EPC Of Hillsborough County Celebrates 50 Years Of Wetlands Awareness

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on Feb. 2. This day is set apart to raise global awareness of the vital role wetlands play for people and for the planet.

This day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on Feb. 2, 1971, which was established in the Iranian city of Ramsar (pronounced Rhom-sar) on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

In honor of this year's theme, which marks the 50th anniversary of World Wetlands Day, the Hillsborough County World Wetland's Day Proclamation was read at the January Hillsborough County Environmental Protection meeting by the chair, Commissioner Mariella Smith. The proclamation emphasizes the importance of “wetlands and water” and how they are inseparable, sharing a connection that is vital to life, well-being and the health of the planet. The official declaration of Feb. 2 as World Wetlands Day promotes and encourages action to prevent the loss of valuable wetland resources in support of this important global awareness campaign.

EPC Wetlands Protection And Benefits In Hillsborough County

The EPC Wetlands Division safeguards groundwater, surface water and natural flood mitigation areas by preserving wildlife habitat and coastal shorelines, as well as prohibiting impacts to wetlands, through unique local wetlands and mitigation rules. Wetland areas naturally retain and filter flood waters, which helps refill the groundwater supply and improve water quality. They also buffer the land from hurricane and tidal storm surges.

Floodplain and wetland management programs lower the cost of flood insurance for county residents. The National Flood Insurance Program gives discounts to communities that undertake activities to reduce their flood risks. Currently, the county is within the top 3 percent of municipalities in the nation for aggressive floodplain activities. Residents within unincorporated Hillsborough County receive more than $5 million dollars combined in annual discounts on their flood insurance rates due to these efforts.

Fast Facts

• EPC reviewed 325 wetland delineation projects, which included inspecting 3,500 acres of properties to establish the wetland limits. This is four times the size of Central Park.
• 1,975 wetlands projects were reviewed, which represents a 90 percent increase since 2011.
• EPC focus on alternative site plan education resulted in saving 25 acres of wetlands from development, as compared to the 54 acres of requested wetland impacts, for 2020.
• Mitigation is used to offset unavoidable wetland impacts. There were 68 acres of Wetlands mitigation provided in Hillsborough County through a combination of wetlands creation, preservation, and enhancement.
• Required mitigation accounted for more than three and a half times the total number of wetland acres permanently impacted for 2020.
• Conservation easements protect properties for future generations. By working with the development community, EPC has received a total of 530 acres of conservation easements (required and voluntary) since 2014.

This press release was produced by the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County. The views expressed are the author's own.