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Watershed Management: Watershed Planning 

### Clearwater Harbor / St . Joseph Sound Watershed

Pinellas County has partnered with US EPA Region 4, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), and the cities of Dunedin, Clea rwater, Tarpon Springs, and Largo, to develop a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) to protect the natural resources of Clearwater Harbor and St. Joseph Sound. These waters occur along the county’s western coastline and provide haven to 14,700 acres of seagrass; an acreage equal to 60% of the total seagrass acreage found in Tampa Bay. Potential federal funding sources identified include the Gulf of Mexico Program and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

The project area will include the 111 km2 open water region bounded east and west by the coastal mainland shoreline and the barrier island chain, respectively. The area extends 21 miles from SR 688 (Indian Rocks Bridge) northward to the Anclot e River. The entire project will follow a National Estuary Program approach and will incorporate other management plans (e.g., State Aquatic Preserves, Audubon, etc.) developed in the project area. The plan will also address the protection of Threatened and Endangered Species as applicable to the project

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### Pa g e 1 of 2 Pinellas Count y , Florida News - Watershed Plannin g - Clearwater Harbor / St. Joseph Sound Watershe d

6/29/2011 htt p ://www. p inellascount y .or g /environment/watershed/watershe d -clearwate r -harbor.htm

### Project Update:

Stakeholder involvement throughout the project has provided a mechanism to distribute information to the public ab out the economic and natural resource value of the project area as Gulf re sources as well as on-going project programs. The final implementation of structural an d non-structural management options identified in the Pl an will provide the necessary level of protection to preserve the existing seagrass, mangrove /marsh, and openwater habitat along this resource ri ch lagoon and open-water system. A draft CCMP is expected to be completed by December, 2011.



### Publications:

Change In Land Uses Over Time - Through the Years (2.8M) Change In Land Uses Over Time - Vertical Maps
Historic Tidal Circulation Ch anges and Recent Solutions (2.8M) Pinellas County Pre-history and Early History (1.0M) St. Joseph Sound/Clearwater Harb or Area History 1880-present (5.4M) Water Quality Status and Trends (1.3M)
Overview Of Recent Anclote River Studies (1.1M) Pinellas County Waterbodies and the TMDL Program (0.9M) Status of the Seagrass Resource (2.3M) St. Joseph Sound/Clearwater Harbor in the Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve (2.2M) Recreational Aspects Of The Area
Stevenson Creek Watershed Plan an d Project Implementation 1999-2007 (1.7M)
Audubon of Florida's Gulf Coast Ec osystem / Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries Program (1.3M)
Cedar Creek Restoration Plan (4.1M)
Trawl Data in Clearwater Harbor (Poster) Trends in Temporal Seagrass Dist ribution in St. Joseph Sound & Clearwater Harbor

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Watershed Management 

### Pa g e 2 of 2 Pinellas Count y , Florida News - Watershed Plannin g - Clearwater Harbor / St. Joseph Sound Watershe d

6/29/2011 htt p ://www. p inellascount y .or g /environment/watershed/watershe d -clearwate r -harbor.htm