The photos also illustrate the stresses on increasing development and water pumping demands in the regions, as lakes such as Lake Carlton lose some of their ability to rebound from natural droughts. More than 150 lake groups participate in the county's Lake Management Program, which provides support and training to homeowners like Locke, and provides much of the information found in the lake atlas. These features will assist professionals who work in flood management, pollution prevention and water quality studies. A USF anthropology student compiled a history for each lake, based on the interviews. Residents can get involved in preserving their lakes for future generations, Landry said.
Citizens volunteer to monitor their lake's water quality each month.
The volunteers are people who live on the lake, will take a water sample once a month and deliver it to a county drop-off site for analysis. They can compare water quality over time and compare different seasons. Hillsborough County trains the volunteers and provides the testing equipment. The Hillsborough County Public Works Department has shared the lake atlas idea at statewide conferences, and anticipates that Polk and Seminole counties, as well as others in the state, will begin atlases. Researchers at the center will also assist the county with its watershed management plans, which will assess flooding problems, the pollutants and health of a watershed area.