Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 05-25-2010 Regular — reading text

with water quality monitoring and assessment of BMP effectiveness. CBA will provide public outreach and educational press releases about the project. It is important to note that this project is an integral follow up project to the activities described in the Okaloosa County application submitted in 2009 that was selected for approval. 26- PROJECT LOCATION AND WATERSHED CHARACTERISTICS: Gap Creek is located in the Fort Walton Beach area of Okaloosa County. The creek has two tributaries that originate in the western portion of the drainage area and flow eastward into Cinco Bayou, a Class III water body used heavily as a recreational area. Cinco Bayou is an embayment along the western shoreline Choctawhatchee Bay ( a priority water body of the Northwest Florida Water Management District' s SWIM program). The Choctawhatchee Bay has a surface area of approximately 129 square miles. The greatest source of fresh water into the bay is the Choctawhatchee River that flows into the eastern end of is the the bay. East Pass, located near the western end of the bay immediately vest of Destin, only direct opening to the Gulf of Mexico. The bay also opens to Santa Rosa Sound at the western most end of the bay and the Intracoastal Waterway on the east end of the bay that winds its way to West Bay ( part of the St. Andrew Bay system). The river and bay system include a diverse array of natural communities. The estuary supports sea grass beds, oyster bars, tidal marshes and unvegetated soft bottom habitats. The Choctawhatchee River and Bay system remains biologically diverse and productive and continues to support a rich ecology and provide an economic, recreational and aesthetic resource for the region. Among the environmental resources are diverse aquatic and wetland habitats, vast forests, Floridan Aquifer springs, steephead streams, and many species of flora and fauna including the endangered Okaloosa darter (Etheostoma okaloosae). Benefits provided by these natural resources include commercial and recreational fisheries, marine transportation, military uses, outdoor recreation, tourism, aesthetic qualities, and economic benefits associated with all of these activities. In a 2006 study by the Haas Center for Business Research that was commissioned by CBA, it was estimated that the total economic effects in the region related to the Bay include: 36, 030 jobs, 2. 4 billion in gross regional production and 2. 3 billion in personal income. The report also concluded that improved water quality in the Bay will have a direct positive effect on the economy including increased tourist /recreational expenditures as more visitors come to the Bay. While the Choctawhatchee River and Bay watershed continues to support outstanding resources, it has also experienced many of the impacts that are common to Florida estuaries. These include urban stormwater runoff and other nonpoint sources of pollution, widespread sedimentation and habitat loss and degradation. Cumulatively, these impacts have degraded the productivity of the Effective control of nonpoint source river and bay system and diminished the benefits it provides. pollution can help to preserve and restore the natural resources and human benefits provided by the Choctawhatchee River and Bay system and limit the need for more expensive and difficult solutions in the future. Watershed Name: Choctawhatchee Bay ( Bay /Burnette Sub Basin) Latitude: 30. 4273 Longitude: 86. 6623 Hydrologic Unit Code( HUC): 03140102 Land Uses within the Watershed ( acres and percentages of total): Land Usk Acres, I Residential 7. 3 84 Urban Transportation 1. 3 16 27_  Land ruse Totals,,;Acrea a and °lo .,: , .. 8. 6 100 POLLUTIONPOLLUTION REDUCTIONREDUCTION STRATEGY:STRATEGY: OkaloosaOkaloosa CountyCounty completedcompleted aa StormwaterStormwater MasterMaster PlanPlan inin 20032003 toto provideprovide aa comprehensive comprehensive evaluationevaluation ofof stormwaterstormwater infrastructureinfrastructure needsneeds includingincluding analysisanalysis ofof waterwater qualityquality andand floodingflooding issues.issues. TheThe mastermaster planplan includedincluded aa comparativecomparative pollutantpollutant loadingloading analysisanalysis ofof watershedswatersheds forfor totaltotal nitrogen,nitrogen, totaltotal phosphorous,phosphorous, totaltotal suspendedsuspended solidssolids andand BOD.BOD. TheThe analysisanalysis showedshowed thatthat thethe GapGap CreekCreek watershedwatershed hadhad oneone ofof thethe highesthighest loadingloading ratesrates forfor thesethese pollutantspollutants inin Okaloosa Okaloosa County.County. BasedBased onon thethe analysisanalysis ofof thethe StormwaterStormwater MasterMaster Plan,Plan, thethe GapGap CreekCreek Watershed Watershed WaterWater QualityQuality Improvements Improvements studystudy ( ( NovemberNovember 2008)2008) waswas fundedfunded toto identifyidentify specificspecific stormwaterstormwater retrofitretrofit alternativesalternatives forfor improvingimproving waterwater qualityquality andand reducereduce floodingflooding inin thethe watershed.watershed. ThisThis applicationapplication isis forfor twotwo ofof threethree retrofitretrofit projectsprojects thatthat thethe CityCity ofof FortFort WaltonWalton BeachBeach isis planningplanning toto completecomplete nextnext year.year. TheThe remainingremaining project,project, GapGap CreekCreek PhasePhase II,II, isis proposedproposed inin aa separateseparate FY2011FY2011 - - 319319 fundingfunding application.application. TheseThese effortsefforts areare directeddirected underunder thethe City'City' ss Stormwater Stormwater UtilityUtility whichwhich willwill fundfund thethe matching matching dollarsdollars proposedproposed forfor allall ofof thethe projects.projects. AllAll ofof thesethese projectsprojects willwill workwork inin conjunction conjunction withwith thethe improvementsimprovements thatthat OkaloosaOkaloosa CountyCounty proposed proposed inin thethe FY2010 FY2010 - - 319319 GrantGrant Cycle.Cycle. Combined Combined thethe projectsprojects willwill effectivelyeffectively implement implement recommendationsrecommendations inin thethe OkaloosaOkaloosa MasterMaster StormwaterStormwater PlanPlan forfor thethe GapGap CreekCreek watershedwatershed toto reducereduce thethe loadingloading ofof nonpointnonpoint sourcesource pollutants pollutants intointo GapGap Creek,Creek, CincoCinco BayouBayou andand ultimatelyultimately Choctawhatchee Choctawhatchee Bay.Bay. ThisThis projectproject isis alsoalso consistentconsistent withwith thethe 20022002 updateupdate ofof NorthwestNorthwest FloridaFlorida WaterWater ManagementManagement District'District' ss SurfaceSurface WaterWater ImprovementImprovement andand ManagementManagement ( ( SWIM)SWIM) PlanPlan forfor ChoctawhatcheeChoctawhatchee RiverRiver andand BayBay system.system. RecommendationsRecommendations inin thethe SWIM SWIM plan plan include include thethe assessmentassessment andand abatementabatement ofof nonnon - - pointpoint sourcesource pollutionpollution withwith anan emphasisemphasis onon urbanurban stormwaterstormwater runoffrunoff andand implementationimplementation ofof urbanurban BMPBMP demonstrationdemonstration projects projects thatthat includeinclude monitoringmonitoring toto demonstratedemonstrate thethe applicability applicability ofof BMP'BMP' ss implemented.implemented. TheThe specificspecific pollutantpollutant loadload reductionreduction strategystrategy ofof thisthis projectproject includesincludes retrofittingretrofitting twotwo underperforming underperforming unattractiveunattractive treatmenttreatment areasareas withwith bioretention bioretention / / rainrain gardengarden typetype installations.installations. TheThe improvements improvements willwill allowallow forfor increasedincreased nutrientnutrient uptakeuptake andand removalremoval ofof solids,solids, andand waterwater removalremoval throughthrough evapotranspiration.evapotranspiration. PROJECTPROJECT OBJECTIVE(OBJECTIVE( S):S): GapGap CreekCreek flowsflows intointo CincoCinco BayouBayou whichwhich isis aa ClassClass I I I waterwater bodybody usedused heavilyheavily asas aa fishingfishing andand recreational recreational area.area. CincoCinco BayouBayou outfallsoutfalls intointo westernwestern Choctawhatchee Choctawhatchee BayBay aa SWIMSWIM prioritypriority waterbodywaterbody ofof thethe NorthwestNorthwest FloridaFlorida WaterWater ManagementManagement District'District' ss SurfaceSurface WaterWater ImprovementImprovement andand ManagementManagement ( ( SWIM)SWIM) program.program. TheThe baybay systemsystem hashas historicallyhistorically beenbeen usedused asas aa" " sink"sink" forfor pointpoint sourcesource andand nonpointnonpoint sourcesource pollution.pollution. Simultaneously,Simultaneously, developmentdevelopment hashas displaceddisplaced habitathabitat inin thethe watershedwatershed andand createdcreated directdirect andand indirectindirect hydrologichydrologic impactsimpacts andand subsequentsubsequent waterwater qualityquality impacts.impacts. TheThe objectiveobjective ofof thisthis projectproject isis toto reducereduce thethe impactsimpacts ofof nonpointnonpoint sourcesource pollutionpollution fromfrom aa heavilyheavily 28_28_ developed watershed in the Choctawhatchee Bay system that has historic water quality problems that have been documented in numerous reports. The alternatives proposed in this project will provide significant reductions of pollutant loading from the Gap Creek watershed and also provide attenuation and flood relief for residents and business owners in the watershed. If awarded, the grant funding for this project will help leverage the funds generated by the creation of the City's Stormwater Utility to implement a stormwater retrofit project that otherwise may not be completed for many years due to the City's additional funding constraints during this economic downturn. The project is intended to accomplish the following objectives: 1.