Assessment of a countywide stormwater pond improvement program

Numerous approaches have been advocated to improve pollutant removal in stormwater retention and detention ponds. The Hillsborough County (FL) Adopt-A-Pond program is one such application. However, ex post evaluation of these approaches is particularly limited. Water quality and vegetative characteristics were assessed at participating Adopt-A-Pond sites to explore potential impacts of the program on measurable environmental parameters. Statistical analysis of the results failed to demonstrate significant environmental improvements associated with the Adopt-A-Pond program, and measures of program activity did not illustrate a consistently positive influence. These results illustrate the need for ex post evaluations and indicate a general need to readdress the policies and implementation of the program. Poor compliance by program volunteers, evident by the limited span of group participation (mean = 2.5 years) and relatively low percentage of actively involved residents, is a possible culprit, as the efficacy of pond enhancement techniques is firmly established in the literature.