This section includes information about the geography and land use within the watershed, including the historical and current forms of land use.
Source(s): U.S. Department of Commerce
The following information illustrates the change in population within the watershed during the past few decades. Statistics shown are only for the watershed area within the boundary of this Water Atlas.
| Watershed | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boca Ciega Bay Watershed | 68,243 | 76,800 | 79,817 | 82,629 | 80,951 | 78,430 |
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| Clearwater Harbor Watershed | 46,278 | 56,862 | 57,655 | 58,780 | 64,245 | 66,358 |
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| Lake Tarpon Watershed | 4,201 | 11,651 | 38,319 | 59,623 | 58,927 | 65,468 |
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| Long Bayou Watershed | 107,186 | 149,639 | 172,366 | 179,492 | 177,007 | 183,647 |
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| Lower Tampa Bay Watershed | 74,679 | 75,129 | 70,593 | 69,781 | 67,133 | 67,429 |
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| Narrows Watershed | 28,324 | 56,273 | 58,610 | 60,991 | 59,036 | 59,801 |
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| Old Tampa Bay Watershed | 51,510 | 103,751 | 136,711 | 157,137 | 162,992 | 160,585 |
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| Riviera Bay, Middle Tampa Bay Watershed | 64,701 | 78,169 | 87,582 | 89,718 | 89,880 | 96,224 |
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| St. Joseph Sound Watershed | 30,429 | 60,258 | 91,450 | 102,653 | 103,442 | 91,967 |
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| Totals for All Watershed Areas | 475,551 | 668,532 | 793,103 | 860,804 | 863,613 | 869,909 |
Source(s): U.S. Department of Commerce
The Florida Natural Areas Inventory is the primary source for information on Florida's conservation lands. The Inventory database includes boundaries and statistics for more than 1,400 federal, state, local, and private managed areas, all provided directly by the managing agencies. National parks, state forests, wildlife management areas, local and private preserves are examples of the managed areas included.
Statistics shown are only for the watershed area within the boundary of this Water Atlas.
8% of the land area within the Old Tampa Bay Watershed is under protection.
| Ownership | Area (square miles) |
|---|---|
| Local | 5.04 |
Land Cover categorizes the land in terms of the observed physical surface characteristics. For example, while the land use may be classified as agricultural, the land cover may be classified as upland or wetland. Learn more about land use and land cover »
The interactive map shown below demonstrates how the use of land within and around Old Tampa Bay Watershed has changed over time. Use the slider control at the top left of the map to change the year displayed. Use the visibility slider at the top right to change the opacity of the land use layer.
Urban & Built-up
Agriculture
Rangeland
Upland Forests
Water
Wetlands
Barren Land
Utilities
Watershed Boundary| Year | Urban & Built-up | Agriculture | Rangeland | Upland Forests | Water | Wetlands | Barren Land | Transportation and Utilities | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acres | % | Acres | % | Acres | % | Acres | % | Acres | % | Acres | % | Acres | % | Acres | % | |
| 2020 | 34,281 | 68 | 31 | < 1 | 129 | < 1 | 1,994 | 4 | 2,706 | 5 | 5,696 | 11 | 104 | < 1 | 5,360 | 11 |
| 2017 | 26,690 | 68 | 41 | < 1 | 105 | < 1 | 1,580 | 4 | 2,114 | 5 | 4,393 | 11 | 19 | 0 | 4,156 | 11 |
| 2014 | 26,434 | 68 | 69 | < 1 | 127 | < 1 | 1,691 | 4 | 2,096 | 5 | 4,525 | 12 | 52 | < 1 | 4,100 | 10 |
| 2011 | 26,547 | 68 | 62 | < 1 | 117 | < 1 | 1,633 | 4 | 2,096 | 5 | 4,417 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4,215 | 11 |
| 2010 | 26,504 | 68 | 62 | < 1 | 117 | < 1 | 1,679 | 4 | 2,091 | 5 | 4,425 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4,215 | 11 |
| 2009 | 26,561 | 68 | 62 | < 1 | 117 | < 1 | 1,670 | 4 | 2,083 | 5 | 4,400 | 11 | 22 | < 1 | 4,180 | 11 |
| 2008 | 26,518 | 68 | 67 | < 1 | 93 | < 1 | 1,714 | 4 | 2,107 | 5 | 4,368 | 11 | 22 | < 1 | 4,204 | 11 |
| 2007 | 26,515 | 68 | 67 | < 1 | 100 | < 1 | 1,726 | 4 | 2,091 | 5 | 4,371 | 11 | 22 | < 1 | 4,201 | 11 |
| 2006 | 26,394 | 68 | 67 | < 1 | 100 | < 1 | 1,799 | 5 | 2,111 | 5 | 4,358 | 11 | 117 | < 1 | 4,147 | 11 |
| 2005 | 26,206 | 67 | 194 | < 1 | 109 | < 1 | 1,755 | 4 | 2,134 | 6 | 4,407 | 11 | 113 | < 1 | 4,175 | 11 |
| 2004 | 26,097 | 67 | 194 | < 1 | 128 | < 1 | 1,793 | 5 | 2,134 | 6 | 4,400 | 11 | 26 | < 1 | 4,321 | 11 |
| 1999 | 25,595 | 66 | 389 | 1 | 359 | < 1 | 2,510 | 6 | 1,886 | 5 | 4,494 | 12 | 17 | 0 | 3,844 | 10 |
| 1995 | 24,971 | 64 | 413 | 1 | 428 | 1 | 3,113 | 8 | 1,780 | 5 | 4,605 | 12 | 25 | < 1 | 3,758 | 10 |
| 1990 | 24,510 | 63 | 529 | 1 | 464 | 1 | 3,407 | 9 | 1,686 | 4 | 4,678 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 3,770 | 10 |
Source(s): Southwest Florida Water Management District
