The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently signed an agreement with Pinellas County to move forward on a project that will reduce erosion and flooding along Bear Creek Channel.
The Bear Creek watershed is approximately 4.4 square miles in Pinellas County. Part of the watershed is in St. Petersburg and part in South Pasadena. The area was developed before the current land use and stormwater management regulations were implemented.
This project involves reshaping the creek banks to reduce erosion, constructing a sediment sump, and dredging the outfall. A sediment sump is a pond that allows particles sink to the bottom and water to flow through. This sump can be dredged periodically to remove the excess sediment.
This multi-year project is expected to cost $3.5 million. The District's Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board and Pinellas County have each budgeted $610,500 this fiscal year. Future funding needed to finish the project is contingent upon Basin Board approval.
Construction is scheduled to begin by December or January and be complete by April 2010.