The goal of the meeting is to provide information and receive comments on a watershed management plan.

DUNEDIN – North Pinellas County residents will soon have another opportunity to learn about a county project to help promote better water quality and flood reduction in the area.

County staff have scheduled an open house to share information about the Curlew Creek-Smith Bayou (Bee Branch) Watershed Management Plan from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday (May 8) at the Hale Senior Center, 330 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. The open house format will allow residents to come and go as they please.

The project involves the development of a comprehensive WMP for the Curlew Creek and Smith Bayou watersheds in north Pinellas County. These large drainage basins include parts of unincorporated Pinellas County, as well as the cities of Dunedin and Clearwater. The main channels of Curlew Creek and Smith Bayou flow from east to west, ultimately discharging into the Gulf of Mexico off St. Joseph Sound.

During the informal neighborhood project information meeting, staff will display exhibit boards, answer questions and receive comments from residents.

A watershed is an area of land that drains to an open body of water, and in Pinellas County, every square foot of land drains somewhere. A watershed drainage system includes not only natural elements such as rivers, lakes and ponds, but also stormwater pipes and ditch networks.

A watershed management plan is a multi-step approach to analyzing how well an area of land can handle stormwater runoff. After the work is complete, officials have a better understanding of how a watershed will respond to rain events. This is often depicted with 100-year floodplain maps.

If a structure is located in a floodplain, it may be at risk of flooding during severe rain events. WMPs also include best management practices, which list projects/practices that might be implemented to improve water quality, allow for flood reduction, and improve natural systems.

For information, go to pinellascounty.org. Questions can be directed to project manager Nabil Bawany at nbawany@pinellascounty.org.

Photo of Curlew Creek-Bee Branch courtesy of Pinellas County.

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