There is a new house on the block in north Tampa, and behind the doors of this quaint cottage is a powerful system that will bring significant reductions to flooding in the area.
The City of Tampa recently held a ribbon cutting for the Donut Pond pump station, which is part of the larger Duck Pond Project to ease flooding issues in the North Tampa area. Governing Board member Wendy Griffin attended the event.
The project features two pump stations, one in the city and one in the county, that work together to pump down floodwaters and discharge them into the Hillsborough River. Because the City of Tampa’s pump is in a neighborhood, the station was designed to look like a home, complete with a faux chimney and front porch.
For years, residents and businesses have dealt with extensive flooding around and on Fowler Avenue when the area received heavy rainfall from hurricanes and other large storms. As a result, the District worked with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa to develop the Duck Pond Project.
Under the leadership of Project Manager Robin Bailey, the partners collected detailed information, such as land elevation, drainage ditches, culverts and other features that affect how water moves within the watershed. Then, the collected data was evaluated to indentify flooding and water quality problems and solutions.
The District provided nearly $9 million towards the $27 million project through our Cooperative Funding Initiative.
“This project is a great example of one of our strategic priorities to develop better floodplain information and implement floodplain management programs,” Bailey said.