FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 26, 2014
DEP AND CITY OF TALLAHASSEE COMMIT MORE THAN $350,000 TO POLLUTION AWARENESS
~TAPP program encourages residents to manage their personal environmental impact ~
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the city of Tallahassee have committed more than $350,000 to a comprehensive outreach campaign to support the city’s Think About Personal Pollution (TAPP) program. This program was developed to educate residents on practices that help reduce pollution in local lakes, sinks and streams.
TAPP focuses on simple ways residents can reduce their own personal pollution, such as through the use of rain gardens, fertilizer management and pet waste disposal. DEP is committing more than $190,000 and the city is providing match funding of nearly $170,000.
“The environment, and especially water quality, affects local residents -- their health, their economy and their general quality of life,” said Tom Frick, director of DEP's Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration. “The TAPP program provides citizens with the tools necessary to take control of their impact on the environment and their communities.”
Water that flows into creeks, streams or rivers after a rain is referred to as stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff can carry fertilizers, pesticides, heavy metals, oils and grease to Florida’s waters. Increasing public awareness on the ideal fertilizer application times and quantities, how pet waste contributes to pollution and how and where to recycle used grease can help keep Florida’s water clean.
The TAPP program utilizes a comprehensive outreach strategy, including television, radio, social media and person-to-person outreach. The campaign’s materials have been used across the state and the nation by various municipalities interested in addressing pollution on the individual level, including Ft. Lauderdale, Bonita Springs and Indian Rocks Beach in Florida, and Alexandria, Virginia.
As part of person-to-person outreach, workshops are offered that help residents understand and apply for rain garden installation reimbursements through the city’s TAPP program. Other workshop subjects such as pet waste management, native plant design and watershed management are offered by request.
The program is expected to positively impact the water quality in the Lake Jackson, Lake Lafayette and Lake Munson/Fred George Sink basins.
More information on the funding program can be found here.
More information on the TAPP campaign can be found here.
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