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NWFWMD Approves Nearly $10 million in Water Supply Funding (Western Region)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 13, 2014

CONTACT: NWFWMD Communications, (850) 539-5999  or lauren.engel@nwfwmd.state.fl.us

NWFWMD Approves Nearly $10 million in Water Supply Funding (Western Region)

HAVANA – The Northwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved nearly $10 million in grant funding to be used for 24 water supply development projects across Northwest Florida.

“Ensuring a clean and reliable supply of water for the people and natural systems of this region is one of the District’s top priorities,” said Governing Board Chairman George Roberts. “The Governing Board is pleased to play a part in helping local communities address their water supply challenges and needs.”

The District’s Fiscal Year 2013-2014 budget includes $10 million to provide assistance to local governments and utilities for water supply development projects.

“By funding these important projects, the District is helping ensure a cleaner, safer and more reliable supply of water for countless residents and visitors of Northwest Florida,” said State Senator Greg Evers (R-Baker).

Last fall, the District launched a grant program to help local governments and utilities within the District’s 16-county area apply for funding for water supply projects. Projects eligible for grant funding included traditional water supply development projects, as well as alternative water supply projects, such as reuse and conservation projects that result in quantifiable water savings. After careful review and evaluation of the many worthwhile projects submitted, the District identified 24 projects it was able to fund in this grant cycle.

“Thank you to the Northwest Florida Water Management District for recognizing the importance of helping our communities provide a safe and sustainable water supply to their residents and businesses,” said State Representative Doug Broxson (R-Midway). “This funding will directly benefit the people, natural resources and economy of our area.”

Many of the funded projects include replacements, repairs or upgrades to aging and deteriorating water distribution and treatment systems currently experiencing water loss, a lack of reliability or inadequate fire protection. The majority of the projects awarded serve financially disadvantaged communities which struggle to fund vital projects without infrastructure assistance.

“This grant funding will provide an important contribution to the health and well-being of these communities,” said Jerry Pate, Governing Board Vice-Chair and representative of the Perdido-Escambia River basin.

Combined with match funding from the local governments and other grants, the District’s funding is anticipated to leverage a total of $15.8 million in projects to meet regional water supply challenges.

“These projects will provide both direct and indirect benefits to the region’s economy,” said Angus “Gus” Andrews, Governing Board member representing the Blackwater-Yellow River Basin.  “Improvements to water supply infrastructure can act as a foundation for future economic development and help bring new business and jobs to our communities.”

Projects receiving District funding in the western region of the District include:

Highway 285 Reclaimed Water Main Upgrade (Okaloosa County)

A grant of $144,000 to the City of Niceville will be used to replace 3,100 linear feet of 6 and 8-inch reuse lines with 12-inch lines to increase capacity, providing residential, commercial and institutional reuse.  This project also addresses one of the District’s priorities under the area’s Regional Water Supply Plan.

Mid-County Tank in Okaloosa County (Okaloosa County)

The District will provide a $1,250,000 grant to the Okaloosa County Water and Sewer System to construct a 1 million gallon elevated water tank and associated facilities. This project will enhance service in the mid-county area and add inland storage for system interconnected with coastal service areas.  This project also addresses one of the District’s priorities under the area’s Regional Water Supply Plan.

Chumuckla Water System Upgrades (Santa Rosa County)

The District will provide $100,721 to Chumuckla Water System, Inc., to provide improvements to the current system, including upgrades to the well motor controls and computerized control and data system. It will also be used to acquire an excavator, trailer and ground penetrating radar to locate water mains in need of repair or replacement. These improvements will help eliminate lengthy system outages and water loss, and provide an overall increase in system reliability.

South Santa Rosa Utility System Reclaimed Water Elevated Storage Tank (Santa Rosa County)

The District will provide $345,500 to the City of Gulf Breeze to construct a 300,000 gallon storage tank to provide reclaimed water storage and improve system reliability. This project will also help address one of the District’s priorities under the area’s Regional Water Supply Plan.

Santa Rosa Soccer and Horse Complex Reclaimed Water Extension (Santa Rosa County)

The District will provide $160,000 to Pace Water System, Inc., to construct an approximately 2.8 mile reuse transmission main. The main will extend reclaimed water along a 2.8 mile corridor and to the Santa Rosa Soccer and Horse Complex, reducing the current need for groundwater pumping.

Town of Jay Asbestos Water Main Replacement (Santa Rosa County)

The District will provide $663,024 in grant funding to the Town of Jay to replace approximately 10,200 linear feet of asbestos-concrete water line, reducing water loss and protecting public and environmental health.

Central Water Reclamation Facility Reclaimed Water System Expansion (Escambia County)

The District will provide $522,000 in grant funding to the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority for planning, design and construction of a major reuse extension to the University of West Florida’s main campus and Scenic Hills Golf Course.

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NWFWMD Approves Funding to Improve Water Quality in Apalachicola Bay

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 17, 2014
CONTACT: NWFWMD Public Information Office (850) 539-5999 or lauren.engel@nwfwmd.state.fl.us
NWFWMD Approves Funding to Improve Water Quality in Apalachicola Bay

HAVANA – The Northwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board last week approved up to $443,000 in grant funding to the City of Apalachicola for the construction of a water quality improvement project in Apalachicola Bay. This funding builds upon $71,500 in District funding previously provided for the design and engineering phase of this stormwater improvement project, which will treat stormwater that currently discharges directly into Apalachicola Bay.

“Protecting the Apalachicola River and Bay remains one of the District’s top priorities,” said Executive Director Jon Steverson. “We look forward to continuing to work with the City, state agencies and other stakeholders to improve water quality and restore flow to the Bay.”

The Battery Park Basin Stormwater Improvement Project consists of two primary components designed to improve stormwater quality before it discharges into Apalachicola Bay—a treatment system in the upper reaches of the basin and a baffle box near the Bay. The project will treat stormwater and separate pollutants including nutrients, bacteria, suspended solids and heavy metals from stormwater before it discharges it into the bay, improving water quality and protecting aquatic habitat. Currently, stormwater within the 67 acre Battery Park basin discharges directly into the Bay with little or no treatment.

Along with improving the quality of water entering the Bay, the Battery Park project provides stormwater infrastructure that will help address localized flooding within the Battery Park basin.

The District remains committed to the restoration of the Apalachicola River and Bay. The District’s 2013-2014 budget includes a total of $4.7 million for Apalachicola River and Bay watershed protection and restoration, including $3 million proposed by Governor Rick Scott and approved by the Florida Legislature as part of the state’s Fiscal Year 2013-2014 budget. Funding for the Battery Park project is allocated by the District through its Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program.

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Prescribed Burn Scheduled for Garcon Point Water Management Area

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MEDIA ADVISORY: Feb. 9, 2015

CONTACT: Tyler Macmillan or NWFWMD Public Information Office (850-539-5999)

PRESCRIBED BURN SCHEDULED FOR GARCON POINT WATER MANAGEMENT AREA

MILTON – Area residents may see smoke rising from the woodlands on Garcon Point on Feb. 12, 2015 as part of a prescribed burn conducted by the Northwest Florida Water Management District, the Florida Park Service and Westervelt Ecological Services (WES).

The prescribed burn is scheduled to begin Thursday morning, weather permitting. The burn will take place on connected properties containing 949 acres within the District’s Garcon Point Water Management Area, 110 acres of Florida Park Service land and 126 acres of WES’s Pensacola Bay Mitigation Bank. It will take place in Santa Rosa County south of Interstate 10 between Avalon Boulevard and Garcon Point Road, north of Mary Kitchens Road.

The prescribed burn is an important land-management practice that helps restore and maintain plant and animal habitats and prevent wildfire on this 1,185-acre piece of property consisting of mostly wetlands, pine flatwoods and native prairie.

“Prescribed burns are an important part of the District’s routine land-management operations that help us restore natural communities and better protect our area’s water and natural resources,” said Tyler Macmillan, District Bureau Chief of Land Management Operations. “Prescribed burns are a safe, efficient and effective way to apply a natural process, to ensure ecosystem health and reduce wildfire risk in the water management area totaling 3,250 acres.”

Although every effort will be made to ensure smoke will not affect homes or highways, drivers should exercise caution in case smoke does lead to reduced visibility on the area’s roadways.

“Prescribed burning provides us the opportunity to use favorable weather patterns to divert heavy amounts of smoke away from smoke-sensitive areas such as interstate highways and residential areas,” said John McGuire, Senior Project Manager for WES.

The burn will be conducted by certified prescribed burn managers, with assistance from the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership. The final decision to burn is based on the day’s predicted fire weather forecast and comes after a burn authorization from the Florida Forest Service is obtained.

The Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership is a public/private voluntary landowner partnership collectively managing more than 1 million acres in northwest Florida and south Alabama. The 11 partners include the Department of Defense (Naval Air Station and Eglin Air Force Base), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Forestry Service, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Longleaf Alliance, the National Park Service, the Northwest Florida Water Management District, National Forests in Alabama, the Nature Conservancy, Nokuse Plantation and Westervelt Ecological Services.

District-funded project improves water quality in St. Andrew Bay

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2015
CONTACT: NWFWMD Public Information Office (850) 539-2663 or Jim.Lamar@yopmail.com

District-funded project improves water quality in St. Andrew Bay

HAVANA – The city of Panama City recently completed a project that will improve the quality of water in St. Andrew Bay. Using a nearly $1 million grant from the Northwest Florida Water Management District, the city installed 15 pollutant separators in an ongoing effort to improve the water quality in the bay.

“Protecting and preserving the quality of water in St. Andrew Bay remains one of the District’s highest priorities,” District Governing Board Chairman George Roberts said. “Removing excess nutrients from stormwater before it reaches the bay is one of the best ways we can make a positive impact on this waterbody which means so much to the local economy.”

After securing $931,774 in grant funding from the District last year, the city began work on reducing the amount of pollutants in the stormwater runoff from 291 acres of downtown Panama City.

Two pollutant separators were installed at the Millville Waterfront Park on Maple Avenue to treat stormwater runoff before it discharges into Watson Bayou and, ultimately, St. Andrew Bay. Additional separators were installed throughout the downtown area to help protect other bayous that eventually feed the bay.

Those pollutant separators now remove 87 percent of the phosphorus and 47 percent of the nitrogen contained in the stormwater runoff as well as nearly 90 percent of sediments. The reduction of sediments will also minimize the need for costly dredging projects to maintain boating access in the bayous.

“These pollutant separators improve the health of our bayous and St Andrew Bay by removing the nutrients that contribute to algae growth,” said Neil Fravel, public works director for Panama City. “This reduction of algae allows sunlight to reach our sea grass beds which are crucial to the overall health and productivity of our estuaries. The support and funding provided by the Northwest Florida Water Management District has allowed Panama City to significantly advance these projects and translate them from an engineering goal to an environmental accomplishment.”

This project is part of the District’s ongoing effort to improve the quality of water in St. Andrew Bay. Beginning in 2013, the District committed $3.8 million for stormwater-improvement projects in the St. Andrew Bay watershed.

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