NOVEMBER. » If your lawn care provider. » Exceeding the

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1 NOVEMBER 2016 Help eliminate illicit discharges ~ stop paying to pollute our lakes! When we hire professionals to provide services for us, we expect them to know the rules related to their business and to do the job properly. But unless we check, how do we know for sure? Since a lot of the work we pay to have done for us takes place while we re away, or out from under our eyes, it is important to make sure the people we hire know how to protect our waterways. Below are some examples of services that have been problematic in the past, and questions you can ask to help determine if the company you re about to give your money to is doing what it takes to protect our lakes. Lawn care providers The most common pollution source related to lawn care is the blowing of leaves, grass clippings and dirt into the street (or down a stormwater inlet). Leaves and debris are not the only lawn care related threat to our lakes, however. Additional pollution sources include fertilizers and pesticides that are used improperly. Make it your business to know how your lawn care provider runs theirs. Selecting quality service providers can prevent pollution from entering our lakes.» If your lawn care provider uses any pesticides, they are required by law to be licensed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Using any pesticide in way not consistent with the product s label is a violation of federal law.» Exceeding the labeled application rate for any fertilizer is not only a violation of federal law, it s a waste of your money. Excess fertilizer can t be absorbed by the plants and will often get washed into our stormwater system in the next rain event. Painters The cleaning of paint brushes and other paint covered equipment on paved surfaces allows potentially harmful chemicals to run off into the stormwater system and our waterways. Even water based paints labeled as non-toxic can cause massive turbidity plumes that can kill aquatic plants and animals.» Paint should never be washed on paved surfaces. Non-toxic, water based paints can be washed in grassy areas where the wash water cannot run off.» Solvent or oil based paints should never be cleaned on the ground, paved or otherwise. All solvents, like paint thinner, must be retained. When the solvents are no longer usable, they must be disposed of at an approved hazardous material handling facility. Even an interior painting project can lead to water pollution if not done properly. continued above featured this month

2 Help eliminate illicit discharges continued Mobile car & pet washes Pollution problems associated with mobile washing services are generally related to the discharge of dirty water and detergents into the street where they can easily make their way to our lakes. Other potential pollutants include insecticidal or medicinal shampoos used in pet grooming and solvents used in car cleaning. This industry is relatively new and is not well regulated in most parts of the country. What you need to know:» If the answer to this question is no, then there are a few things you need to consider to avoid the release of pollutants to our lakes. Cars and pets should be washed on grass or other pervious surfaces if the wash water is not being collected. Water containing pesticide residue (flea shampoo, etc.) should never be discharged to the ground.» Taking the wash water from your house and dumping it down a storm drain somewhere else isn t the answer you want to hear. Ideally, the prospective company will have documentation of contracts or invoices for dumping their dirty water at an appropriate treatment facility. Wash water without chemicals (other than soap) may be land spread in areas where there won t be any runoff to waterways or paved surfaces.» Chemicals like pesticides and solvents typically have specific and strict label requirements that dictate where and how these products must be disposed of and how much may be discharged at one time. Violation of the label requirements is a violation of state and/or federal law, depending on the product. If your service provider seems unaware of these issues, you may want to look elsewhere. Featured this month Cattails (Typha domingensis and T. latifolia) Cattails are one of the few native, aquatic plants that frequently cause ecological problems similar to those caused by invasive, exotic species. The two native species that occur in central Florida, Typha domingensis and T. latifolia, are capable of rapidly expanding along shorelines and can grow in water over six feet deep. Their strap like leaf blades can reach eight feet above the water allowing them to crowd out other plants. The characteristic, brown cat tail is actually the plant s flower spike and is made up of thousands of tiny, densely packed flowers. The upper portion contains the male flowers and the lower portion the female flowers which produce the numerous seeds that will eventually be spread by the wind allowing the species to colonize new territory. When cattails become established in a lake, they tend to displace other vegetation, sometimes to the point that no other species persist around the shoreline. Certain birds and other wildlife use cattails for nesting and cover, but cattails are not the preferred habitat for many of them. They use it because it s what s available to them at the time. Some species cannot adapt to the breakdown in the food chain that results when the natural variety in vegetation disappears. Lakes that are dominated by cattails, can t support the variety of wildlife that lakes with more diverse shoreline vegetation can. Cattails produce a large amount of leaf litter during the year which can create significant muck deposits in the areas where they grow. They are also known to form tussocks (see Tussock article in this issue) which can drift around the lake blocking access points and impeding boat traffic. For all of these reasons, the city encourages residents to replace cattails with more desirable species such as softstem bulrush or duck potato. illustration provided by IFAS Center for Aquatic Plants, University of Florida, Gainesville, 1990

3 Lakes & Waterways Advisory Board Mission > to protect and improve the city s greatest natural resource its lakes and waterways, by fostering public stewardship, recommending protective measures, conducting long-range planning, and overseeing the implementation of improvement projects for lake and stormwater management. Member Term End Geoff Bedine chair 2017 James Barnes 2017 Amy Byrd 2018 Steve DiClemente 2019 Doug Marks 2019 Nora Miller 2017 John Minton 2019 Jack Goggin alternate 2019 Public Works Department Troy Attaway Director tattaway@cityofwinterpark.org Don Marcotte Assistant Director/City Engineer dmarcotte@cityofwinterpark.org Tim Egan Water Quality & NPDES Compliance Manager tegan@cityofwinterpark.org Amy Giannotti Lakes Manager agiannotti@cityofwinterpark.org Debbie Wilkerson Office Manager dwilkerson@cityofwinterpark.org Tussocks what are they & what can be done? Tussocks are essentially masses of floating plants and or sediments that can freely drift within a water body, often driven by prevailing wind or currents. Tussocks can range in size from a few square feet to massive islands occupying hundreds of acres and supporting mature trees. There are several ways that tussocks can form. The most common is when rooted plants drop biomass, in the form of leaves and stems, that remains attached to the plant. Buildup continues until a new, floating substrate develops. New growth begins rooting in the floating mass of decomposing plant material. The process continues and the floating plant stand continues to expand into open water areas. Wind, waves or other physical disturbances can cause pieces of these floating mats to dislodge, forming the floating islands. Two invasive species in Florida, Cuban bulrush (Oxycaryum cubense) and torpedo grass (Panicum repens) are known for forming tussocks in this manner. Another way that tussocks can form is when rooted plants are dislodged and float to the surface. In mucky areas, significant amounts of the sediments may pop up with the plants and remain attached to the root system. The original plants can continue to grow and other species may also become established. Lily pads are known to form tussocks this way, particularly during high water conditions in areas where the plants are growing in a mucky substrate. A less common means of tussock formation is when a lake with a moderate amount of muck sediment over a hard sand bottom experiences a prolonged drought. The exposed Tussocks can cause an unsightly mess as well as interfering with access and navigation. muck layer becomes consolidated from the loss of water and plants become established, their roots further binding the sediment. When the lake eventually refills, the plant covered muck layer may be buoyant enough that all or part of it floats to the surface. The most effective and economical way to control tussocks is to prevent their formation through proactive plant management. Eradicating invasive species that are known tussock builders and minimizing the coverage in mucky areas of species known to float and form them are ways to reduce the likelihood of tussock formation. Once tussocks form, options are limited to treating them chemically or physically removing them from the lake. Chemical treatment is the most economical, but complete breakdown of the tussocks may take months or even years in some cases. Removal provides immediate relief but can be prohibitively expensive in some cases due to the equipment and manpower needed to accomplish the task.

4 Lakeside & boathouse security tips contributed by Officer John Reynolds, Winter Park Police Department The residents of our city spend a considerable amount of thought, time, and money on the security of their home. While people in nearly all communities share the desire to secure their property; the people of Winter Park are blessed to live around a beautiful chain of lakes. Lakeside living provides extraordinary pleasure and year-round beauty but can present additional concerns when planning for security. Fortunately, many of the same tools and tips used to secure your residence can be extended to your lakeside property and belongings. Most people recognize the importance of lighting in the security of their home. Lighting is integrated into the landscape of the front yards not only to beautify the property, but to discourage those looking for a little privacy as they break into a home. As with the front yard, lighting in the rear of the home is also vital to securing your property. This is especially true for homes on a lake or waterway. The waterway serves as a secondary access point to the property. Thieves can drive boats and other water vehicles up to the unlit property, using darkness as their cover. Lighting technology has made great strides in recent years. Motion activated, solar powered lights can be purchased at a relatively low cost. This lighting option frees the customer from an extensive wiring project or needing to remember to turn the lights on and off as the sun sets and rises. Another waterfront security option that can be an extension to the main property is a monitored security system which is an excellent choice because of its relative low cost, and the savings it provides from many home insurance policies. If your home has a monitored security system, consider contacting your service provider and ask to have additional monitors and cameras installed in your boathouse, or other waterfront areas. In addition to lighting and security systems, several other low or no cost security enhancements are» Take the keys Leaving the keys in the boat or watercraft will allow anyone that wants to leave with your boat easy access to do so. If you want to leave your keys in the boathouse, add a lock box with a combination lock so that only you can get to the keys. Every layer of complication for a thief, is an additional layer of security.» Lock the doors This one may seem obvious, but ensure that when you leave the boathouse (or other structure) you lock the doors. If you leave the doors unlocked thieves and vandals are able to enter with no effort. If you tend to forget to lock the door on a regular basis, or don t want to keep up with another set of keys, you can install a keypad lock that locks when the door closes. This is an automatic way to provide additional security to the boathouse, as well as the boat.» Use lockers and storage chests Store personal items such as life jackets or spare boat parts into a locking storage chest. It not only keeps the area clean and tidy but deters potential thieves. Keeping valuable equipment stowed and locked can help deter theft.» Remove valuables Leaving valuables in the boathouse, especially in sight, promotes theft. This includes important documents such as your boat registration (which should be kept inside the house in a secure area with other documents). When you leave, open the blinds so thieves who may be looking around for a prime target, will see there is nothing inside to steal and will move on.» Keep the area clean When an area is not properly maintained, it will look abandoned. Abandoned means up for grabs in the world of thieves. Keeping grass cut, limbs trimmed, and structures in good repair, will show that people are around and involved on this property, and that a theft will be noticed.» Report all thefts Even if the incident seems minor to you, the information you provide is entered into a database that can identify crime patterns and predict future activity allowing police to take preventative measures.

5 exotic animal invasion First observed in Florida in canals south of Lake Okeechobee, the exotic (non-native) island apple snail (Pomacea insularum) has become a widespread pest throughout most of the state, occurring as far north as Jacksonville and west as Tallahassee. The species was most likely introduced through the aquarium/ tropical pet industry. Island apple snails grow much larger than our native species (P. paludosa) and once they reach full size [3.5 inches in diameter vs. 2 inches for native snails], normal predators, like the limpkin, have trouble feeding on them. Adult exotic island apple snail This species is also a prolific breeder, laying clutches of up to 2,000 bright pink eggs compared to our natives that lay 30 to 50 pale pink to white eggs per clutch. Wildlife biologists are concerned that exotic apple snails may become problematic because they are capable of eating rooted plants unlike our native snails that eat periphyton [algae that grow on the surface of rooted plants]. A large enough population of these invasive snails could adversely impact aquatic plant communities, causing water quality degradation and harm to Exotic [left] vs. native [right] apple snail eggs. Side by side comparison [inset]. wildlife that depends on the vegetation for food and cover. They are also capable of out competing our native snails which serve as an important food source for several native species of birds and fish. Chemical control has proven to be only marginally effective and can have some undesirable side effects. Manual removal of egg masses and adult snails remains the primary method for controlling exotic apple snails. In Winter Park, the island apple snail has become established in Lake Knowles and the city is currently implementing an aggressive control program to try and eradicate them before they cause ecological harm or spread to other lakes. The city s Sustainability Coordinator is working with the Lakes Division to include volunteer snail roundups in the city s control efforts. During one recent event, 150 volunteers were able to collect 270 pounds of snails and eggs! If you observe the bright pink egg clusters or think you ve seen an adult island apple snail (other than Lake Knowles), please report it to the Lakes Division at agiannotti@cityofwinterpark.org or exotic amnesty To help stem the tide of exotic species infestations, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has established an exotic pet amnesty program. The program has two main components:» providing a safe way for owners of non-native animals who no longer want or are unable to care for their pets to turn them in instead of releasing them into the environment» training volunteers to become qualified and responsible foster owners of exotic animals that are turned in through the program If you have a non-native pet that you no longer want or are interested in adopting an animal, please visit FWC at MyFWC.com/Nonnatives or call 888-Ive-Got1 ( ).

6 Winter Park Waterways LAKES DIVISION 401 S. Park Ave. Winter Park, FL PRE-SORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage PAID Orlando Permit No Printed on 100% recycled paper. Important NUMBERS Lake-related inquiries Non-stormwater discharges or Department of Environmental Protection Division of Law Enforcement (Report environmental crimes such as unlawful disposal of hazardous waste.) Stormwater/erosion inquiries Nuisance Alligator Hotline (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission) 877-2SAVE-FL wireless phone #DEP Lake Temple featured Lake Stats > size : 3.1 acres drainage basin : 10 acres average depth : 6 feet (approx.) OHW elevation : 66.6 feet (NAVD) Water quality > impacts : stormwater runoff & internal nutrient cycling (from sediment) > clarity : slight improving trend ( ) General > water table lake : level dependent on groundwater elevation from rainfall : no permanent inflows : outfall in high water condition is through a culvert to Howell Branch Creek > management efforts : aeration system installed in 2009, periodic treatment of nuisance vegetation