The plan outlined a series of projects for long-term improvements in the lake’s water quality, habitats, recreational activities and aesthetic values of the lake. The study led to a management plan for Lake Maggiore, which was jointly developed by the city and the District. Excessive nutrients resulted in persistent algae blooms, poor water clarity, low dissolved oxygen, periodic fish kills, elevated bacteria levels and prolific growth of invasive plants like cattails and water hyacinths. The project began in 1989 with a study that determined that untreated stormwater runoff and the large quantity of organic sediment were causing elevated levels of phosphorus and nitrogen throughout the lake. As a result, untreated runoff entered the lake, bringing in excessive amounts of pollutants. Virtually all of the development within the lake’s watershed occurred prior to the existence of current stormwater management regulations.
“It took many decades of widespread urban and residential development throughout the lake’s watershed to create the degraded environmental conditions that prompted the implementation of the Lake Maggiore Restoration Project,” said López. Known as the Lake Maggiore Restoration Project, this is a multi-phase, $17.8 million cooperatively funded effort between the District and the city of St. Improved water quality and shorelines with native vegetation will provide habitats for fish and wildlife.” “We think residents who live near the lake, as well as visitors, will eventually see conditions improve. “This project attempts to set back the clock on a long history of water quality problems at Lake Maggiore,” said Manuel López, project manager and senior environmental scientist with the District’s environmental section. A project in the works for more than a decade is revitalizing Lake Maggiore and its 2,290-acre watershed in southern Pinellas County.
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