Water bodies, watersheds and storm water

Sediment from construction sites

In 1982 the Florida Legislature recognized the pollution potential of stormwater runoff and passed legislation requiring treatment of storm water. Since then, all new developments have been required to use best management practices (BMPs) to minimize erosion during construction and to treat storm water after construction. These BMPs may include requiring stormwater treatment facilities, such as retention or detention ponds, detention ponds with filtration, or swales.

Sediments from the soil can wash into waterways, which can create problems for aquatic life. Turbidity — cloudy water caused by suspended matter — reduces the amount of sunlight able to reach submersed plants. Siltation — the settling out of the sand, silt and other matter suspended in the water onto the bottom of the water body — destroys submersed grass beds and other bottom-dwelling plants and animals, in addition to impacting drainage and navigation.

Tips

• When landscaping, remodeling, building new structures or doing any earth moving, cover small mounds of dirt with a tarp so wind and rain don’t carry the sediment into the nearby waterway. Surrounding larger piles of dirt with staked hay bales or filter cloth fences will minimize erosion.
• Your neighborhood stormwater system is designed and constructed to an appropriate size. Any reduction in treatment volume will interfere with the pond’s ability to hold stormwater runoff. Filling stormwater ponds, swales and retention systems can cause flooding and endanger waterways.
• In addition, changing the elevation of large pieces of property can have drastic impacts on where storm water flows. Consult the stipulations of your neighborhood’s permit before any construction.
• To report excessive siltation into waterways in Clay, Duval or St. Johns counties, contact surface water compliance staff at the Jacksonville Service Center by calling (904) 730-6270 or toll free (800) 852-1563. For siltation observed in Putnam and Flagler counties, call (386) 329-4500.