The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Pinellas Park recently signed an agreement to move forward on the next phase of a project to collect and treat stormwater runoff, which will improve water quality in Sawgrass Lake.
This multi-year funded project has several phases, including the design, development of construction documents, construction permitting, land acquisition, bidding and contractor selection and the actual construction of two stormwater management storage areas (SMSA) and outfall structures. One SMSA is 3.1-acres and the other is 1.3-acres. Both parcels have been purchased by the city for this project.
The stormwater will enter the SMSAs through a collection system being built by the city. The system will filter out pollutants and sediment before the water discharges into a canal then into Sawgrass Lake, which is an environmentally protected area maintained by the District and the Pinellas County Parks Department.
This phase of the project will complete the design, development of construction documents and construction permitting elements of the project. This phase will cost $3.2 million, and will be divided equally between the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board and the City of Pinellas Park. The Basin Board has budgeted $187,000 in fiscal year 2007. Future funding is contingent upon Basin Board approval.
Construction is expected to begin in August 2008.
Storm water is water that flows over land during and immediately after a rainstorm. The Environmental Protection Agency has identified stormwater runoff as Florida’s most serious water quality problem today. Pollutants associated with stormwater runoff include sediment, nutrients, heavy metals, oils, greases, pesticides and bacteria. Without proper treatment in developed areas, these pollutants adversely impact the quality of the receiving water.