A Creek Runs Through It: The City of St. Petersburg to declare Salt Creek a Waterway of Cultural and Environmental Importance

St. Petersburg’s City Council will meet at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, at which time they will vote upon a resolution recognizing Salt Creek as a waterway of cultural and environmental importance.

The resolution, introduced by Council Chair council member Gina Driscoll, serves as an official, non-binding statement of recognition for this urbanized stream. The measure, if passing, will be read aloud at City Hall at approximately 6:00 p.m.

Salt Creek is 1.5-mile stream that takes its sources from several smaller streams that flow into Lake Maggiore, between Dell Holmes Park and Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. The creek flows under a dam at Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. S. and through the Harbordale and Bartlett Park neighborhoods. Collecting at Bartlett Pond, Salt Creek then runs under Thrill Hill through the city’s Marina District and into Bayboro Harbor.

“Salt Creek represents the hidden hydrology of south St. Petersburg,” notes Darden Rice, current president of Friends of Salt Creek and former City Council member; “Not only does the Creek have diverse communities and historic significance, it plays an essential role in stormwater mitigation in the face of increased climate related flooding.”

Friends of Salt Creek was founded in 2019, at the behest of city council member Driscoll, and has been meeting regularly for clean ups and other activities. To learn more about the organization, go to the organization’s website: www.friendsofsaltcreek.org.

For more information, contact saltcreekjournal@gmail.com