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- Retrofitting more than 15,000 County-owned traffic and pedestrian signals with LED lights instead of incandescent lights, and replacing the fluorescent lights on 890 overhead street signs with electronic lamps, greatly reducing the department’s energy costs and output.
- Project is estimated to save 4,775,254 kilowatt hours in energy and $672,334 in funds annually.
- Upgrading County’s intelligent traffic control system, which will allow for signal timing to be remotely changed in response to traffic back-ups, reducing vehicle idling time, air pollution and gas consumption.
- Utilizes reclaimed water whenever practical for street sweeping, cleaning out stormwater pipes and watering vegetation.
- Utilizes recycled, crushed concrete for stabilization of road slopes and stormwater installations to allow for better drainage. Also recycles asphalt milled off of roads for use in asphalt mix on future road repair and resurfacing projects. Additionally recycles other materials such as concrete, metal, tires, and brush and tree debris trimmed from rights-of-way.
- Uses slip lining and point repair procedures on stormwater system repairs in environmentally-sensitive areas to reduce minimal impact.
- Uses environmentally-friendly products to clean mold, mildew and stains off of road signs.
- Undertakes a program to safely remove and dispose of or recycle approximately 1,500 pounds of hazardous materials annually of traffic equipment-related materials, such as street lights, industrial batteries, and copper wire and cabling, in accordance with industry and environmental requirements.
- Implements advanced stormwater control requirements on County construction project sites.
- Conceived the idea of the Watershed Atlas project and developed it in partnership with the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the University of South Florida Center for Community Design and Research. The Atlas is a website that provides information on all lakes, ponds, streams and watersheds in Hillsborough County, including aerial images and photos, water quality data, hydrologic data and history that can be analyzed, downloaded and updated by users. Website: www.hillsborough.wateratlas.org
- The Watershed Atlas concept has since been adopted by numerous other counties in Florida, and a statewide, seamless Atlas is planned.
- Participates in the Pond Watch, Lake Management Program and Stream Waterwatch programs, which teaches volunteers to collect water quality samples for local ponds, lakes and streams, and submit them to the Watershed Atlas for monitoring and research purposes. These programs are undertaken in cooperation with several partners such as the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Hillsborough Community College, University of Florida and University of South Florida.
- Conducts several stormwater and environmental education programs, including:
- “Officer Snook” program for elementary school children and the “Stormwater Ecologist” program for middle/high school children, that teaches about stormwater pollution, recycling and reducing waste.
- Adopt-A-Pond program that helps neighborhood volunteers clean up and restore the natural habitat in their stormwater ponds. Also provides pond walks and evaluations on neighborhood ponds to teach about natural ecology and suggest improvements.
- Storm Drain Marking program that provides interested neighborhoods with colorful marker signs to glue on their storm drains and educational door hangers reminding residents to not pour illegal materials down drains.
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