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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIndian River Estates 2001 tndian River Estates/Savannas Water Retention Faci[ities Retrofit Project July, 2001 Indian River Estates/Savannas Water Retention Facilities Retrofit Project A proposal for $5.5million to build a new water retention facility to improve the flow of water, reduce flooding and improve water quality in Indian River Estates and the Savannas. L. .. t.. INDIAN RIVER ESTATES/SAVANNAS WATER RETENTION FACILITIES RETROFIT PROJECT ... Project Manager: Don West County Engineer .'11. Amount of Request: $2.5 Million .. Description of Project: ... Currently, St. Lucie County is partnering with SFWMD, FDEP, and Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (NEP), to design this facility. The project involves constructing a storm water collection and treatment system to handle storm water runoff from the Indian River Estates Subdivision. Storm water runoff from the subdivision drains untreated into the Savannas State Preserve. This is having a detrimental effect on the Savannas ecosystem. Storm water from Indian River Estates Subdivision will be collected and pumped into a retention pond to improve water quality, prior to being discharged to the Savannas. Final design plans have been completed at this time, and we are currently investigating land acquisition for the retention pond. The project cost is estimated at approximately $5.5 million, including land purchase. Permitting and land acquisition are underway, and should be completed within 12 months. Construction could commence by October, 2002 pending funding. The County is requesting $2.5 million from the State for this project. A 50-50 local match of $2.5 million is proposed to be borrowed from the State Revolving Loan Fund. We are currently applying for funding through the SRLF Program. ÍIII .. i. i. ... ... Reason for Project: .. This project will reduce flooding in this residential area and improve the quality of life for it's residents. It will also improve the ecosystems throughout the Savannas State Preserve. ... .. .. í. ... L. ~ ... AGENDA REQUEST ITEM NO. C-4C DATE: June 25, 2001 ¡.. REGULAR [ ] PUBLIC HEARING [ ] CONSENT [x] PRESENTED BY: þ~~~ .~Qk-- {Donald B. Wedt, P.E. County Engineer .. TO: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ÍIII SUBMITTED BY(DEPT): ENGINEERING DIVISION 4115 SUBJECT: Authorize the Engineering Division to submit an EPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management .. Program grant application to Florida Department of Environmental Protection for funds to assist in the Indian River Estates/Savannas Ecosystem Management Project. L. BACKGROUND: Since 1995, Engineering staff has been working to design a stormwater management system for the 1200 acre Indian River Estates subdivision. The extreme flooding that occurred in 1995 and 1997 ì.. resulted in a recognition that the existing drainage system is insufficient. The flooding that occurs in the neighborhood lasts for weeks because the adjacent Savannas water levels rise too high. The flood water ~ in the neighborhood has no place to go because the existing drainage system outfalls directly to the III Savannas State Reserve. Indian River Estates subdivision was designed in the late 1950's, prior to criteria being established for treatment and storage of stormwater runoff. ... In 1997, the local FDEP office documented the impacts that were occurring to the Savannas Preserve because of the untreated stormwater runoff coming out of Indian River Estates. The entire subdivision ill (3600 lots) contains septic tank drainfields for sewage disposal. The slightest amount of nutrient loading in the stormwater runoff causes a large impact to the Savannas ecosystem. .. At the request of the County, the Savannas Task Force was created to address these problems. The Task Force is comprised of representatives from the various regulatory agencies, including officials representing the Savannas State Reserve and Federal agencies. The goal ofthe Savannas Task Force ÍIt was to reach a consensus on the design of a stormwater management system for Indian River Estates and to facilitate permitting of the project. .. To date, the conceptual design and final construction plans have been completed for the project. We are ready to submit for permit approvals. Currently, we are finalizing the land acquisiton issues and " pursuing funding for contstruction of the project. We anticipate that we could be ready to advertise the III project for construction by October, 2002, pending available funding. Based upon final design plans, the estimated cost for construction of the project is $5.5 million dollars. .. Several agencies have partnered with the County to fund the design work as listed below: .. ¡. '- L. C-4C Page 2 ~ f .. ~ Desian Costs: St. Lucie County SFWMD SJRWMD/NEP Total $259,700 $100,000 $ 95.000 $454,700 ¡ .. SFWMD, FDEP and SJRWMD/NEP have expressed a desire to contribute towards funding ofthe project construction. The County intends to provide matching funds using the Stormwater MSTU and the State Revolving Loan Fund as a source of money. -1 ÍIII The grant application is for the EPA 319 Nonpoint Source Management Program administered through FDEP in Tallahassee. The grant request is in the amount of $600,000, the maximum amount that can L be granted through the program. Our goal is to submit an additional SeGtion 319 Grant application next year. Iffunded, the grant award will occur between April and August 2002, and the project construction could begin between July and November of 2002. This would provide a total grant contribution of $1.2 .. million through FDEP/Section 319. The Engineering Division has already met the matching funds requirement due to the value of the land .. and the funds previously expended for engineering costs. ~ FUNDS AVAIL.: n/a L PREVIOUS ACTION: ... y 8, 1997, the BOCC entered into an agreement with Hazen and Sawyer for preliminary engineering design in the amount of $118,500. .. December 15, 1998, the BOCC entered into an agreement with Hazen and Sawyer for a portion of the engineering design in the amount of $73,000. The remaining $152,OOOto complete the design and permitting ($225,000 total) was to be authorized at a later date when the full grant funds were secured. ... (These grant funds were obtained in 2000.) August 24, 1999, the BOCC entered into an agreement with Hazen and Sawyer to develop a conceptual .. plan for the alternate stormwater retention site (Savannas Recreation Area) in the amount of $11 ,500. October 17,2000, the BOCC approved amendment to work authorization with Hazen and Sawyer for .. Phases III and IV of the Savannas Ecosystem Management Project in the amount of $242,200 and approval of the project budget. h .. i.. ... .. .. ~ .. C-4C Page 3 U ;¿,' ... RECOMMENDATION: ....~aff recommends the Board grant authorization to submit an EPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source ...anagement Program grant application to FDEP in the requested amount of $600,00 forthe Indian River Estates/Savannas Ecosystem Management Project and authorize signature by the Chairman. ÍIII COMMISSION ACTION: CONCURRENCE: t tilt [ ] APPROVED [ ] OTHER: [ ] DENIED .. Douglas Anderson County Administrator [x]County Attorney tk , [x)Originating Dept. Public Works t ~ Coordination/SiQnatures [x)Mgt. & Budget UfJ cl1~ [x)Co. Eng 1t~ . ( [x]Revenue Coord \\;;. ft L. t .. []Other [ ]Finance (check for copy only, if applicable) .. savannasecosystern.ag .. .. ÍìI .. .. ... .. .. .. .. ",. .. I ~ 'I Ii , ì ~ ... I ! .. I .. , Ìi' .. J ;; ... , ~¡ 6; .. I ... l ... I ... t .. I ~ ~ Legend . Pump Station Storm Sewer Force Main .. Flow direction toward Retention/Storage Areéi '- ill. Exhibit 1 Savannas Task Force Savannas Ecosystem Restoration Project Storm Sewer/Force Main with County Park Storage Area ... Jl\ZEN AND SA\\YER Enviroftmclitll h,inctU I Sciullsls .. L. '- .. '- .. .. Photographer: SUSAN COHEN Bob Przekop, law enforcement officer for the Savannas State Park, worries about the detrimental effect of stormwa- ter r.unoff in the Savannas. Standing behind Przekop'¡s John Mann. Savannas reserve ravaged by runoff .. Study faults nearby neighborhoods ... .. ... t¡ ... By Yvette C. Hammett of the News staff .. Nobody wòrried about stormwater pollution when ditches were dug to keep water out of the houses and off the streets of Indian River Estates. Nobody worried about the· nutrient-laden runoff coming froin the Savanna Club mobile home park or east Port St Lu- cie. pouring into the Savannas State Reserve. A new study says it's time to worry. Stormwater coming out of these neighborhoods - filled with lawn fertilizers' and road grime - is changing the face of the reserv.e. The 5,OOO-acre mo- saic of pine flatwoods; wetlands and scrub lands lies east of U.S. I between Jensen Beach Boule- vard and Midway Road. Scientists say the pollution should be stopped, but that might prove difficult ~cause of a lack of monev to bUIld more sophisticated drainage systems and because of the time it would take to study the issue even more. .. .. ... III ... ... ... SUNDAY ... Polluted runoff infiltrating the reserve's borders is filled with nitrogen from fertilizers. used oil ãnd antifreeze from driveways and roads and just about anything else people put on their lawns or spill from their cars. . That runoff is changing the plant and animaI.life ¡ñ the re- serve, scientists say. Thick cattails and invasive willows have taken over in the areas where drainage ditches meet wetlands. The heavy nu- trients. are allowing more pol- lution-tolerant. invertebrates. such as snails and some micro- scopic creatures, to become more prominent,. affecting the entire food chain, said J.B. Miller, regional biologist for the Florida Park Service. . "The problem will do noth- ing but get larger as the area grows," Miller said. "A lot of what is happening in the Savannas happened over the years. These (drainage ditches) were put in place when we didn't care about stormwa- Please see SAVANNAS A3 MAY 28, J 3 ~E " I ~, ... .---- SAVANNAS .' CONTINUED FROM A 1 The DEP is applying for a gr~nt frol~l the Florida Department of Commumty AlTalrs to make an in-depth assessment ,of the elTects of stonnwater discharge in the reserve. Miller said he hopes to conv!n~ the South Florida Water Management Dlstnct to do a computer model showing where the water comes from that ends up in the Savannas. Once state officials know where the water is coming from, they can concentrate on ways to alter tþe flood control system, lessening its im- o pact on the fragile Savannas ecosystem. Miller says. Bct that takes money, and nobody is volun- teering to foot the bill. "I just lost the 5-cent gas tax for roadim- provements and we are trying to promote d[-ain~ge improvements, but with great diffi- culty," said Ron Brown, S1. Lu::ie County's public works .director. "1 have no money at all allocated for drainage. but I'm working on it.·· The County Commission recently opted not to consider a 5-cent gas tax that would have been used for road improvements. The water management district has money. but it must be matched. Brown said the countv has no money for that. o. ¡. .. ter. " Indian River Estates is the worst olTender. with canals simply dumping neighborhood runoff straight into the Savannas, the report said. Savanna Qub is a little better because it has some filtering. EaSt Port St. Lucie is probably the· least of- . fensive. with an extensive reservoir and a set of small' dams to help filter the water before it reaches the wetlands. The solution is to reduce the amount of stonnWater . going into the Savannas "to the greatest extent possible," say Gregory A. Graves and DouglasG. Strom~ scientists at the Florida Department of Environmental Protec- tion who wrote the study. At 1he very least, the water must be cleaned up, Miller said. But" finding the money to do that might be a prQblem. o "This study is like a peephole into the prob- )em," Miller said. "It probably raises more questions than it answers." P.ecause 5,000 acres of the Savannas is pub- licly owned, it is reasonable to spend more tax- payer dollars to clean it up, he said. i. .. \i: ~. II. .. '- .. III The key to I )Iving problems such as this, he said, is gettirl~ the backing of county resi- dents. "Obviously. people don't care. Until citi- zens get concerned, there won't be anything done." The ultimate answer probably is to build a system behind Indian River Estates and the sa- vanna Oub such as the one in east Port St. Lu- cie. Miller said. . A reservoir and long èanal with small dams to filter the water as it approaches the Savan- nas, off Green River Parkway, were built to serve east Port S1. Lucie. The project is consid- ered well-engineered. "It's cheap and it has no moving parts ex- cept for a pump," said John Gonzales, deputy . director of public works in Port St. Lucie. "By' , the time the water gets to the Savanna ;; it hås . been settled out numerous times." Miller concedes that the county must put the stonnwater somewhere. [n Indian Rivér. Es- tates, water runs into six ditches between Mid- way Road and Easy Street. dumping directly into the Savannas. . Where those canals end. he said, the trouble begins. ill III ... III .. .. ... ... .. L. !j ~ ÍII . .-.- .-. ~~"Ì¡. ~~Q1EC110NJ" '>". ~~ . ¿·;<"t. ~ ~ þ;". .....~ -. '.. .. ~ To'·· ~ \j;U I FLOR~ ~ ~.~ ~.ð~~~ ~ - .=":;.-.- -.-.-.~.~.-.-----.---.-.-.-~ L La L. .. ..... ~ . . . .. - ~. ... ¡ .. Stormwater Impact on the Savannas State Reserve .. St. Lucie and Martin Counties, Floiida ì. .. Florida Department of Environmental Prtotection Southeast District Ambient Monitoring Program April, 1997 .. Gregory A. Graves Douglas G. Strom Bill E. Robson .. ... ~,ç,""f) "~"o''''rE..,c '0" of'\, ::tO~"" ... \. ~ . 2 ~ ¡ ~ ~ ð' . ~ .,.....-1 ~:¡; Itr"EHT Of çO ÍII ... .. A report of the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Florida Coastal Management Program. pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adnünistraûon Award No. 96-CZ-15-13-OO-16-030. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the State of Florida, NOAA or any ofits subagencies. April, 1997. Cover courtesy ofSoutr. Florida Water Managemen~ District. ... ... .. I '- , .. I ¡ ~ I It. I ü .. 1- ." ~ ... ¡ '- lilt ... ill it III ... '- .. III .. '- ÍIII .. Executive Summary The Savannas State Reserve is dominated by an oligotrophic, freshwater marsh in eastern St. Lucie and Martin counties, Florida. Background water quality within the Reserve is characteristically low in nutrients, chloride and hardness, and has an acidic pH. This physico-chemical regime supports an assemblage of aquatic plants and animals adapted to these conditions. Macroinvertebrate and water quality samples were collected during 1995-96 to evaluate the ecological consequences of stormwater discharge into the.Res.erve. - Two residential subdivisions in St. Lucie county use the Reserve for stonnwater disposal:" East Port St... Lucie" (which has an -advanced stonnwater treatment system}-and Indian .Ri¥er Estates (an older subdivision with no treatment). Sample collection locations were distributed the length of the Reserve, coinciding with areas near and removed from stonnwater inflows. The introduction of stonnwater was found to alter the composition and character of the Reserve's water quality and macroinvertebrate community. Key causative water quality factors were identified as increased total phosphorus, hardness, and pH, and decreased dissolved oxygen. In response, the macro invertebrate community exhibited increased numbers of tolerant or opportunistic organisms. Stormwater was also found to transport heavy metals and pesticides into the Reserve. Advanced treatment reduced the extent and nature of stonnwater effects on water quality and macroinvertebrate communities. Effects in the area of the Savannas adjacent to lndiàn River Estates were more severe than those near East Port St. Lucie. The marsh water in this area possessed significantly higher pH, hardness and total phosphorus, and lower dissolved oxygen than all other locations sampled. Species diversity and number of taxa were highest in this area of the Reserve most severely impacted by stonnwater, thus, the prevailing assumption that increased pollution will always result in a cOlTesponding reduction in these biotic metrices was found to be unsound. Violations of Florida Administrative Codes (FAC) 62-302.530(31), 62-302.530(47),62- 302.530(48),62-302.560(19) and 62-302.700(1) were doc~ented. Recommendations of this study include no new stormwater discharges,- retrofitting of the Indian River Estates subdivision, and periodic maintenance of the existing East Port St. Lucie stormwater treatment system. A multi-agency task force was fonned to resolve water quality and quantity issues. IV .... ... Recommendations .. · No new developments should use the Reserve for disposal of stonnwater. ... · The Indian River Estates subdivision should be retrofitted with an appropriate stonnwater treatment system to ameliorate stonnwater inputs to the Savannas. III · Maintenance of the East Port St. Lucie stormwater treatment system is advised to prevent fu.::.::r proliferation of nuisance vegetation ånd alteration of aquatic . communities. Removal of plant biomass and muck sediments may increase the ability of the treattnent system to absorb nutrients and reduce releases of phosphorus to the Reserve. .. .. · Harvesting of invasive plants in the areas of the Savannas Reserve marsh impacted by stonnwater could improve water quality. ... · It is recommended that the con;ribution of stonnwater nutrients to the Savannas fÌ'om the Sugar Hill development viå the Henderson Pond ·canal be evaluated to assess its affects on the Reserve. .. · Goals to protect and enhance the Savannas should be evaluated. Restoration goals may include no further degradation of wetlands (no further increase in impact zones) .. and limitation of discharges of treated stormwater to those quantities åeemed natural. Water quality and biological health goals for protection and enhancement should approach those found at background (Reference group) areas. . ... II. · Long tenn monitoring of inflowing and ambient water quality and macro invertebrate communities should be perfonned to docwnent restoration efforts. Studies of aquatic plants, periphyton and fish m~y al~o be appropriate. ... · Ditches which were d~signed to drain the Savannas (Hog Pen and the Savanna Drainage ditches) should be modified to limit back-flows into, and thus impacts to, the rest:rve. .. .. .. ... .. 34 ...