Regulatory protection and definition for recreational uses of Florida lakes

Abstract

National- and state-level water quality policies clearly set forth the intention to protect recreational uses of lakes. Nevertheless, the Clean Water Act, the Florida Water Resources Act, and Florida's Surface Water Quality Standards fail to define recreational uses of lakes. This research presents a generalized definition for recreational uses of Florida lakes and a quantification of the proportion of Floridians that recreate in lakes. Data collected from a survey of 503 Floridians indicate that approximately 23% of Floridians participate in lake-based recreation. A derived definition for the recreational use of Florida lakes, in order of reported use frequency, is “recreation activities of Florida lakes include, but are not limited to, relaxing, boating, fishing, viewing nature, picnicking, swimming, camping, tubing, hunting, wakeboarding, diving, and water skiing.” This generalized definition highlights the diversity of activities occurring in Florida lakes and can inform the regulatory process related to the management of lake water nutrient concentrations. As Florida moves forward in establishing management strategies for its surface waters, defining recreational uses for its diverse set of lakes is imperative to their protection.

Key words:

• Clean Water Act
• Florida
• lakes
• policy
• recreation
• regulation
• water resources management

Research on adaptive management of natural resources predicts difficulties in achieving goals when stakeholder values are not explicitly considered and ultimately protected by management strategies (Gamson 1968, Pahl-Wostl 2002, Schreiber 2004, Gleick 2007, Holmes and Clark 2008). Limited inclusion of stakeholder values is particularly relevant when protection strategies of natural resources are intended for human uses (Heikkila and Gerlak 2005, Failing et al. 2007, Hale and Adams 2007, Mendis-Millard and Reed 2007, Garcia-Barrios et al. 2008, Pinkerton and John 2008). For example, recreational activities in lakes are inherently based on stakeholder values and perceptions (Hoyer et al. 2004). Defining recreational lake uses from the lake user perspective is critical for ensuring that implemented lake management strategies protect existing and future recreation activities (Hoyer et al. 2004, Bachmann et al. 2012a). Clarification of the recreational uses of Florida lakes is needed to ensure protection of those activities (Heiskary and Wilson 2008, Bachmann et al. 2012b).

The Clean Water Act (CWA), passed in 1972, established a national goal to maintain water quality sufficient to “provide for recreation in and on the water” (Federal Water Pollution Control Act 2002). Within the CWA, terms such as “recreation opportunities,” “recreational activities,” and “water-based recreation” are used widely to make clear the intent to protect aquatic recreational activities. Sections of the CWA provide some guidance for protection of recreational activities. For example, section 502, relating to Coastal Recreation Waters, defines recreation in the following manner:

…The term “coastal recreation waters” means 1) the Great Lakes; and 2) marine coastal waters (including coastal estuaries) that are designated under section 303(c) by a State for use for swimming, bathing, surfing, or similar water contact activities.

This definition does not address inland waters and waters upstream from the mouth of a river, leaving the term “recreation” undefined for lake waters. Section 303(c)(2)(A) of the CWA places the responsibility of defining recreational uses of waters in the hands of states, requiring designation of uses as follows:

…Revised or new water quality standard[s] shall consist of…water quality criteria…based upon [designated] uses. Such standards shall be established taking into consideration their use and value for…recreational purposes…

To this effect, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) requires each state to establish water quality goals that support designated uses, the establishment of which shall occur through an iterative process including review and revision over time at the state level (USEPA 2011).

In compliance with the CWA and to protect present and future most beneficial uses of waters, the Florida Administrative Code (FAC), section 62-302 Surface Water Quality Standards, defines the designated uses and classifications of surface waters. The Surface Water Quality Standards for Florida contain only one detailed definition of recreational use, however, and that is provided by the Special Water designation of Exceptional Recreational Significance, as follows:

Exceptional Recreational Significance shall mean unusual value as a resource for outdoor recreation activities. Outdoor recreation activities include, but are not limited to, fishing, boating, canoeing, water skiing, swimming, scuba diving, or nature observation. The exceptional significance may be in the intensity of present recreational usage, in an unusual quality of recreational experience, or in the potential for unusual future recreational use or experience (FAC 62-302.200(12)).

Exceptional Recreational Significance applies only to Outstanding Florida Waters (OFW; E. Shaw, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, April 2012 pers. comm.), leaving recreational uses in non-OFWs undefined.

Our objectives for this research are to initiate the process of identifying the recreational activities occurring on Florida lakes, quantifying the proportion of Floridian's who participate in those activities, and developing a generalized definition for the recreational use of Florida lakes. Achievement of these objectives will provide preliminary data for the development of trophic state-based definitions for the recreational uses of Florida lakes. Such definitions will help lake managers alleviate negative impacts on lakes and tax payers that are a consequence of ambiguous definitions for designated recreational uses of Florida lakes.

Data collection and analyses

Two methods were undertaken to generate a list of recreational uses that represent those associated with Florida lakes (Cochran 1977, Bartlett et al. 2001). First, freelisting methodology was implemented for a succession of known lake users until the 12^th user added no additional uses. Each of the 12 users was asked to freelist all participation in recreational activities on or adjacent to Florida lakes (Borgatti and Halgin 1999, Quinlan 2005). Second, a survey of 592 Floridians asked whether they had visited any lake in Florida for recreational purposes in the past 12 months, and if so, in what ways. Of the 592 surveyed Floridians, 503 respondents indicated either “yes” or “no” to the question and 89 indicated either “don't know” or “refuse.” To reduce variation across responses, the set of recreational uses generated through the freelisting methodology was consolidated to provide a categorical list of recreational uses for the survey portion of the research (Bartlett et al. 2001). While 503 people make up only a small fraction of Florida's total population, Cochran's formula for calculating sample size for categorical variables validates the sufficiency of this sample size for representing the state of Florida's population with a 4% margin of error on any variable, a confidence level of 95%, and an estimate of variance of 0.44 (Cochran 1977, Bartlett et al. 2001).

The University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research's Survey Research Center collected survey data via a landline phone survey throughout the month of February 2012. Approximately 70% of households in Florida have a landline, and those households tend to be composed of a subset of the population that is older than the average Floridian. To account for this bias, survey data were weighted to correspond with known county survey respondent rates and ages (Bartlett et al. 2001, Willson and Wagner 2001). Results calculated from the weighted and unweighted data were similar, so the unweighted data are reported here.

Survey respondents were randomly selected from a pool of all landline telephone numbers in Florida via computer automation. The sampled population of 503 represents those respondents who provided “yes” or “no” answers in this portion of the survey. Survey participants were asked to respond to the closed ended question, “In the past 12 months have you visited any lake in Florida for recreational purposes?” If the participant responded “yes,” she/he was then asked to “Please indicate which of the following activities you engaged in while at any of these lakes: boating, camping, diving, fishing, hunting, nature viewing, picnicking, relaxing swimming, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, other.” If the participant responded “other,” the respondent was asked to describe those other activities.

Results and discussion

Of the 503 Floridians who participated in the survey, 23% recreate in Florida lakes (survey results carry a 4% margin of error, a confidence level of 95%, and an estimate of variance of 0.44). Respondents did not identify individual lakes; therefore, we assumed that the derived data represent a generalized set of uses occurring among Florida lakes regardless of trophic state. The most popular recreational uses in order of popularity are relaxing, boating, fishing, viewing nature, picnicking, swimming, camping, tubing, hunting, wakeboarding, diving, and water skiing. Additional recreational uses of lakes include hiking, jet skiing, kayaking, taking photographs, walking, playing sports, attending amusement parks, going to the beach, climbing trees, riding courses, having fun, visiting family, canoeing, biking, and jogging. The cited uses were calculated by proportion of respondents (Fig. 1). From these data, the generalized definition for recreational use of Florida lakes is “recreation activities of Florida lakes include, but are not limited to, relaxing, boating, fishing, viewing nature, picnicking, swimming, camping, tubing, hunting, wakeboarding, diving, and water skiing.”

Figure 1 Recreational activities reported by 503 surveyed Floridians when asked what recreational activities they have engaged in Florida lakes in the last year.

Defining recreational lake uses from the lake user perspective is a critical first step in ensuring that implemented lake management strategies protect existing and future recreation activities (Hoyer et al. 2004, Bachmann et al. 2012a); however, Florida lakes occur in a full spectrum of naturally occurring oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic states (Shannon and Brezonik 1972a, 1072b, Canfield and Hoyer 1988). Differing preferences for lake water quality states for specific recreational activities have been quantified in aquatic systems outside of Florida (Ditton and Goodale 1973, Bockstael et al. 1989, Needelman and Kealy 1995). Clarification of recreational use variation across Florida lakes of differing trophic states is needed to ensure protection of all existing recreational use activities (Heiskary and Wilson 2008, Bachmann et al. 2012b). Only with a more robust and quantitative understanding of how people recreate in Florida's lakes can the State of Florida move forward in implementing management strategies that will protect the recreational activities currently occurring in, on, and adjacent to Florida lakes of varying trophic states. Defining existing recreational uses in terms of lake trophic state will provide a much needed component for the development of water quality management strategies that will protect social values for the recreational uses of Florida lakes.

Acknowledgments

This manuscript benefited from reviews by Jordan Mayor, Susanna Blair, Mark Brenner, Ken Wagner, and anonymous reviewers.