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July 22, 2008
Shelley Szafraniec, APR
Community Information Specialist

VOLUSIA COUNTY’S WATER ATLAS WEB SITE OFFERS WATER RESOURCES INFORMATION

Whether you are a resident, just visiting or doing business in Volusia County, you probably want to know about the area’s lakes, streams, beaches and other water resources. To meet this need, Volusia County Environmental Management has teamed with the University of South Florida, Center for Community Design and Research’s Water Atlas program to offer a web site, www.volusia.wateratlas.usf.edu, to serve as a clearing house for a plethora of information.

“In 2006, we met with staff from the University of South Florida to discuss the need for consolidated water resource information,” said Tom Carey, Volusia County Water Resources manager. “The goal of this site is to encourage people to learn about the unique water resources we have in Volusia County.”

Some of Volusia County’s unique water resources include:

• Volusia County is home to a sole-source aquifer - the only source of drinking water for 90 percent of its residents.
• The St. Johns River is one of 14 nationally recognized American Heritage Rivers.
• Blue Springs is a first-magnitude spring - it flows more than 100 cubic feet per second and is the only natural inland winter home for the Florida manatee.
• The Indian River Lagoon is a nationally recognized estuary; it is the most biologically diverse estuary in North America, according to Carey.

The web site represents the latest in web-based technology. At the site, users can find easy-to-navigate information on local and regional weather, tides, fisheries, land use and land cover, stormwater and volunteer opportunities for cleanups, restoration plantings and water monitoring. Users also can access:

• maps of lakes and streams;
• information about the area waterway’s water quality and quantity (flow);
• identify the area’s parks, beaches, piers and boat ramps (locations and amenities); and
• information about outdoor and education community events (festivals, cleanups, lake shore restorations).

“We are really excited about this web site as it is a resource not only for users looking for recreational information such as parks, tides, beaches and boat ramps, but it also is a resource for scientific work, offering detailed data on Volusia County’s water resources,” said Carey.

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