The Tampa Bay Estuary Program is facilitating the development of a comprehensive Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) to identify and address the causes of water quality impairments in a major drainage basin in Hillsborough County.

TBEP is providing the facilitation and support services at the request of Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa. Development of the BMAP is expected to take about 18 months. A draft plan was delivered to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) in June 2007.

The state is requiring that all local governments with waterways that have been designated as “impaired” develop BMAPs to reduce loadings of key pollutants such as nutrients, bacteria, and mercury. The BMAPs will spell out specific strategies to ensure that levels of these pollutants do not exceed the Total Maximum Daily Loads established by the state for the waterways.

Waterways may be designated impaired for one pollutant, or multiple pollutants. The BMAPs will provide a watershed-based approach to restoring these waterways to health.

Hillsborough County, Florida contains 77 water bodies that are considered impaired because of excess nutrients, low oxygen, heavy metal contamination or other problems. The BMAP process TBEP is facilitating addresses bacterial contamination (fecal coliform) in the Hillsborough River watershed.

The BMAP approach involved reviews of existing water quality information; an inventory of existing or planned pollution reduction projects; identification of new issues and information gaps; and development and implementation of comprehensive plans to address sources of pollution. Major stakeholders involved in this lengthy process include the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough; city and county public works, planning and water departments; health departments; the Southwest Florida Water Management District; private industries; and scientists and citizens.

A series of stakeholder meetings were held in 2006 and early 2007 to identify appropriate strategies for reducing bacterial loadings in the Hillsborough River watershed. Key solutions called for in the draft BMAP include: installation of auxiliary battery-powered generators at sanitary sewer pump stations through the city of Tampa to prevent sewer overflows during power outages; comprehensive, integrated stormwater treatment planning and implementation; and enhanced educational programming to increase public awareness of the proper disposal of pet waste. The group also developed a microbial source tracking program to help assess the specific causes of bacterial contamination in different portions of the river.

The effort is being financed with a $94,500 grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

If successful, the BMAP approach could be used to address other water quality impairments in the Hillsborough River and other water bodies in the Tampa Bay watershed.