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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #367 |
| Lake Worth Lagoon Restoration |
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| Requester: |
Richard Walesky |
Organization: |
Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management |
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| Project Title: |
Lake Worth Lagoon Restoration |
Date Submitted |
1/14/2004 6:14:40 PM |
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| Sponsors: |
Atwater |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| This project is regional in scope, is intended to meet a documented need of statewide interest, is intended to produce a measurable result and has tangible community support |
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| Recipient: |
Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners |
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Contact: |
Todd J. Bonlarron, Legislative Affairs Director |
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3323 Belvedere Road, Bldg. 502 |
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Contact Phone: |
(561) 355-3451 |
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West Palm Beach 33406-1584 |
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Contact email: |
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| Counties: |
Palm Beach |
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| Gov't Entity: |
Yes |
Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): |
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| Project Description: |
| The goal of the Lake Worth Lagoon Restoration Project is to improve the water quality and habitat in the lagoon which will help ensure the Lagoon's future viability. The Lagoon has been severely impacted by over 100 years of environmentally degrading activities such as dredging and filling, shoreline bulkheading, canal development, dock and marina construction, industrial wastewater discharges, sewage disposal and stormwater runoff. It suffers from a reputation as one of the most abused and least protected water bodies in Florida. Although the Lake Worth Lagoon and its watershed are now urbanized, significant regionally important natural resources remain that need protection and enhancement.
This project will make construction grants available to local governments, on a minimum 50/50 match basis, for sub-projects to improve the water quality and/or provide habitat restoration in the Lagoon. Located on the urbanized southeast coast of Florida in central Palm Beach County, the Lake Worth Lagoon is the largest estuarine system in Palm Beach County and is approximately 20 miles long, one-half mile wide, and eight feet deep. The watershed encompasses approximately 350 square miles that drain to the Lagoon and ultimately to the Atlantic Ocean through the Lake Worth and South Lake Worth Inlets. It includes the communities of North Palm Beach, Lake Park, Riviera Beach, Palm Beach Shores, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Lantana, South Palm Beach, Hypoluxo, Manalapan, Boynton Beach, and Ocean Ridge as well as some unincorporated areas of Palm Beach County.
Since 1994, there has been heightened awareness and communication concerning the need for water quality improvements and habitat restoration and enhancement within the Lagoon. In 1997, a steering committee, co-chaired by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners (BCC), with representation by local, state and federal government, business and industry, non-profit groups and concerned citizens, was formed to address the lagoon's management. In August 1998, the committee approved the Lake Worth Lagoon Management Plan. Individual projects identifed in the plan are currently being implemented as funding becomes available.
Unfortunately, there is no permanent funding source to implement projects identified in the plan. Since 1998, however, the Florida legislature has supported the lagoon restoration effort by approving a total of $9,385,000 to fund 37 sub-projects under the Lake Worth Lagoon Restoration Project. The match dollars contributed by grant recipients is estimated at over $24 million which brings the total project cost for these improvements to nearly $34 million. The ratio of local match dollars to State dollars is nearly three to one, which means the Lake Worth Lagoon Restoration Project has a high benefit-to-cost ratio. This grant request, if awarded, will enable the continuation of this cost-effective county-administered partnership grant program. Sub-projects completed and/or underway which have been funded by this project since 1998 include:
> School District of Palm Beach County - Artificial Reef Habitat (two phases)
> City of Boynton Beach - Regional Downtown Stormwater Facility (two phases)
> City of Boynton Beach - Stormwater Outfall Retrofit Project
> City of Boynton Beach - NE 7th Avenue Stormwater Improvements
> Town of Lake Park - Marina Pump Out Facility
> Town of Lake Park - Marina Stormwater System
> Town of Lake Park - Stormwater Outfall Retrofit
> Port of Palm Beach - Slip No. 1 Trench Grate
> West Palm Beach - Renaissance Stormwater Facility(four phases)
> West Palm Beach - Stormwater Outfall Retrofits
> West Palm Beach - Garden Avenue Drainage
> Town of Hypoluxo - Installation of Sewers
> Town of Palm Beach - Par 3 Mangrove Planter
> Town of Lantana - Centennial Park Mangrove Planter
> Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management - Peanut Island Habitat Restoration
> Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management - John's Island Habitat Restoration
> Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management - Snook Island Habitat Restoration
> Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management - Ocean Ridge Habitat Restoration
> Town of Ocean Ridge - Stormwater Improvements (two phases)
For this CBIR, in the amount of $5,000,000, the County has received 12 grant applications totaling $12,693,767 for construction sub-projects to benefit Lake Worth Lagoon. The grant amount requested for these sub-projects is $6,009,307, which reflects a proposed match of $6,684,460, or 53% of the total project cost. Since this CBIR, if approved, falls short of the total grant money requested, the Lake Worth Lagoon Selection Committee will meet to review and appropriate funding for the most appropriate sub-projects based on certain selection criteria which will ensure that each sub-project selected will benefit the Lake Worth Lagoon. The attached spreadsheet provides some detail of the 12 sub-projects for which grant applications have been received.
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| Is this a water project as described in Chapter 2002-291, Laws of Florida? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| Reduced Nutrient Loading, Increase in seagrass acreage, Creation of additional fisheries' habitats, and Improved water quality. |
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$5,000,000 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$10,000,000 |
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| Request has been made to fund: |
Construction |
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| What type of match exists for this project? |
Local |
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Cash Amount |
$4,665,000 |
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In-kind Amount |
$335,000 |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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Yes |
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Fiscal Year: |
2002-2003 |
Amount: |
$2,500,000 |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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Yes |
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Amount: |
$35,000,000 |
To Fund: |
Construction |
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| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? |
Unknown |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
Lake Worth Management Plan |
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| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? |
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Yes |
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Hearing Body: |
Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation |
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Hearing Meeting Date: |
12/17/2003 |
