Image of Tampa Bay Tributaries Map 229

The Water Channel

Video and Multimedia

Image of No Name Spring Photo Widget Thumbnail

Protecting Florida's Groundwater Supply

Florida's aquifer - the source of drinking water and water flowing from its springs - is vulverable to overuse, pollution and drought. Protecting the aquifer is one of DEP's highest priorities. Learn about efforts in the Tampa Bay region to diversify water resources.

Protecting Florida's Water Supply

Florida-Friendly Interactive Yard

Multimedia Animation

Image of Interactive Yard Graphic Widget Thumbnail

Learn about Florida-Friendly Landscaping Techniques

Fertilizers and pesticides used on residential and commercial landscapes are harming Florida's waterways. Find out how you can reduce your impact in your front and back yards.

Learn more

Learn About Your Watershed

Manatee River Watershed

Image of Sun sets on Manatee River in Bradenton.

Sun sets on Manatee River in Bradenton. © Bac Clin

Watershed Stats

Size of Basin: 360 square miles

Counties: Located almost entirely in the northern and western parts of Manatee County, with small portions extending into northern Sarasota County and southeastern Hillsborough County

Major Towns: Bradenton, Palmetto, Parrish, and Duette

Major Water Features: Manatee River, Braden River, Gamble Creek, Gilley Creek, Peacock Branch, North Fork, East Fork, Webb Branch, Little Fort Crawford Creek, Fort Crawford Creek, Fisher Branch, Little Deep Branch, Corbit Branch, Craig Branch, Poley Branch, Boggy Creek., Sand Branch, Rye Branch, Goddard Creek, Mill Creek, Gates Creek, Braden River, Wares Creek, Ward Lake (Bill Evers Reservoir), and Lake Manatee Reservoir

Overview

Image of A winding, narrow stretch of the upper Manatee River.

A winding, narrow stretch of the upper Manatee River. © Bac Clin

The headwaters of the Manatee River form in marshes in the northeastern corner of Manatee County near Four Corners and flow 45 miles in a westerly direction to southern Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The area consists mainly of coastal lowlands, hardwood swamps, marshes, and mesic flatwoods. Lake Manatee Reservoir, which lies 24 miles upstream from Tampa Bay, is a 2,000-acre man-made lake, completed in 1967.

From the reservoir's dam downstream to the confluence with Mill Creek, the river is tidally influenced, and its course is relatively narrow and meandering. Broken up by emergent salt marshes and mangrove islands, it widens bayward of Mill Creek and becomes braided. Downstream, there are several small bayous and dredged canals. Ward Lake (Bill Evers Reservoir), which was built in the late 1930s and enlarged in 1985, covers 2,400 acres. Small ponds and isolated or semi-isolated wetlands are common.

The Manatee River watershed reflects a wide variety of land uses and conversions of natural lands, principally as a result of urban, suburban, commercial, industrial, and agricultural development. As of 1995, agriculture was the predominant land use in Manatee County and in the watershed, comprising about 40 percent of the land area. About one-third of the land area is cropland and pastureland, with tree crops (mainly citrus) occupying about 6 percent. Urban and built-up lands comprise nearly 14 percent of the total area, rangeland about 14 percent, upland forests about 11 percent, and wetlands about 13 percent. Most of the urban and built-up lands lie in the westernmost portions of the watershed, in the cities of Bradenton and Palmetto, and in adjacent unincorporated areas. Protected areas include Lake Manatee State Park, Duette Park, Upper Manatee River Florida State Canoe Trail, and Rye Wilderness Park.

Human Impacts

Past development practices have altered many of the watershed 's historical natural systems such as forested uplands and wetlands, creating the current mixture of urban, agricultural, and mining areas and intact biological communities. This pattern of land conversions and accompanying infrastructure (including roads and utilities) will continue to shape conditions in the remaining natural systems.

Water quality problems and issues in the watershed include excessive nutrient loading to Ward Lake (Bill Evers Reservoir); elevated concentrations of dissolved copper in Lake Manatee and Ward Lake; elevated levels of mercury, lead, and zinc in a number of waterbodies; and concern about the ecological impacts of organic pesticides, which are widely used in the watershed.

In recognition of these impacts, DEP, the SWFWMD, and local governmental, scientific, educational, and citizen organizations are working to develop strategies for protecting and restoring water quality in the Manatee River watershed.

Interesting Facts:

Lake Manatee Reservoir is the principal water supply for Manatee County, and Ward Lake (Bill Evers Reservoir) provides most of the water for the city of Bradenton.
The Upper Manatee River Canoe Trail is designated as part of Florida's Statewide System of Greenways and Trails.

Bookmark this page:

Digg

del.icio.us

StumbleUpon

Florid Department of Environmental Protection, Soutwest Florida Water Management District and local governmental, scientific, educational, and citizen organizations are working on numerous projects to restore and protect the Tampa Bay Tributaries watershed.

Watershed Restoration Program

FDEP has implemented a Watershed Restoration Program to identify "impaired" waters, identify sources of pollutants, and develop plans to reduce pollution in rivers, lakes, streams, springs, and estuaries in the Tampa Bay Tributaries Basin.

Additional Information:
FDEP TMDL Program Website
FDEP Tampa Bay Tributaries Basin Status Report Website
FDEP Tampa Bay Tributaries Assessment Report Website

Comprehensive Watershed Management (CWM) Initiative

In 1994, SWFWMD initiated the CWM initiative, a watershed-based approach to water and related natural resource management. Regional water resources are being carefully evaluated, based on SWFWMD's four areas of responsibility: water supply, flood protection, water quality, and natural systems. Multidisciplinary and multiagency teams are developing and implementing watershed management plans in each of the district's 11 major basins, including the four tributaries in the Tampa Bay Tributaries Basin.

Additional Information:
Alafia River CWM (PDF)
Hillsborough River CWM (PDF)
Little Manatee River CWM (PDF)
Manatee River CWM (PDF)

Lake Thonotosassa Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan

Lake Thonotosassa was designated as a SWIM priority waterbody in 1988. An initial SWIM plan was approved in 1990, and updates were published in 1996 and 2003. The plans have focused on estimating the lake's historical water quality, determining the nature and magnitude of existing problems, improving the regulation of point source discharges, treating nonpoint source pollution before it enters the lake, and improving habitat in the lake and its watershed. The plan serves as the guidance document for coordinating the restoration and protection efforts of the SWFWMD, Hillsborough County, and the state for Lake Thonotosassa.

Additional Information:
Lake Thonotosassa 2003 SWIM Plan (PDF)

Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP)

Water quality in Tampa Bay is closely linked to activities in the Tampa Bay Tributaries Basin, which contributes significant freshwater flows and pollutant loading to the bay. FDEP continues to rely on the TBEP and its participatory decision-making processes to carry out a number of watershed management activities that will improve water quality in the bay.

Additional Information:
TBEP Website

Tampa Bay SWIM Plan

In 1987, the Florida Legislature created the SWIM program to restore and protect the state's most threatened waters. The Tampa Bay SWIM Plan, completed in 1989 and updated in 1996, was the first such plan approved by the state. The original plan identified 18 priority projects, all of which, directly or indirectly, affect water quality in inland surface waterbodies as well as Tampa Bay itself. These projects include water quality assessment, the development of tools to estimate the relative nonpoint pollutant loads for watersheds contributing to Tampa Bay, habitat restoration, and urban stormwater rehabilitation.

Additional Information:
Tampa Bay SWIM Plan (PDF)