Protecting the beauty of our lakes

[FINAL Edition]
Tampa Tribune - Tampa, Fla.

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Anyone who doesn't think one person can make a difference in local government should consider the story of Tom Aderhold.

Building a home on an Odessa lake, Aderhold was disturbed by how little thought was given to the lake's welfare.

Homeowners would clear shoreline vegetation, though the plants help filter the water. Some would pour fertilizer on the yards, which would run into the lake.

Builders would haul in dirt to elevate homes, increasing runoff.

ALL THESE ACTIVITIES can result in a polluted, muddy lake, where too many nutrients cause algae blooms and fish kills.

Aderhold took his concerns to the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission, and, as the Tribune's Elizabeth Lee Brown found, he got action.

The planning commission undertook a two-year study of the issue and included planners, builders and environmental regulators in the process.

The task force came up with a list of worthy recommendations to better protect Hillsborough's 267 lakes.

A primary focus is education. Most homeowners do not intend to degrade the lake when they fertilize or clear vegetation. They simply don't understand the consequences.

So the planning commission seeks to provide educational material to all lakefront owners about responsible stewardship.

Another recommendation concerns the county's inadequate setback requirements. At present, there need be only 30 feet between a home and a lake. And a swimming pool and landscaping can be built in that buffer.

The commission did not specify a number but recommended larger buffers be required where necessary. While it is true the need for a buffer would vary according to terrain, this vague rule would be all too easy to ignore. The draft report's recommendation of a 50-foot setback that would exclude pools and such would probably do much more good, though it likely would be hotly contested by developers.

Among the other recommendations: Undertake a study on lake water quality; remove exemptions for seawalls from the buffer requirements; adopt a standard for recreational access to lakes; consider ways to toughen regulations on wetlands around lakes and close loopholes to increase the preservation of native vegetation.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY commissioners will have the final say on the report. They should see the issue's importance. Lakes provide recreational opportunity and wildlife habitat and add considerably to the quality of life in this area.

They also greatly enhance land values.

To allow the degradation of our lakes is, as Tom Aderhold aptly realized, wasteful and foolish. Commissioners should adopt these sensible recommendations.

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