Watershed Management: About Us

The Mission of the Watershed Management is to assess, manage, conserve, protect, and restore the environmental and aesthetic quality of natural resources in Pinellas County through:

 

• watershed management initiatives and ecosystem assessments
• environmentally responsible design and permitting practices as they relate to the County's capital improvement program projects

 

All sections devote considerable effort towards improving the environmental awareness of County citizens and business owners as well as other County staff.

 

• Ambient Water Quality Monitoring -In County lakes, streams, and open waters of Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, and the intracoastal waterways.
  
  
• Watershed Planning/Implementation - Waterbody and drainage basin assessments and projects aimed to restore environmentally sensitive waterbodies.
  
  
• Benthic Macroinvertebrate and Sediment Chemistry Monitoring - The types of animals living in the bay's bottom sediments serve as an indicator of long-term conditions and are periodically examined and enumerated to assess overall water and sediment quality conditions. The chemical composition of bay sediments is also measured each year.
  
  
• Seagrass Monitoring and Assessment - Seagrass health has been closely linked to water clarity in Tampa and Boca Ciega Bays. County scientists periodically examine seagrass density, species composition, and areal coverage throughout County marine waters.
  
  
• Stormwater - Rainwater carries pollutants into the County's storm drainage system and eventually into the nearest waterbody. Read about some of the things you can do to help.

 

• Tampa Bay Estuary Program Initiatives - The Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP ), since 1991, has served to facilitate a variety of intergovernmental initiatives to protect and enhance the Tampa Bay estuary. Scientists from the Water Resources Management Section are active local partners of numerous collaborative TBEP efforts including programs addressing water and sediment quality, seagrass research and restoration, stormwater runoff pollution, atmospheric deposition, manatee protection, and public education.
  
  
• Citizen Complaints and Inquiries - Staff scientists investigate and respond to citizen calls ranging from problems and questions about their backyard ponds and fish kills, to environmental crimes such as illicit discharges of hazardous waste products into the environment.