PUBLIC EDUCATION ISSUES

Currently, no formal community involvement or public outreach program exists to further the adopted Lake Tarpon management goals other than the establishment and continued existence of the Lake Tarpon Management Committee (LTMC).

The LTMC was first established in July 1987 by a special Resolution of the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners. The intent of the Resolution was to create a multi-agency committee to formulate a Plan of Action whereby a long term lake management plan would be developed and implemented for Lake Tarpon. The plan was to specifically address the causes and potential remediation measures for the 1987 algae bloom, however, long term effective lake management was stressed as the primary mission. The intended tenure of the LTMC was not defined by the Resolution. The original members of the LTMC included representatives of the following:

· Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management;

· Florida Department of Environmental Regulation;

· Florida Department of Natural Resources;

· Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission;

· Southwest Florida Water Management District;

· City of Tarpon Springs;

· SOLID - Save Our Lake Invite Discussion;

· East Lake Homeowners Association;

· Highland Lake Homeowners Association; and

· The development community (represented by Lansbrook Development Corp.).

The LTMC has met on a more or less monthly basis since its creation, and has served as a very effective forum for the discussion of lake management issues. By virtue of its representation of key state environmental regulatory and management agencies, the committee has generally functioned efficiently as a vehicle for developing technical consensus on decisions related to research, funding, and resource management.

The primary role and responsibilities of the LTMC during its first decade of existence have included the:

· identification of priority lake management issues and problems;

· definition of appropriate diagnostic/feasibility studies and research programs to address the identified issues and problems;

· development of management recommendations and remediative programs; and

· provision of a general forum for the sharing of information and the discussion of ongoing and emerging lake management issues.

In addition, the LTMC, primarily through the coordination efforts of the PCDEM, has sponsored two public events with the objective of engendering public interest and involvement in lake management issues and activities. The events, entitled “Lake Tarpon Day,” were conducted during the spring of 1993 and 1994, and were sponsored by the local chapter of the B.A.S.S. angler club. The events included the dissemination of public information, games, food, and a fishing contest. In general, the events were poorly attended by the public, and due to lack of sponsorship and interest, they were discontinued.

LIST OF STUDIES AND LITERATURE CITED

The literature cited for this report is noted with an asterisk. The remaining studies are those that have been prepared for Lake Tarpon.

*Bartos, L. 1976a. Lake Tarpon-Brooker Creek Runoff Study. Southwest Florida Water Management District. Environmental Section, Technical Report 1976-5. Brooksville, Florida.

*Bartos, L. 1976b Lake Tarpon Chloride Study. Southwest Florida Water Management District. Environmental Section, Technical Report 1976-6. Brooksville, Florida.

Bartos, L.F. and T.F. Rochow. 1976. Second Annual Progress report-1974: Monitoring of Lake Tarpon Fluctuation Schedule. Southwest Florida Water Management District. Environmental Section, Technical Report 1976-1. Brooksville, Florida.

Bartos, L.F., T.F. Rochow and W.D. Courser. 1977. Third Annual Progress Report-1977: Monitoring of Lake Tarpon Fluctuation Schedule. Southwest Florida Water Management District. Environmental Section, Technical Report 1977-3. Brooksville, Florida.

Biological Research Associates. 1976. Brooker Creek Riverine System between Lake Island Ford and Lake Tarpon. Prepared for Southwest Florida Water Management District. Tampa, Florida.

*Brown, D.P. 1982. Effects of Effluent Spray Irrigation on Ground Water at a Test Site Near Tarpon Springs, Florida. Tallahassee, U.S. Department of the Interior Geological Survey Open File Report 81-1197.

Casseaux, K.W. 1985. The Surficial Aquifer in Pinellas County, Florida. Tallahassee, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Investigation Report. 84-4289.

*Canfield, D.E. Jr. and M.V. Hoyer. 1992. Aquatic Macrophytes and their Relation to the Limnology of Florida Lakes. University of Florida. Center for Aquatic Plants. Gainesville, Florida.

*Corral, M.A., Jr. 1983. Distribution of Selected Chemical Constituents in Water from the Floridan Aquifer, Southwest Florida Water Management District. Tallahassee, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Investigation Report 83-4041.

Corral, M.A., Jr. and T.H. Thompson. 1988. Hydrology of the Citrus Park Quadrangle, Hillsborough County, Florida.

Chapman, P. 1974. Lake Tarpon Fish Management Area, Pinellas County. Review and Status Report. Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission.

*Champeau, T.R., K.W. Denson, P.W. Thomas and M.J. Mounce. 1992. Lake Tarpon Fisheries Investigation. Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission. Lakeland, Florida.

City of Clearwater. 1991. Brooker Creek Riverine System. Site nomination for acquisition under Hillsborough County’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP).

Conservation Consultants, Inc. (CCI) 1990. Lake Tarpon, Draft Report, Review of Existing Groundwater Data, Pinellas County Florida. Unpublished consulting report submitted to the Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management.

CCI. 1992. Final Report: Water Quality and Quantity Lake Tarpon, Pinellas County, Florida. Prepared for King Engineering Associates, Inc.

CCI. 1991, Draft Final Report: Analysis and Mapping of Sediments, Lake Tarpon, Pinellas County, Florida. Prepared for King Engineering Associates, Inc.

*Dames and Moore,. 1992. Final Report: Lake Tarpon Aquatic Weed Harvesting and Revegetation Project. Prepared for the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Tallahassee, Florida.

Dorris, P.M. 1975. Evaluation of the Chloride Status of Lake Tarpon, Pinellas County. Memorandum. Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Dorris, P.M. and L.F. Bartos. 1980. Factors Affecting Salinity Reduction in Lake Tarpon, Pinellas County, Florida. Water Resources Bulletin 16(2):203.

*Environmental Research and Design (ERD). 1994. Lake Maggiore Restoration Stormwater Treatment Ponds/Alum Treatment Systems. Final report submitted to the City of St. Petersburg and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

*Fernandez, M., Jr. and C.B. Hutchinson. 1983. Hydrogeology and Chemical Quality of Water and Bottom Sediments at Three Stormwater Detention Ponds, Pinellas County, Florida. Tallahassee, U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Investigations Report 92-4139.

Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission. 1958, 1959, 1961, 1965a, 1965b, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1982. File Report on Fisheries and Water Quality of Lake Tarpon.

Gee and Jenson Consulting Engineers, Inc. 1960. Lake Tarpon Water Conservation Study and Report. West Palm Beach, Florida.

Geo-Environmental Consultants, Inc. 1992. Sediment Distribution Patterns and Accumulation Rates for Two Sites in Lake Tarpon Florida. Prepared for King Environmental Associates, Inc.

*Gremillion, P.T., C.E. Mericas, and H.S. Greening. 1988. Lake Okeechobee aquatic weed harvesting demonstration project. Final report prepared for the South Florida Water Management District, West Palm, Beach, Florida.

Halley, M.C., M.A. Ross, and P.D. Tara. 1992, Lake Tarpon Water Quality Management Model. Center for Modeling Hydrologic and Aquatic Systems. University of South Florida. Tampa, Florida.

*Huber. W.C., P.L. Brezonik, J.P. Heaney, R.E. Dickinson, S.D. Preston, D.S. Dwornik, and M.A. DeMaio. 1983. A Classification of Florida Lakes. University of Florida Water Resources Research Center. Publication No. 72. Gainesville, Florida.

*Hunn, J.D., 1974. Hydrology of Lake Tarpon near Tarpon Springs, Florida. Tallahassee, Florida Bureau of Geology, Map Series No. 60.

*Hutchinson, C.B. 1983. Assessment of Interconnection between Tampa Bay and the Floridan Aquifer, Florida. Tallahassee, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Investigations 80-81.

Johnson, M. 1972. Lake Tarpon Regulation Schedule. Southwest Florida Water Management District. Brooksville, Florida.

Joiner, N.D., K.D. Enge, J.A. Freitag, J.C. Godwin, G.E. Reynolds and D.E. Runds. 1992. Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife Surveys for the Lake Tarpon Watershed. Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission.

*Jones, G.W. and S.B. Upchurch. 1993. Origin of Nutrients in Groundwater Discharging from Lithia and Buckhorn Springs. Brooksville, Southwest Florida Water Management District.

*Jones, G.W. and S.B. Upchurch. 1994. Origin of Nutrients in Groundwater Discharging from Kings Bay Springs. Brooksville, Southwest Florida Water Management District.

*Jones, G.W., S.B. Upchurch and K.M. Champion. 1996. Origin of Nutrients in Groundwater Discharging from Rainbow Springs, Marion County, Florida. Brooksville, Southwest Florida Water Management District.

*Jones, G.W., S.B. Upchurch, K.M. Champion and D.J. Dewitt. 1997. Water Quality and Hydrology of the Homossassa, Chassahowitzka, Weeki Wachee and Aripeka Spring Complexes, Citrus and Hernando Counties, Florida. Brooksville, Southwest Florida Water Management District.

*King Engineering Associates, Inc. 1992. Final Comprehensive Report: Lake Tarpon Diagnostic/Feasibility Studies. Prepared for the Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

*King Engineering Associates, Inc. 1992a. Draft Final Report: Lake Tarpon Pollutant Loading Sources. Prepared for the Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management.

King Engineering Associates, Inc. 1991. Characterization of Lake Tarpon Phytoplankton Populations. Clearwater, Florida.

King Engineering Associates, Inc and Conservation Consultants, Inc. 1991. Review of Existing Lake Tarpon Groundwater Data. Unpublished Contract Report Prepared for the Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management and the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Task 3.2.4B, Final Report.

Leasure, P.L., K.L. Garcia and T.R. Cuba. 1989. Lake Tarpon Status Report. Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management.

Leasure, P.L., D. Hicks, D. Moores, G. Quinn, and T.R. Cuba. 1992. Status Report of the 1989 Sampling Period. Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management.

Leasure, P.L., D. Hicks, D. Moores, G. Quinn, and T.R. Cuba. 1992. Conductivity and pH Responses to Lower Lake Levels Observed in Lake Tarpon During the Drought of 1990. Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management.

Leasure, P.L. 1995. Lake Tarpon Water Quality Monitoring Report, Data Years May 1988-April 1995. Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management, Report No. 95-001/WRM.

Lopez, M.A., and J.D. Fretwell. 1992. Relation of Change in Water Levels in Surficial and Upper Floridan Aquifers and Lake Stage to Climatic Conditions and Well-Field Pumpage in Northwest Hillsborough, Northeast Pinellas and South Pasco Counties, Florida. Tallahassee, U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Investigations Report 91-4158.

*Maddox, G.L., J.M. Lloyd, T.M. Scott, S.B. Upchurch and R. Copeland (eds.) 1992. Florida Groundwater Quality Monitoring Program–Volume 2, Background Hydrogeochemistry, Tallahassee, Florida Geological Survey, Special Publication No. 364.

Mann, J.A. 1971. Hydrologic Aspects of Freshening Upper Old Tampa Bay. Florida: Florida Department of Natural Resources. Bureau of Geology information Circular 76.

N.S. Nettles and Associates. 1991. Groundwater Loading Contribution to Lake Tarpon-Phase 1. Unpublished contract report submitted to King Engineering Associates, draft report.

Paul, J.H., M.E. Frishcer, and C. Jiang. 1990. Algal Bioassay of Lake Tarpon. University of South Florida. St. Petersburg, Florida.

Parker, G.G. 1971, Lake Tarpon Hydrology. Memorandum, Southwest Florida Water Management District. Brooksville, Florida.

*Robison, D.E. Coastal Environmental, Inc. Personal Communication. Letter to M.H. Kelly dated October 17, 1994 regarding Lake Tarpon Revised Nutrient Budget.

SDI, Inc. 1998. Evaluation of Potential Hydrological Effects of Short-term Water Releases from Lake Tarpon. SDI Project No. PCF-110. Final Report Submitted to Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management.

*Shannon, E.E. and P.L. Brezonik. 1972. Eutrophication Analysis: A Multi-variate Approach. Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Journal of Sanitary Engineering Division, 98(SA1):37-57.

*Souza, S.J., J.D. Koppen and R. Conner. 1988. Aquatic Weed Harvesting: A Cost Effective Means of Improving the Recreational, Aesthetic and Water Quality Conditions of Lake Hopatcong, Lake and Reservoir Management, Vol IV, North American Lake Management Society, Washington, D.C.

Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). 1988 and 1994. Lake Tarpon Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan. Brooksville, Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). 1996. Northen Tampa Bay Water Resources Assessment Project-Surface water/Groundwater Interrelationships. Brooksville, Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Spechler, R.R.. 1983. Chemical Characteristics of Water in the Upper Floridan Aquifer Near Tarpon Springs, Florida. Tampa, University of South Florida, Unpublished Master’s Thesis.

Taylor, R.L. 1953 Hydrologic Characteristics of the Lake Tarpon Area, Florida: U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE). 1987. Four River Basins Project: Regulation Manual for Lake Tarpon. U.S. Army Engineer District, Jacksonville, Florida.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE). 1961. Comprehensive Report of the Four River Basins Project. U.S. Army Engineer District, Jacksonville, Florida.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 1977. National Eutrophication Survey, Working Paper Series: Report on Lake Tarpon, Pinellas County, Florida. EPA Region IV. Working Paper No. 275. Corvallis Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, Oregon.