An Approach to Developing a Habitat Assessment Procedure for Stormwater Ponds

Article authored by:

Holly Elmore – LAI FL Suncoast President & LAI Global Water-Land Series Group Co-Chair
Holly’s eclectic career path includes multiple facets ranging from the corporate arena (Arthur Andersen Auditor & Trammell Crow Controller) to the foodservice industry (owner of a corporate catering business & restaurants) to sustainability-industry leader (Zero Waste Zones & Earth Impact Founder).  In addition, Holly is an avid nature & documentary photographer and respected journalist with prominent articles and photographs featured in national publications.

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Michael was inducted into LAI along with five other new members at the January 30 FL Suncoast meeting. As a LAI Global Water-Land Series Group member, Michael shares his extensive aquatic expertise with LAI.

Recently, Michael joined the START – Solutions to Avoid Red Tide – Board where fellow FL Suncoast member Sandy Gilbert is the Chair and Charles is a Board member. 

IMPRESSIVE: Michael was instrumental in the creation of the U.S. Clean Water Act and the European Union’s Water Framework Directive. Over his career, Michael published over 50 scientific papers. In 2014, Michael was the recipient of the International Environmental Stewardship Award given by a scientific society represented by 62 countries; the award was for his work on the Clean Air Act and the Water Framework Directive.

Rotary Presentation

In his Rotary presentation opening remarks, Michael shared his contributions to the U.S. Clean Water Act and the European Union’s Water Framework Directive.

Within the Clean Water Act, there are three components to ecological integrity – chemical, physical and biological – that are pertinent to all waterbodies; these components are integrated within State Water Quality Standards and the foundation for managing stormwater ponds. Chemical contamination and physical degradation result in altered biological condition.

START lists the four basic elements of healthy pond maintenance:

1. The use of best irrigation and fertilizer practices in the land area around the pond.
2. The creation of a “No Mow Zone” around the perimeter of the of the pond that is at least 8 inches to 12 inches high and at least 3 feet wide.
3. The use of aquatic plants on at least 30% to 50% of the Littoral Shelf or shallow area of the pond.
4. The minimal use of herbicide sprays (Copper Sulfate) in and around the pond.

Michael uses Buffer Zone and Littoral Zone Scorecards to provide an informative approach to assessing physical habitat & structure. Additionally, the scorecards identify weaknesses in overall pond management, enable a prioritization of elements to restore, and measure success as the healthy pond practices are implemented, 

Per Michael, the ultimate goal is to obtain ecologically sustainable ponds and reduce discharge of excess nutrients and chemical herbicides to the watershed.

Many of the more than 6,000 stormwater ponds in Sarasota County are decades old and only operate at 40 – 60% filtering efficiency. Thus, excess nutrients flow from the ponds into the Gulf of Mexico where red tide blooms are fed; red tide blooms often severely impact tourism and the local economy.

In September 2021 START secured a $250,000 three-year grant from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation to develop a regional “Healthy Pond Collaborative (HPC)” initiative. Subsequently, START received a matching grant to duplicate the successful program in Manatee County.

In March 2023, the HPC published the award-winning The Healthy Ponds Guide, a homeowners guide to establishing and maintaining healthy stormwater ponds; Michael brought a copy of the Guide to the Rotary meeting, and club members gave the Guide sincere accolades.

Michael’s PPT presentation is available for download at this LINK.

INTERESTING: Michael is a published author with three children’s books and two novels. In the vein of an Indiana Jones-style action-hero narrative, the novels include an environment theme within their plots. As Michael has a Second Black Belt in Taekwondo, martial arts are integrated within the action scenes.

The Regeneration in ACTION Magazine article, Welcome Michael Barbour, Ph.D to the Ei Advisory Council, celebrates Michael and features his Rotary Club presentation, An Approach to Developing a Habitat Assessment Procedure for Stormwater Ponds.

All images are courtesy of Holly Elmore Images.

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