• Projects to benefit impacted coastal ecosystems
NAPLES, FL, Jan. 10, 2008 -- The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board and the Big Cypress Basin (BCB) Board recently authorized $1.2 million for two Collier County water improvement projects benefiting Dollar, Rookery and Naples bays. The projects, originally identified in the Naples Bay Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan, are the Lely Area Stormwater Improvement Project and a stormwater management improvement project at the Gateway Triangle.
"These projects will help improve the quality of the area's stormwater runoff before it enters Collier County's coastal systems," said SFWMD Governing Board member Charles Dauray. "Collier County continues to work hard to retrofit its older communities by implementing vital environmental enhancement projects."
The Lely Area Stormwater Improvement Project will provide a comprehensive stormwater outfall system for the East Naples area, an older region that experiences drainage problems. The project will serve 11,135 acres within the Lely Canal sub-basin that discharges into the estuaries of Dollar and Rookery bays. Due to the lack of a comprehensive drainage outfall system in the area, continued development has impacted flood levels and water quality. Available data indicate that water quality is expected to deteriorate unless an improved water management outfall system is developed. The SFWMD is providing $1 million toward the $2.2 million project.
The Gateway Triangle is a highly urbanized residential and commercial area adjacent to Naples Bay. The area's existing stormwater management system is unable to provide adequate relief from urban flooding. Uncontrolled and untreated stormwater runoff continues to carry pollutants directly into Naples Bay. With SFWMD funding, an innovative stormwater management project will attenuate flooding by reducing flows in the Gateway Triangle area, while improving water quality of runoff that ultimately reaches Naples Bay.
The stormwater system consists of a collection system, detention pond, force main and pump station. Phase I includes construction of the detention pond, sheet piling, box culvert and force main to Linwood Avenue, as well as installation of stormwater force main discharges to gravity discharges at Palm Street and Brookside Drive. The SFWMD will contribute $200,000 (in addition to $800,000 provided in 2007) toward the $4.5 million project.
The South Florida Water Management District is a regional, governmental agency that oversees the water resources in the southern half of the state -- 16 counties from Orlando to the Keys. It is the oldest and largest of the state's five water management districts.
###
