The Lake Zephyr Watershed Plan Improvement Phase II Construction project is a cooperatively funded effort between Pasco County and the District's Hillsborough River Basin Board. The goal of the project is to construct a 70-acre stormwater management area south of Eiland Boulevard along Zephyr Creek to relieve flooding and provide water quality enhancement.
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. Zephyr Creek's flow will be detained in a system of man-made wetlands to moderate the rate of flow and settle pollutants before runoff is released down Zephyr Creek, and ultimately to the Hillsborough River. Phase I was cooperatively funded in FY 2000 and includes the land acquisition, permitting, and design for the project.