Signs could help improve water quality

Santa Rosa County installed 41 signs that pinpoint watershed areas in hopes of raising awareness about water pollution.

The signs are just part of the Bay Area Resource Council's Watershed Management Plan to improve water quality and encourage more eco-friendly practices. Mary Gutierrez, BARC regional planner, said she hopes the signs will educate the population and get them to start asking questions.

A watershed is an area of land that drains water into the streams, rivers, wetlands, bays or groundwater aquifers. Watersheds support habitats for all forms of life and also play a role in recreation and tourism.

"Unfortunately the bay area's water quality is on the lower end of the spectrum but we know what the problem is and the important thing is doing something about it,"  Gutierrez said.

A few of the watershed signs have been spotted around southern Santa Rosa County, including one along Edgewood Drive in Holley by the Sea indicating the East Bay watershed.

Santa Rosa has five watersheds, but the major watershed for Navarre is Pensacola Bay.

Sewage systems only treat water that passes through indoor drains like sinks and toilets before being discharged back into a body of water. Storm drain systems carry rainwater directly into nearby bays and bayous.

For more details on this story, see the Aug. 14 issue of Navarre Press or subscribe to our online edition.