Balancing the Ecological Function of Residential Stormwater Ponds with Homeowner Landscaping Practices.
Stormwater ponds are installed in urban developments to provide the ecosystem services of flood control and water treatment. In coastal areas, these ponds are connected to watersheds that can drain directly into protected estuaries, making their design, function, and maintenance critical to environmental protection. However, stormwater ponds in residential areas are increasingly managed as aesthetic amenities that add value to real estate rather than as engineered devices with special maintenance requirements. To help extend the life of neighborhood stormwater systems and improve ecosystem services, homeowners should follow best management practices for nutrient management and add shoreline plantings and non-invasive, beneficial aquatic plants to their ponds. This study used focus group and survey research to document the knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes of homeowners living near stormwater ponds in a master-planned community in Florida. The study was designed to use a social marketing research approach to promote Extension best practices. Findings indicate that many residents were aware of the functional components of stormwater systems and respondents' receptivity to best management practices was mediated by age, their attitudes about water quality and whether their home was adjacent to a pond. These findings can be used to target Extension audiences and improve adoption of stormwater pond best management practices for increased protection of water quality.
Department of Agricultural Education and Communication and Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 305 Rolfs Hall, P.O. Box 110540, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA. paulf@ufl.edu.
Paul
0000-0001-8877-1122
P
Monaghan
College of Landscape Architecture, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China.
Shangchun
S
Hu
Environmental Horticulture Department, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Building 550 Room 101, P.O. Box 110675, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Gail
G
Hansen
Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 305 Rolfs Hall, P.O. Box 110540, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Emily
E
Ott
Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 305 Rolfs Hall, P.O. Box 110540, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Charles
C
Nealis
Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 305 Rolfs Hall, P.O. Box 110540, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Maria
M
Morera
D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D055868:Floods; D005431:Florida; D006798:Housing; D061005:Ponds; D014507:Urbanization; D060753:Water Quality
Best management practices; Cooperative extension; Focus groups; Landscape aesthetics; Nutrient management; Social marketing