program will continue to develop and implement lake management strategies in partnership with property owners.
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