What if you could help improve the island's
water quality?


What if you could help control the impact
of storm water runoff?


What if you could help increase the aesthetic beauty of or waterfront?

 

 

 

 

The Seaplane basin has the potential to be a showcase of Tampa's combination of natural habitat and downtown neighborhood life.  Imagine a marine landscape where sea birds nest in mangroves, calm waters break on marsh grass shorelines, and sail boats lay anchored.  This is an active place where neighborhood dogs splash at the waters edge at the dog beach, boaters launch their boats and moor at the well maintained dock, fishermen cast their lines form seawall benches, and joggers and bikers cruise along a trail extending the length of basin. 

Does this plan sound far off? It is not.  From sea grasses to trails, plans to improve the environment in the Seaplane Basin area are beginning to take shape.  A unique opportunity to not only improve the area but to make it a showcase of why Tampa is a great place to live is here today.  Our goal is to bring multiple resources together to turn years of neglect and lack of foresight into a campaign of environmental resuscitation.

Click Here to View Image of Area and Proposed Improvements

The major goals, tasks, and status of Seaplane Basin Project include the following 

(1) Improve the beauty of the shoreline by removing material and blanketing shorelines with mangroves and marsh grasses.  The City of Tampa and Tampa Bay Watch are interested in supporting these efforts.



The above image shows a shoreline of construction debris.  Although it would be costly to remove the existing material which serves as an erosion barrier, improvement of the shoreline is possible.  The pictures below show that Mangrove plants have been able to grow between rocks.  A project concept would be to break rocks at intervals throughout the shoreline area and plant Mangroves as shown below.

The are also many areas where marsh grasses will take root.  The images below show areas of the Seaplane Basin during and after salt marsh grass planting.

(2) Improve the accessibility to the area by bike and foot by constructing a trail that follows the shoreline areas.  This has been completely designed and is supported by the City of Tampa.

(3) Improve the water quality and protect marine life.  Tampa Bay Watch is fully in support of implementing a Reef Dome project that promotes oyster growth along designated areas.  Expanding oyster growth provides an increased filtering process that contributes to better water quality.  The water is environment is in the best shape it has been in years with many fish species inhabiting the basin.

(4) Improve the beauty of park areas through greater diversity and quantity of plants.  Many areas are barren, however, recent efforts by the City of Tampa to improve the areas around the Dog Parks and Beach areas have contributed greatly to the feel of the area.  Extensive planting of sea grapes, sea oats, mangroves, and palms would serve to tie areas together and provide a feel of a continuous park.

(5) Improve public facilities.  The boat ramp has been recently improved and the dog parks continue to grow in popularity.  However, park facilities are lacking on the island relative to the number of residents.  Benches, shelters, restrooms, and park maintenance must become a priority.