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Gulf Guardian Award Winners 2007
Partnership Category - 3rd Place - Tie
| Company: | Charlotte Harbor Estuaries Volunteer Water Quality |  Click on the picture to view a larger size. |
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| Project Name: | Monitoring Project Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves |
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| Location: | Punta Gorda, Florida | ||
| Category: | Partnerships |
| Company: | The BUG (Beneficial Uses Group) |  Click on the picture to view a larger size. |
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| Project Name: | Port of Houston Authority | ||
| Location: | Houston, Texas | ||
| Category: | Partnerships |
Charlotte Harbor Estuaries Volunteer Water Quality
Monitoring Project
Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves
In 1996, the Charlotte Harbor Estuaries Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Network was initiated as a partnership between local citizens, the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves and the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program. This on-going monthly water quality monitoring program continues to measure conditions throughout the regionally significant Charlotte Harbor estuaries in southwest Florida. Forty six sites are monitored synoptically for 19 parameters. The program was initiated to provide the long term, scientifically reliable data needed to determine critical locations, parameters and trends in water quality conditions used to effectively manage the estuaries for long term sustainability. The most impressive accomplishment of the CHEVWQMN is that data which is collected by citizens is being used by scientists and regulators with confidence to manage the estuaries for long term sustainability. The data is entered regularly in the national water quality data base (STORET) and used to help determine Florida's impaired waters so corrective actions can be implemented. The data is routinely entered into a local data base, analyzed and presented at a variety of forums, including the Estuarine Research Federation (2000), Charlotte Harbor Watershed Summits (2002 and 2004), Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Conference (2006), Florida Scientist (2007) and a report by the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves (pending, August 2007).
The BUG (Beneficial Uses Group)
Port of Houston Authority
Houston, Texas
The Beneficial Uses Group (BUG) is one of several subcommittees formed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Interagency Coordination Team (ICT) to address environmental issues associated with the Houston-Galveston Navigation Channels (HGNC) expansion project. Created in 1990, the BUG is an unprecedented coalition of the following 8 federal and state government agencies: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Galveston District, Port of Houston Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Texas General Land Office. The BUG was given the specific goal of identifying environmentally and economically responsible ways to utilize the material dredged from the Houston Ship Channel expansion project since open water disposal was no longer permitted in the Galveston Bay. Early on, the BUG held numerous meetings with Galveston Bay users and interest groups. In the fall of 1992, the BUG presented a conceptual plan (known as the BUG Plan) to build wildlife habitats with the material dredged from the Houston Ship Channel. The Plan was adopted by the ICT and received unanimous support from all federal and state resource agencies.
