An Expanding World

Sunset over a calm lake with silhouetted reeds in the foreground.

Did you know Florida contains more than 30,000 lakes?  Combined, they make up more than three million acres. The lakes, streams, and rivers in Florida are homes to many species of fish and wildlife. There are over four million fishing licenses registered in the state of Florida.  Additionally, Florida is also well known for water sports…

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Who is Responsible?

Silhouetted dancers performing energetically at sunset outdoors.

In February 2015, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) revised the Construction Generic Permit (CGP) for Stormwater Discharge from Large and Small Construction Activities defining the term “site operator†as follows: “The person, firm, contractor, public organization, or other legal entity that owns or operates the construction activity and that has authority to control…

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A Quick History Lesson

Water flowing out of a pipe into a natural body of water.

The concerns associated to stormwater started with the Clean Water Act (CWA) recognizing rampant contamination of waterways that brought about important improvements across the nation. During the 1960s and early 1970s, two-thirds of the country’s waters were unsafe. The NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit program, was created in 1972 by the CWA, to dramatically…

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Scope of a Stormwater Inspection

Worker in safety vest inspecting and writing on clipboard at construction site.

A stormwater compliance inspection can be considered a documented snapshot in time of the construction project from the planning phase to the final stabilization.  Each inspection can provide a story to the evolution of a construction project’s performance against minimizing erosion and sediment departing the boundaries of the construction site.  The primary mission of the…

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Summer Heat and Algae

A dry, cracked landscape with patches of water and sparse vegetation under a clear blue sky.

Water quality is increasingly becoming a top priority for the state of Florida. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) performs algae bloom water sampling and produces a public report weekly.  The latest reports indicate relatively low traces of various blue-green algae. Reflecting to this time last year, many of the state’s reports showed satellite…

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