The project is located on the northern border of Bullfrog Creek within a 1,600-acre tract of public land purchased through the Hillsborough County Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program. The project includes the construction of a 29-acre freshwater marsh and stormwater treatment system. The system is designed to capture and treat stormwater runoff from 1,025 acres of agricultural lands prior to discharge into Bullfrog Creek, and ultimately Tampa Bay.
Storm water is water that flows over land during and immediately after a rainstorm.
The Environmental Protection Agency has identified stormwater runoff as our most serious water quality problem today. Pollutants associated with stormwater runoff include sediment, nutrients, heavy metals, oils, greases, pesticides and bacteria. Without proper treatment in developed areas, these pollutants in runoff adversely impact the quality of the receiving water. The design and permitting for the project were completed in March 2001. District funding will be split between the Alafia River Basin Board and the SWIM program.