Assessment of a Countywide Stormwater Pond Improvement Program
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2014
Keywords
nonpoint source pollution, stormwater runoff, environmental education, urban water quality, stormwater management
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2012.750370
Abstract
Numerous approaches have been advocated to improve pollutant removal in stormwater retention and detention ponds. The Hillsborough County (FL) Adopt-A-Pond program is one such application. However, ex post evaluation of these approaches is particularly limited. Water quality and vegetative characteristics were assessed at participating Adopt-A-Pond sites to explore potential impacts of the program on measurable environmental parameters. Statistical analysis of the results failed to demonstrate significant environmental improvements associated with the Adopt-A-Pond program, and measures of program activity did not illustrate a consistently positive influence. These results illustrate the need for ex post evaluations and indicate a general need to readdress the policies and implementation of the program. Poor compliance by program volunteers, evident by the limited span of group participation (mean = 2.5 years) and relatively low percentage of actively involved residents, is a possible culprit, as the efficacy of pond enhancement techniques is firmly established in the literature.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Urban Water Journal, v. 11, issue 1, p. 11-19
Scholar Commons Citation
Betts, Anthony T. and Alsharif, Kamal A., "Assessment of a Countywide Stormwater Pond Improvement Program" (2014). School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications. 1313.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/geo_facpub/1313
