The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved an agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for the restoration of the Sawgrass Lake Park Water Management Area.
The 36-acre restoration site is located near the Skyway Trap and Skeet Club in southern Pinellas County. Tests conducted by the District and the FDEP indicate increased levels of lead and arsenic in the area the gun club used as a drop zone.
In April 2004, the District and the gun club entered a settlement agreement that calls for the District to remove the lead shot and other contaminants from the locations within the water management property and for the skeet club to clean up its adjacent parcel.
The settlement agreement also requires the District to transfer five acres of land to the Skyway Trap and Skeet Club in exchange for the release of a perpetual easement that allows the gun range to use the District land as a drop-zone for spent shot and targets. In addition, the gun club will install a permanent shot barrier that will prevent future adverse environmental impacts to the site. As a result of this installation, the gun club will collect and recycle all spent shot and targets.
This is a multi-year phased project. The first phase involved evaluating the site. The District divided the site into seven zones based on the environmental characteristics and the degree of contamination, and developed a cleanup strategy for each zone.
In December 2007, the FDEP approved the District’s Remedial Action Plan, which includes the cleanup strategy for the Sawgrass Lake Restoration Project. This approval clears the way for work to begin on the detailed design and cost estimates to implement the cleanup strategy.
The second phase involves developing, designing and permitting for stormwater treatment and habitat restoration on the site. The final phase involves the restoration work itself which is not expected to begin until 2009.
The cost estimate for the required cleanup for the District portion of the site is approximately $19.9 million. The District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board has budgeted $18.6 million over fiscal years 2005 to 2008. This funding includes $1 million of state appropriated funds for Tampa Bay. The District is pursuing additional outside funding as well.