SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT ELEMENT of the PINELLAS COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Prepared By: The Pinellas County Planning Department as staff to the LOCAL PLANNING AGENCY for THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA Amended October 26, 2010 (Ordinance 10-57) Surface Water Management Element i
Preface In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Pinellas County adopted its first Comprehensive Plan for managing growth in the County. In 1985, the Florida Legislature strengthened the growth management provisions of Chapter 163, Florida Statutes, and Pinellas County began to develop its new Plan, with a greater emphasis on integrated planning and consistency with other State and Regional planning efforts. In 1989, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners was one of the first governments to meet the new growth management requirements with the adoption of its new Comprehensive Plan. This Plan placed new emphasis on financial feasibility, and the assurance that public services and facilities would be available concurrent with the impacts of development. Chapter 163, Florida Statutes, also includes specific requirements for regularly evaluating the continued effectiveness of the Comprehensive Plan, and requires that local governments update their Plans to address significant issues identified through this evaluation and appraisal process. The first major update to the Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in 1998. In 2008, the Board of County Commissioners adopted the next significant update to the Plan, following a multi-year evaluation process, which included extensive public and agency involvement to ensure that the Plan remained relevant, providing appropriate direction to decision-making and sound guidance for future planning. Today, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners has a mature Comprehensive Plan and growth management program, based on over 30 years of comprehensive planning experience. The emphasis and theme of the Plan is the need to plan appropriately today in order to achieve a sustainable future, and a quality community where people will Plan to Stay. The individual Elements and related components of the Plan provide an integrated long range planning program designed to address both existing and future needs. Where multijurisdictional responsibilities exist, the Elements may address the entire County; other Elements address just the unincorporated County. Following are the Elements and related components of the Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan: Planning to Stay; Future Land Use and Quality Communities; Transportation; Natural Resource Conservation and Management; Coastal Management; Housing; Intergovernmental Coordination; Recreation, Open Space and Culture; Potable Water, Wastewater and Reuse; Solid Waste and Resource Recovery; Surface Water Management; Capital Improvements; Public School Facilities, Economic, The Concurrency Management System; and The Monitoring and Evaluation Procedures. Pinellas County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To obtain accessible formats of this document, please contact the Pinellas County Communications Department at (727) 464-4600 / TDD (727) 464-4431. Surface Water Management Element ii
State of Florida Map and Pinellas County Location Surface Water Management Element iii
Table of Contents PREFACE... i LOCATION MAP... ii GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND POLICIES *... GOPs-1 INTRODUCTION Background... Intro-2 Pinellas County Master Drainage Plan... Intro-2 Master Drainage Plan and Technical Advisory Committee... Intro-3 Storm Drainage Basin Studies... Intro-5 Study Approach... Intro-5 Surface Water Management in Pinellas County Today... Intro-8 The Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan... Intro-8 Comprehensive Approach to Surface Water Management in Pinellas County... Intro-8 1 - STORMWATER CONTROL AND TREATMENT Existing Conditions... 1-1 Existing and Projected Needs... 1-1 Physical Deterioration and Need for Replacement... 1-2 Watershed Inventory Summary... 1-2 Operating Entities... 1-2 Proportional Capacity of Stormwater System... 1-4 Design Criteria... 1-6 Level of Service Standards for Stormwater Control and Treatment... 1-7 Regional Treatment Stormwater Facilities... 1-7 Future Conditions... 1-7 2 - SURFACE WATER RESOURCE PROTECTION, ENHANCEMENT AND MANAGEMENT Watershed Planning... 2-1 Status of Watershed Management Plans - Overview... 2-2 Allen s Creek Watershed Management Plan... 2-3 Lake Tarpon Watershed Management Plan... 2-5 Lake Seminole Watershed Management Plan... 2-7 Cross Bayou Canal Watershed... 2-9 Brooker Creek Watershed... 2-10 Roosevelt Creek Watershed... 2-11 Water Quality/Habitat Protection and Restoration... 2-12 Surface Water Quality Monitoring... 2-12 Future Monitoring of Tampa Bay... 2-14 Monitoring Associated with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Program... 2-15 U.S. EPA Great Waters Program and the Bay Regional Air Chemistry Experiment... 2-16 Surface Water Management Element iv
Table of Contents (continued) Summary of Surface Water Conditions... 2-16 Special Water Classifications in Pinellas County... 2-17 Estuarine Conditions and Potential for Conservation... 2-19 Identification of Nonpoint Estuarine Water Pollutant Sources... 2-19 Estuarine and Marine Water Quality... 2-19 Impact of Land Uses, including Transportation, Sanitary Sewer, Solid Waste, Drainage, and Potable Water Facilities on Estuarine Conditions... 2-21 Conditions of the Tampa Bay Estuary... 2-24 Primary Pollutants of Concern: Nitrogen and Phosphorous... 2-24 Toxic Contaminants in Tampa Bay... 2-27 Identification of Point Estuarine Water Pollutant Sources... 2-28 The Future of Estuarine Conservation, Restoration, and Management... 2-31 Recreational and Commercial Surface Water Uses and the Local Economy.. 2-32 Education and Outreach... 2-34 Florida Yards and Neighborhoods... 2-35 Adopt-A-Pond... 2-35 Storm Drain Marking... 2-36 Audubon Program... 2-36 Fertilizer Use... 2-36 Pinellas County Environmental Foundation... 2-37 3 - A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT Commitment to Sustainability... 3-1 Low Impact Development and Redevelopment Opportunities... 3-1 Green Roofs... 3-2 Rain Barrels and Cisterns... 3-3 Graywater Reuse... 3-3 Micro-irrigation... 3-4 Bioretention... 3-4 Pervious Pavers... 3-5 LID in Pinellas County... 3-5 4 - INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION Coordination in Watershed Planning... 4-1 Florida Water Plan... 4-1 Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan... 4-2 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan... 4-2 Northwest Pinellas Coastal Watershed Management and Resource Protection Plan... 4-4 Regulatory Influences on the Surface Water Management Program... 4-7 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Requirements for Municipal Separate Storm Sewers... 4-7 Total Maximum Daily Loads... 4-8 Surface Water Management Element v
Table of Contents (continued) 5 - IMPLEMENTATION OF SURFACE WATER PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS Funding for Surface Water Management Programs and Projects... 5-1 Penny for Pinellas... 5-1 Stormwater Utility... 5-1 Stormwater Management Capital Program... 5-1 6 - SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT REGULATORY FRAMEWORK County Regulations... 6-1 State Regulations... 6-5 Federal Regulations... 6-9 APPENDIX A: Basin Inventory Summary... A-1 DEFINITIONS... Def-1 * This item is an adopted component of the Comprehensive Plan Surface Water Management Element vi
List of Tables TABLE PAGE 1 Summary of Completed Surface Water Management Improvements... 1-3 2 Watershed Jurisdictional Summary... 1-4 3 Status of Watershed Management Plan Development as of October 2007... 2-2 4 Permitted Point Source Surface Water Discharges in Pinellas County... 2-28 5 Verified List of Impaired Waters in Pinellas County... 4-9 6 Surface Water Management Project Summary... 5-2 Surface Water Management Element vii
List of Figures FIGURE PAGE 1 Watersheds and Waterbodies in Pinellas County... Intro-4 2 Major Drainage Features in Pinellas County *... 2-18 3 Nitrogen Load Sources to Tampa Bay... 2-26 4 Permitted Point Source Surface Water Discharges in Pinellas County... 2-30 5 Map of CWM Boundaries... 4-5 6 Map of TBEP Boundaries... 4-6 * This item is an adopted component of the Comprehensive Plan Surface Water Management Element viii