The Stormwater Ecological Enhancement Project (SEEP) began in
1995 as a take-home final exam for the course Ecosystems of
Florida. The objective was to develop a management plan to
enhance a stormwater retention basin located within the
University of Florida Natural Area and Teaching Lab (NATL) for
species diversity while optimizing the basin's use for research
and education. Since that time, the Wetlands Club at UF has
taken this project further and implemented a full-scale created
wetland that achieves not only the original objectives but also
improves wildlife habitat, water quality, and aesthetics. These
efforts have been in close coordination with the NATL Advisory
Committee. What is a Stormwater Retention Basin? Water that runs
off the land during and after a rainstorm is called stormwater
runoff. This runoff and any pollutants it carries flows into
streams, rivers, lakes and depressions throughout the landscape.
In an urbanized landscape natural physical, chemical and
biological processes are disrupted