News - Hillsborough.WaterAtlas.org

Adopting a Florida Friendy Landscape

Unknown — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Florida homeowners have many reasons to consider converting their existing residential landscape to a Florida-Friendly Landscape. Most importantly, a Florida-Friendly yard is an environmentally sound yard that conserves and protects Florida's waterways, soil, wildlife, and energy. Using the right plants in the right place can filter harmful stormwater runoff, improve the landscape's soil, provide wildlife habitat, and create shade for energy efficiency in the home. Landscaping also adds beauty and creates pleasant outdoor living spaces to increase the value of residential property. (Figures 1A and IB demonstrate a Florida Friendly landscape renovation in a residential development in Osprey, Fla., in 2009.)

Balancing Urban Water Demand and Supply in Florida:Overview Tool for Water Managers

Unknown — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Many Florida communities experience periodic water shortages or have serious concerns about balancing water usage and supplies (Goodnough 2007). As the state seeks to balance economic growth and development with protection of its natural resources, managing water becomes a high priority for policy makers and utility managers. This document discusses alternative strategies that can be used by water utility managers to balance water demand and supply in the residential sector, which accounts for roughly 37 percent of Florida's freshwater use (Marella 2008).

PODCAST with noted oceanographer, Dr. Sylvia Earle

Unknown — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sylvia Earle grew up in Pinellas County playing and exploring in the bay and gulf waters as a child. Bobbie O'Brien interviews her during this PODCAST.

Please follow the link below to listen to the PODCAST.

Announcing the Launch of the Water Quality Contour Mapping Tool

Unknown — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Funded by the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, the Water Quality Contour Mapping Tool allows users to create their own custom contour map of Tampa Bay using any of the data available on the Atlas. Users can generate maps for any time period for one of the five predetermined water quality parameters, including dissolved oxygen, salinity, chlorophyll, color and secchi depth. Users can also peruse other maps created by other Atlas users. Happy Mapping!

Hillsborough County Trash Tracker Program

Unknown — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Are you tired of seeing trash in your pond, lake, stream, or canal? Wish there was something you could do about it? Now there is. Become a Hillsborough County Trash Tracker! This program helps you clean up those littered water ways and monitor when, where, and how much trash is entering your site.

Here's how it works:

You choose your site and sign up as a Trash Tracker. We'll send you a startup kit. Then you clean up the trash at your site, on your schedule, and report how many bags of inorganic trash (bottles, cans, plastic) and how many bags of organic trash (leaves, grass, sticks, etc) you collect. We map the sites and keep track of what is moving through your site from month to month.

This information helps us know where to target resources. This constant monitoring helps us catch the people who are causing the problems.

By signing up for Trash Tracker you become eligible for discounted leases on trash catching devices and associated maintenance and trash collection services from participating companies. You don't even have to buy the device, and they'll report the trash for you.

For more information and to sign up, fill out this form or call 744-5671.