Title
2008/2009 Cost Share Application for Paynes Prairie Treatment Wetland (NB)
This item is a request for the City Commission to authorize the City Manager to file a Cost Share Funding application with St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) for the Paynes Prairie Sheetflow Restoration Project (PPSRP) as solicited in the July 15, 2008 advertisement.
Explanation
The City of Gainesville (City) wishes to apply for Cost Share Funding as advertized in the SJRWMD July 15, 2008 announcement. The PPSRP project is eligible and the funding, if received, will offset local funding anticipated for the project. The project is to remove excess nutrients from the water being directed to the Prairie and will allow the City to meet its Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements for Alachua Sink. The cleaned water is to be returned to approximately 1,300 acres of degraded wetlands on Paynes Prairie.
This water quality improvement project is the culmination of a decade of cooperation by the Orange Creek Basin Partnership, which includes the SJRWMD, the City Public Works Department, Gainesville Regional Utilities, and the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection Division of State Parks. SJRWMD has already provided $1,065,500 to the City through a stormwater grant and a legislative appropriation for two stormwater management projects in the Sweetwater Branch watershed, Depot Park west ponds and interceptor pipe that are part of this treatment train.
Fiscal Note
In previous years, the SJRWMD Cost-Share Application program has awarded from $8,000 to $715,000 in grant funding. If awarded, this grant will require a comparable match provided by the City in an estimated amount of $500,000, depending upon eligibility. A cost share percentage for the match amount will be determined and funding identified for the match in the Stormwater Management Utility Fund (SMUF) and the Gainesville Regional Utilities Water/Wastewater System.
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