Take the following quiz to find out how much you know about issues affecting the health of the bay.

1. What is the most common type of trash found on Tampa Bay beaches?

a. Cigarette butts
b. Plastic caps/lids
c. Foamed plastic items
d. Plastic food bags/wrappers
e. Glass beverage bottles

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2. What is the leading cause of wildlife entanglement in Tampa Bay?

a. Six-pack rings
b. Fishing Line
c. Plastic bags
d. Discarded or abandoned fishing nets

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3. What is the major source of pollution in Tampa Bay?

a. Stormwater runoff
b. Industrial waste
c. Domestic waste (sewage)
d. Deposition of air pollutants to the bay

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4. Where does the Tampa Bay area get most of its electricity?

a. nuclear power
b. hydroelectric power
c. fossil fuels
d. solar power

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5. What is the leading human-related cause of manatee deaths in Florida?

a. polluted water
b. entanglement in fishing line or crab traps
c. boat collisions
d. poachers

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6. Who do you think is responsible for managing the health of Tampa Bay? (Select all that apply)

a. Tampa Bay Water
b. Southwest Florida Water Management District
c. Tampa Bay Estuary Program
d. Local city or county governments
e. Florida Department of Environmental Protection
f. All of the above

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Read the following statements and choose true or false.

7. How I maintain my home landscape has an effect on Tampa Bay.

____  True     ____  False

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8. Stormwater is always treated before being discharged to the bay.

____  True     ____  False

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9. Air pollution can cause water pollution.

____  True     ____  False

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10. Toxic contaminants can persist in bay sediments for decades.

____  True     ____  False

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ANSWERS

1. a.   Year after year, cigarette butts lead the list of items most frequently found during shoreline cleanups. So... don’t leave your butt on the beach!

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2. b.   More wildlife gets snared in fishing line than any other material. Seabirds such as gulls, pelicans and terns are especially prone to entanglement.

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3. a.   More harmful nitrogen reaches Tampa Bay in stormwater runoff than through any other mechanism. Stormwater also carries fertilizers and pesticides used in lawn care, and oils and greases from streets and parking lots.

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4. c.   Most electricity in the Tapa Bay region is generated by power plants that use fossil fuels, either oil or coal. There are five power plants located on Tampa Bay.

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5. c.   Collisions with watercraft are the leading human-related cause of manatee deaths, and account for about one-third of all manatee deaths annually in Florida.

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6. f.   A variety of agencies have some responsibility for managing the bay, either through enforcement of environmental laws; collection and treatment of wastewater and stormwater; purchase and restoration of ecologically important lands, or scientific monitoring that tracks of the bay’s health. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program coordinates the overall bay restoration program, working with more than a dozen federal, state, regional and local partners.

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7. True.   Excess fertilizers and pesticides enter the bay in stomwater runoff. Reducing fertilizer and chemical use, conserving water and planting native grasses, flowers and shrubs help create a less polluting, bay-friendly yard.

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8. False.   Stormwater ponds, swales and ditches help to cleanse runoff before it enters the bay and some municipalities treat stormwater along with wastewater. But older developments, as well as some farms and industries, frequently have little or no treatment for stormwater runoff.

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9. True.   Research in Tampa Bay has helped to clarify the link between air and water quality. Nearly 29 percent of the nitrogen entering the bay each year comes from the air, and that is just what falls directly on the bay surface. The actual impact of air pollution may be far greater, when pollutants that fall on the land and are then carried to the bay in runoff are included.

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10. True.   Lead is still being found in some bay sediments, even though leaded gasoline has been banned for two decades. The pesticide DDT, also banned for more than 20 years, continues to be detected in some parts of the bay where agricultural operations were prevalent.