Title
Paynes Prairie Treatment Wetland Cost-Sharing Grant Application (NB)
Explanation
The St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) sponsors the Stormwater Management Cost-Sharing Program that provides grant funding to local entities with meritorious projects that will improve water quality. Public Works staff has selected a 50-acre constructed wetland treatment system that will remove pollutants from Sweetwater Branch before discharging to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park as a candidate project for consideration.
Sweetwater Branch flows south through downtown Gainesville into Paynes Prairie through a canal that ends at Alachua sink, a conduit to the Floridan aquifer. This project proposes to provide treatment to the base flow and stormwater by passing through a constructed wetland before being released back onto the prairie. Approximately half of the base flow of Sweetwater Branch at the project site is made up of treated municipal wastewater.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) listed Alachua Sink as an impaired water body in 2002. Subsequently, in 2004, FDEP issued a nutrient Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Alachua Sink. The City of Gainesville and the Florida Department of Transportation are responsible for reducing nutrient loads in Sweetwater Branch through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program permit requirements.
The 50-acre constructed treatment wetland will be located on former pastureland. The treatment wetland is expected to remove 58% of nitrate, 43% of the total nitrogen, and 18% of the total phosphorus. The project will be highly beneficial to the state park. It will improve water quality in Alachua Sink and the Floridan aquifer.
Fiscal Note
The cost of the project is estimated to be $2,000,000. The Florida Department of Transportation has committed $300,000 to the project. The City contribution to the project will not exceed $835,000. The funding source will be the Stormwater Utility Fund.
Recommendation
The City Commission: 1) authorize the City Manager or designee to submit an application with the SJRWMD by August 13, 2004 for the Paynes Prairie Treatment Wetland project; and 2) authorize the City Manager to execute all other related documents related to the SJRWMD Cost-Sharing grant, if a grant offer is made to the City.