The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Safety Harbor recently signed an agreement for a project to prevent erosion and improve water quality within the Mullet Creek watershed.
The watershed covers approximately one square mile within the city and includes the Lincoln Highlands subdivision and the Harbor Lake industrial park. The work will begin at Harbor Lake and extend downstream to the 9th Avenue North crossing.
During the past 50 years, development within the watershed has led to increased stormwater runoff, which has caused severe erosion and flooding in some areas. The eroded sediment from the creek banks eventually flows into Tampa Bay, which is one of the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management Program priority water bodies.
This project involves placing sediment and debris-capturing inserts into the existing stormwater catch basins. The project also involves regrading the creek and stabilizing the creek by placing open-celled, cable-concrete mats along the banks of the creek. The open cells contain soil and plants that will rapidly grow and cover the cable-concrete. These plantings also help restore the natural habitat.
The city will act as the lead agency on this project, hiring all consultants and contractors. The project is expected to be complete by June 2011.
This multi-year project is expected to cost $1 million, which will be divided equally between the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board and the city. The Basin Board has approved $50,000 for fiscal year 2009. Additional funding for future fiscal years is contingent upon Basin Board approval.
This project is an outgrowth of the previously completed and cooperatively funded watershed management plan for the City of Safety Harbor. A watershed management plan is a process that identifies, prioritizes and addresses water resources issues within a watershed. The plan has five stages:
- The collection of detailed information such as land elevation, drainage ditches, culverts, and other features that affect how water moves within the watershed;
- The evaluation of the collected data to identify flooding or water quality problems;
- The identification of potential projects, or best management practices, that will resolve the water resource problems;
- The implementation of best management practices to resolve problems;
- The regular updating of data to ensure that decisions are being made based on the best available information.
Stormwater 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.