What's Your Watershed Address?

Whether you know it or not, you live in a watershed.

From very large systems - like the Mississippi River that extends across 31 states and parts of Canada to small basins like Buckhorn Creek in Brandon - a watershed is simply the area that drains into a common collection site. Somewhat like a funnel, a watershed collects water from a large area where it flows into another creek, river or bay. From an airplane, a watershed's drainage patterns resemble the branches of a tree or the human nervous system.

The Tampa Bay watershed spans 2200 square miles and more than 100 tributaries drain into the 400-square-mile bay. That large number of tributaries gives Florida's largest open-water estuary a special distinction: it's one of the few estuaries in the nation that isn't associated with a single large river.

If you didn't know you lived in a watershed, you aren't alone. A recent study by the Southwest Florida Water Management District indicates that less than 20% of residents in the Brooker Creek basin knew they lived in a watershed.

While not always understood, the concept of watersheds is critical to the continued restoration of Tampa Bay. The bay's watershed is five times as large as the bay itself, so contaminants released on land are concentrated by the time they're discharged into the bay.

"When people understand that they live in a watershed, and know that what they do affects their watershed, they're more likely to do the right thing," notes Melissa Roe, communications assistant for the district.

HEY CARROLLWOOD!
Did you know you live in the Sweetwater Creek watershed? Spanning more than 20 square miles, it contains 37 named lakes (including Lake Carroll, of course) but just one named river or creek. As of 2000, 95% of the watershed was rated as having good water quality.

Individual watersheds within the Tampa Bay region can be very distinct, depending upon the geography and land uses that occur within their boundaries. For instance, Allen's Creek in urban Pinellas County is very different from the Little Manatee River in rural south Hillsborough County.

Focusing on a watershed leads to greater awareness and participation from residents, encouraging them to become more involved in decisions made about their watershed, as well as hands-on protection and restoration efforts such as Hillsborough County's Adopt-A-Pond program.

Watersheds Focus of Education Initiatives

ClichŽs don't count when it comes to watersheds: ignorance is not bliss and what you don't know can hurt the world around you.

That's particularly true in the Brooker Creek watershed, which encompasses some of the last remaining natural areas in Pinellas County as well as a wide swath of northwest Hillsborough County. The Southwest Florida Water Management District will kick off a prototype educational initiative in October to reach the 80% of residents there who don't know they live in a watershed.

Along with traditional advertising and direct mail, the district is planning a series of workshops, community outreach programs at shopping centers and local events with radio remotes, student and teacher programs and educational events with prizes like microirrigation systems. "We want to get people thinking about living in a watershed and give them a feeling of empowerment so they will want to take care of it," said Melissa Roe, communications assistant for the district.

Brooker Creek was selected for the prototype initiative because rapid population growth is encroaching upon the watershed's pristine natural areas, she adds. "We'll key into civic groups and homeowner's associations with workshops for residents because they still have time to protect some of the last remaining green space in Pinellas County."

Along with protecting green space, programs will focus on actions individuals and families can take to protect water quality, including proper septic tank maintenance, Florida-friendly landscape techniques and water conservation. "Once people understand the concept of watersheds, it's easier for them to get involved in protecting their watershed than the entire region - so we'll just take it one watershed at a time."

After a follow-up survey helps the district determine which activities were most effective, similar campaigns are planned for other watersheds in the district, she adds.

"We're out to change the way people look at where they live," Roe said. "Education and peer pressure can play an enormous role in water quality - think about cities like Denver where people actually look down at overly green lawns because they recognize the importance of conserving water."

For more information and a schedule of events, call 800-423-1476 or visit www.brookercreek.org.