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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #1004 |
| 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 |
1/3/2008 3:09:13 PM |
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| Sponsors: |
Atwater |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| This project is regional in scope, It 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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2300 N. Jog Road |
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Contact Phone: |
(561) 355-3451 |
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West Palm Beach 33401 |
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Contact email: |
Tbonlarr@co.palm-beach.fl.us |
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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 Lake Worth Lagoon, which stretches 20 miles from North Palm Beach to Boynton Beach, has been subjected to pollution and habitat destruction for decades. The Board of County Commissioners and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have endorsed a $52 million plan to restore the lagoon, including restoration of seagrasses and mangroves, removal of muck and run-off control projects. Revitalizing this important waterbody will provide long-term environmental, recreational and economic benefits to the region. State, federal and local money is being sought to help implement this plan. 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, federal, private, and non-government organizations was formed to address the Lagoon�s management. In August 1998, the steering committee approved the Lake Worth Lagoon Management Plan. Projects identified in the management plan are currently being implemented as funding becomes available.
The management plan identifies a project to foster community involvement by offering a cost-share program to municipalities and other eligible entities for the benefit of Lake Worth Lagoon. This project has become a reality through implementation of the Lake Worth Lagoon Partnership Grant Program. The program uses State dollars appropriated by the legislature and managed by Palm Beach County to fund construction projects to benefit the Lagoon. Projects are selected through a competitive process approved by the Lake Worth Lagoon Steering Committee. Each State dollar is matched at the local level on a minimum 50:50 cost-share basis. Through this program, over $16.9 million in State funds and $37.2 million in local funds have been dedicated to restoring the Lagoon. The ratio of local match dollars to State dollars is more than two to one, which means the restoration of Lake Worth lagoon has a high benefit to cost ratio. Palm Beach County has leveraged the participation of 16 agency and municipal partnerships. Forty-three projects to date have included stormwater drainage improvements, habitat restoration and enhancement, marina sewage pumpout facility, artificial reef construction, and monitoring. In 2007, a $3.5 million State appropriation was received for this project.
The watershed encompasses approximately 450 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. Projects completed and/or underway which have been funded by this project since 1998 include:
School District of Palm Beach County-Artificial Reef Habitat (2 phases)
Boynton Beach-Regional Downtown Stormwater Facility (2 phases)
Boynton Beach-Stormwater Outfall Retrofit Project
Boynton Beach-NE 7th Avenue Stormwater Improvements
Boynton Beach-SE Federal Highway Corridor Stormwater Improvements
Lake Park-Marina Pump Out Facility
Lake Park-Marina Stormwater System
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
West Palm Beach-Datura & 3rd Street Pollution Control Device
West Palm Beach-Lakewood & Edmore Pollution Control Device
Hypoluxo-Installation of Sewers (2 phases)
Palm Beach-Par 3 Mangrove Planter
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
Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management-Boynton\Ocean Ridge Mangrove Planter
Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management-John�s Island Oyster Reef
Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management-South Cove Natural Area
Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management-Ibis Habitat Restoration
Ocean Ridge-Stormwater Improvements (two phases)
Westgate/Belvedere CRA-Westgate Infrastructure Improvements-Phases II, III, and IV
Riviera Beach Maritime Academy Artificial Reef
Monitoring the effects of restoration is essential to determine if these capital projects are effectively improving the Lagoon and to steer future restoration projects. A key indicator of lagoon health is the seagrass community. Seagrass is the �canary in the coal mine� of estuarine systems and is a surrogate for water quality including sediment and muck loading. This grant request will also fund seagrass mapping and monitoring projects in Lake Worth Lagoon to determine trends in seagrass coverage and to steer lagoon management and restoration projects. |
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| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| Reduced nutrient loading, creation of additional fisheries habitat, improved water quality, and reduction of suspended sediment/muck reaching Lake Worth Lagoon. |
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$5,250,000 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$10,500,000 |
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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 |
$5,000,000 |
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In-kind Amount |
$250,000 |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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Yes |
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Fiscal Year: |
2007-2008 |
Amount: |
$3,500,000 |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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Yes |
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Amount: |
$30,000,000 |
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? |
No |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
Lake Worth Lagoon Management Plan, F.S. 373.453 Surface water improvement and management plans and |
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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 Board of County Commissioners and the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation |
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| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? |
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Yes |
| Is the project eligible under section 403.885(2),F.S. to protect public health or the environment; and implement plans developed pursuant to the Surface Water Improvement and Management Act created in part IV of Chapter 373,F.S., other water restoration plans required by law, management plans prepared pursuant to 2.403.067,F.S., or other plans adopted by local government for water quality improvement and water restoration? |
Yes |
| Is your project addressed in a state, regional or local plan (such as a SWIM Plan, Comprehensive Plan, Local Master Plan, etc.)? |
Yes |
| Name the plan and cite the pages on which the project is described: |
| Lake Worth Lagoon Management Plan (pages 52, 54, 66, 121, B-48) |
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| Are requesting funding for a stormwater, surface water restoration, or other water management project? |
Yes |
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| In which Water Management District is your project located? |
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South Florida Water Management District |
| Have you provided at least 50% match (that is, one-half the total project cost identified in this request? |
Yes |
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Match Amount: |
5250000 |
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Match Source: |
Sub-Project Grant Recipients |
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| Will this project reduce pollutant loadings to a water management district designated 'priority' surface water body? |
Yes |
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Name of water body: |
Lake Worth Lagoon |
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| Describe, specifically, how it will reduce loadings, identify anticipated load reductions for total suspended solids, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and other contaminants, and specify the practices that will be used to reduce loadings: |
| The projects will include increased storage, sediment dredging, swales, exfiltration trenches, stormwater treatment devices (e.g., CDS units), detention/retention ponds, conversion from septic to sewage collection systems, and habitat enhancement projects. These projects will reduce the suspended sediments and associated nutrients and contaminants throughout the lagoon through a combination of methods. |
| Is the project under construction? |
Yes |
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| Are you requesting funding for a wastewater project? |
No |
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| Are you requesting funding for a drinking water project? |
No |
