EAC Agenda 10/03/2012 EAC
MEETING
AGENDA
OCTOBER 3, 2012
I I
AGENDA
COLLIER COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
WILL MEET AT 9:00 A.M., WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 3,2012 IN THE BOARD OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING ROOM, ADMINISTRATION BUILDING,
COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER, 3299 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST,NAPLES, FLORIDA
I. Call to Order
II. Roll Call
Ill. Approval of Agenda
IV. Approval of September 5, 2012 meeting minutes
V. Upcoming Environmental Advisory Council Absences
VI. Land Use Petitions - None
VII. New Business
A. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair
VIII. Old Business
A. Marco Island Executive Airport Expansion Special Treatment Permit- Update
ST—PL-2012-0900
B. Update on Implementation of the Watershed Management Plan Initiatives
IX. Council Member Comments
A. Subcommittee Report-Approval of Stormwater Management memo
B. Update members on projects
X. Staff Comments
XI. Public Comments
XII. Adjournment
Council Members: Please notify Summer Arague (252-6290) no later than 5:00 p.m. on
Wednesday, September 26, 2012 if you cannot attend this meeting or if you have a conflict
and will abstain from voting on a petition.
General Public: Any person who decides to appeal a decision of this Board will need a record of
the proceedings pertaining thereto; and therefore may need to ensure that a verbatim record of
proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal
is to be based.
Colter Gounty
Growth Management Division
Planning & Regulation
Memorandum
To: Environmental Advisory Council
From: Jerry Kurtz, P.E., Stormwater and Environmental Planning Manager
Date: September 24, 2012
Subject: Update on Implementation of the Watershed Management Plan initiatives
We will be providing a progress update on implementation of the Watershed
Management Plan initiatives during the October 3, 2012 Environmental Advisory
Council meeting. The last update you received was during the March 3, 2012 EAC
meeting. As you know, the Watershed Management Plan (WMP) was developed to
protect Collier County's water resources. The WMP was accepted by the Board of
County Commissioners on December 13, 2011. Addressing and implementing all of the
recommended initiatives is expected to take several years.
Specific concerns identified in the WMP, which the initiatives are intended to mitigate,
include:
• Excessive fresh water discharges to Naples and Faka Union bays;
• Pollutant (nutrients and copper) loads from urban and agricultural runoff;
• Limited conveyance capacities of various canals in the system for large storm
events;
• Aquifer drawdown due to potable withdrawl, discharge to canals, and reduced
recharge.
The WMP initiatives include structural and non-structural recommendations. This
update will focus mainly on non-structural initiatives. Work is proceeding on several
initiatives which contribute to the mitigation of more than one identified concern.
Updates on the following initiatives will be presented:
• Fertilizer Ordinance
• Low Impact Development (LID)
• Floodplain Management
• Flood Protection Levels of Service
• Water Quality Monitoring
• North Golden Gate Estates (NGGE)
�yyl,E,tp{Y
,.
{x n,m• y
Growth Management Division.Planning&Regulation•2800 North Horseshoe Drive•Naples,Florida 34104.239-252-2400•w eiv.coiliergov.net
Co erCounty Florida-Friendly Fertilizer Ordinance
To reduce the risk of fertilizer runoff contributing to nutrient pollution in county waters, the "Collier County
Florida-Friendly Use of Fertilizer on Urban Landscapes" ordinance #11-24 was adopted July 26, 2011.
• Don't leave fertilizer, grass clippings, or landscape trimmings on impervious surfaces (asphalt or
concrete), or allow them to enter stormwater drains or ditches, wetlands, or waterways.
• Don't apply fertilizer during identified storm "Watch"or"Warning" periods, or when soils are saturated.
• Don't fertilize within 10 feet of a water body or wetland (3 feet with deflector or drop spreader).
• Make sure the company applying fertilizer to your lawn has the required Green Industry training
certification.
KNOW WHAT YOU NEED - DON'T OVER FEED
For more information on Ordinance #11-24 visit www.dontoverfeed.com or call (239) 252-5862
For more Florida-Friendly landscaping tips visit http://fvn.ifas.ufl.edu/index.html
This notice is being provided as a cost saving collaboration between the Tax Collector and Collier County Natural Resources Department
TRANSMITTAL MEMORANDUM
DATE:
TO: Collier County Board of County Commissioners (BCC)
Collier County Planning Commission (CPC)
FROM: Andrew Dickman, Chair
Collier County Environmental Advisory Council (EAC)
RE: Stormwater Management
Pursuant to Section 2-1193(a) of the Collier County Code of Ordinances, the EAC is
authorized to "Identify, study, evaluate, and provide technical recommendations to the
BCC on programs necessary for the conservation, management, and protection of air,
land, and water resources and environmental quality in the County."
The EAC seeks to raise awareness to environmental issues that should be assessed more
thoroughly and evaluated in comparison with abutting counties listed below that may
impact Collier County. The EAC hopes this memorandum will stimulate additional
public debate and inspire new policy.
Please find attached our summary report in connection with stormwater management and
land use planning. The EAC's recommendations are on page 5 of the report.
1
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Pollution discharge into natural water systems is a nationwide and local concern. "The
objective of this Act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological
integrity of the Nation's waters." Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §1251 et seq. (1972)
Introduction (applied irrigation and precipitation).
When we water our yards, water our landscaping, and water our agriculture, or during
rainfall, any water that isn't absorbed into the ground must flow somewhere depending
on the nature of the watershed topography and existing man-made infrastructure. This
"runoff' typically collects and transports one or more types of pollutants. How we
manage runoff has dire public health and environmental consequences.
Prior to intensified urbanization, surface waters flowed through wetlands in Collier
County and into four primary estuaries.' Intense development over the past 70 years,
including the extensive canal construction has substantially altered natural drainage
patterns into these estuaries. Now all but the Ten Thousand Islands estuary are impaired
with at least one type of dangerous pollutant directly linked to urbanization.
Collier County Watershed Management Plan
The Watershed Management Plan (WMP)2 was developed to protect water resource
quality and quantity within each drainage area or watershed and the related receiving
estuaries. The WMP identifies serious environmental and public health issues including:
1) Excessive fresh water discharges from canals (including ground water
discharges)especially to Naples Bay;
2) Reduced protection provided by current surface water systems;
3) Pollutant loading associated with development may degrade water quality due
to pollutant loading associated with development and agriculture; and
4) Aquifer impacts due to canal discharge, reduced ground water recharge, and
potable and agricultural withdrawal demands.
Correcting these issues unequivocally depends on our present and future decisions
managing stormwater and irrigation runoff.
1 Wiggins Pass Naples Bay, Rookery Bay, and Ten Thousand Islands (north to south).
There are other smaller and important estuaries along our coastline that require equal
protection.
2 Prepared by Collier County Stormwater and Environmental Planning Section and
Atkins North America, finalized November 2011 and accepted by the BCC on
December 13, 2011. The WMP is online at
www.colliergov.net/Index.aspx?page=2302.
1
Growth Management.
The WMP links land use with pollution in the"down stream"estuaries that are vital to
this community.
Collier's population increased 32.5%between 2000 and 2010. Florida's rate was 17.6%.
Collier's 2010 total population is estimated at 285,000, and population growth is
projected to be 334,000 in the year 2020, or a 17.2% increase. Florida's projected growth
rate is 10%.3
Looking within Collier County, population growth directly impacts specific watersheds
and receiving estuaries. Growth management planning is essential to accommodate new
development because appropriate future land use is the key to, among other things,
restoring and then protecting our estuaries from anthropogenic impacts.
Planning Community4 2010 2020 Change Growth
Rate
NN-North Naples 55,041 59,559 4,518 8.2%
SN- South Naples 28,689 36,416 7,727 26.9%
CN-Central Naples 18,845 19,668 823 4.4%
EN- East Naples 22,320 22,602 282 1.3%
GG-Golden Gate 44,925 47,265 2,340 5.2%
UE- Urban Estates 38,658 44,074 5,416 14.0%
RE-Rural Estates 34,739 1,330 3.8%
nAo
M-Marco 1,219 1,240 21 1.7%
RF-Royal Fakapalm 11,797 19,610 7,813 66.2%
C-Corkscrew 4,550 21,368 16,818 369.6%
I-Immokalee 24,154 26,317 2,163 9.0%
BC-Big Cypress 233 268 35 15.0%
Intra County and Regional Coordination.
Collier County is diverse. With urbanized, rural fringe, rural, agricultural, and
conservation areas. We have both incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. Growth
management and stormwater management coordination is imperative. Uncoordinated
decisions in one area likely will impact other areas. Preparation for population growth
countywide within planning areas is vital. Understanding how other counties in our
3 Source: Florida Bureau of Business and Economic Research.
4 Source: Collier County Growth Management Division.
2
region accommodate development and manage stormwater is a necessity. The following
provides a snapshot of regional stormwater strategies and offers recommendations for
Collier County.
The WMP was developed to satisfy a Growth Management Plan
commitment to assess and protect water resources. The project
was funded in 2007. Atkins (formerly PBSJ) was hired in 2009 to
update the Big Cypress Basin hydrologic / hydraulic model, and
develop the WMP. They reviewed existing reports, evaluated
existing water resource conditions and developed alternatives to
restore or mitigate identified problems. The WMP in and of itself
is not intended to be regulatory. The WMP recommended
initiatives may lead to regulations and/or regulatory policies. The
recommendations serve as a guide in developing policies,
programs, ordinances or regulations to restore and protect Collier
water resources.
Collier County
The WMP demonstrated that Collier County's major problem
with water quality is nutrient pollution. A recently prepared
nutrient budget for Collier County demonstrated that the major
sources of Phosphorous pollution are citrus, high density
residential housing and field crops, in that order. For Nitrogen,
the major contributors are citrus, field crops and residential-low
density housing. The contributions to nutrient pollution from
agriculture are more than twice that of urban contributions.
Collier County recently enacted a Fertilizer Ordinance designed
to reduce contributions in the urban area, but steps are also
needed to reduce contributions from agriculture.
A comparison of Lee's GMP and land development regulations
with those of Collier County regarding stormwater strategies
suggests that both counties seem to be complying with applicable
regulations. How each county funds stormwater management is
different. Lee County is divided into "drainage districts" and
charges a stormwater tax according to impact within these
Lee County districts.
It should be noted that Sarasota County also charges a stormwater
tax countywide. It appears eight to 10 Florida counties have taxes
in place dedicated to improving and managing stormwater. South
Florida Water Management District was instrumental in
determining the drainage districts and appropriate taxes for Lee
County.
3
Map series, quality and timeliness in Charlotte County is
outstanding. The maps clearly show re-charge areas. In an effort
to preserve floodplain areas, wetlands and aquifer re-charge areas,
Charlotte County Charlotte limits development in those impacted areas.
Charlotte County development in western part of the county
concentrates on urban revitalization and infill encouraging
development where stormwater management is already in place.
Compromises in Miami-Dade stormwater system and aging
infrastructure problems related to the stormwater system have
been identified by the South Florida Regional Planning Council.
The Everglades Plan to restore water flow will have a minor
impact on the Big Cypress area in Collier County.
Miami-Dade County
Southeast Florida is focusing on very expensive and retroactive
`fixes' for their stormwater and related infrastructure problems.
As Collier County urbanizes, policies must prevent stormwater
issues rather than"fixing"them after the fact.
Monroe County requires that new single family and duplex homes
located in subdivisions that do not have an existing stormwater
management system must provide an on site stormwater
management plan. Alterations of existing facilities which result in
an increase in impervious area also fall under this requirement.
Monroe County has an abundance of existing subdivisions which
have not been built out. Most of these subdivisions were designed
Monroe County prior to requirements for including stormwater treatment systems.
As these subdivisions are built out there would be tendencies for
the quantity of stormwater coming off them to increase while the
quality deteriorates. The requirement for all new development to
provide for stormwater treatment tends to reduce this problem.
A similar requirement in Collier County would tend to reduce the
trend in some of the existing large subdivisions that have many
vacant lots to have increasing problems with flooding and
deteriorating water quality at no significant cost to the County.
4
The Sarasota Stormwater Management Plan illustrates the
County's uses of multiple infrastructure for stormwater
management: soft drainage approach, natural drainage ways, man
made lakes, canals, road swales, and larger drainage pipes.
Sarasota uses flooding protocols throughout the county. The
County uses side berms to allow greater flows during flood event.
Sarasota County Sarasota employs multiple flood control methods: larger lakes for
better storage, over bank spillways, weir outflow structures, man
made canals, larger road swales configured as a pan bottom, and
canal flow structures.
Sarasota has identified the following strategies for future
improvements: reducing flow restrictions construction of new
canals, and replace bridges that restrict flow.
Recommendations.
1. Prepare a Collier County Low Impact Development Manual and then adopt Land
Development Codes to implement innovative, cost neutral, onsite stormwater
management.
2. Require onsite stormwater management, such as retention areas, for new construction
in older subdivisions without treatment systems, rather than spending public funds on
expensive swales and canals.
3. Adopt and implement growth management strategies, including incentives to direct
new development into existing urban areas where stormwater management
infrastructure is already in place.
4. Divide County into "drainage districts" and charge a stormwater tax according to
impact within these districts.
5. Protect natural groundwater recharge areas by preserving natural sheet flow,
particularly in areas of project high growth rates.
6. Work with the Water Management District to identify and implement strategies for
reducing nutrient pollution from agricultural operations (citrus and row crops)
keeping harmful nutrients out of existing stormwater management systems.
5
Patricia L. Morgan
From: DickmanAndrew <AndrewDickman @colliergov.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2012 7:54 AM
To: BrownAraque, Summer; DoyleBrian; McNallyGary; Sorrell, Michael
Cc: Bob Kransowski; Brad C; David Durrell; DHN; Don; Doug Fee; Eric Staats
(estaats @naplesnews.com);Judy Hushon; Laura Layman; Marcia Cravens; Minutes and
Records; Nancy Payton; Nicole Ryan; Patricia L. Morgan; RKS (rks @jbglaw.net); Lorenz,
William; Kurtz, Gerald
Subject: RE: Revised Stormwater Management documents
Attachments: EAC Stormwater Report 100112.pdf; Stormwater Transmittal Memo 100112.pdf
Summer, attached are the revised versions of the report and memo. The attachments you received from me last week
were an older version. AD
From: BrownAraqueSummer
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2012 3:19 PM
To: DickmanAndrew; DoyleBrian; McNallyGary; SorrellMichael
Cc: Bob Kransowski; Brad C; David Durrell; DHN; Don; Doug Fee; Eric Staats (estaats @naplesnews.com);Judy Hushon;
Laura Layman; Marcia Cravens; Maureen; Nancy Payton; Nicole Ryan; Patricia Morgan; RKS (rks @ibglaw.net);
LorenzWilliam; KurtzGerald
Subject: FW: Revised Stormwater Management documents
Attached are the Revised Stormwater Management documents. These changes will be discussed at the EAC Regular
Meeting on this Wednesday, October 3.
Summer B. Araque
Senior Environmental Specialist/EAC Liaison Natural Resources Department
Phone: 239-252-6290
From: DickmanAndrew
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2012 10:13 AM
To: BrownAraqueSummer
Subject: FW: Population Information
Summer, attached are the memo and report. Thanks,AD
From: KurtzGerald
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2012 5:24 PM
To: DickmanAndrew
Cc: BrownAraqueSummer
Subject: RE: Population Information
Andrew, the population growth numbers in the current EAC memo version agree with the data provided to you in July
(attached).
Jerry Kurtz
1
TRANSMITTAL MEMORANDUM
DATE:
TO: Collier County Board of County Commissioners (BCC)
Collier County Planning Commission (CPC)
FROM: Andrew Dickman, Chair
Collier County Environmental Advisory Council (EAC)
RE: Stormwater Management
Pursuant to Section 2-1193(a) of the Collier County Code of Ordinances, the EAC is authorized
to "IdentiA study, evaluate, and provide technical recommendations to the BCC on programs
necessary for the conservation, management, and protection of air, land, and water resources
and environmental quality in the County."
The EAC seeks to raise awareness to environmental issues that should be assessed more
thoroughly and evaluated in comparison with abutting counties listed below that may impact
Collier County. The EAC hopes this memorandum will stimulate additional public debate and
inspire new policy.
Please find attached our summary report in connection with stormwater management and land
use planning. The EAC's recommendations are:
1. Prepare a Collier County Low Impact Development Manual and then adopt Land
Development Codes to implement innovative, cost neutral, onsite stormwater management.
2. Require onsite stormwater management, such as retention areas, for new construction in
older subdivisions without treatment systems, rather than spending public funds on expensive
swales and canals.
3. Adopt and implement growth management strategies, including incentives to direct new
development into existing urban areas where stormwater management infrastructure is
already in place.
4. Divide County into "drainage districts"and charge a stormwater user fee according to impact
within these districts.
5. Protect natural groundwater recharge areas by preserving natural sheet flow, particularly in
areas of projected high growth rates.
6. Work with the Water Management District to identify and implement strategies for reducing
nutrient pollution from agricultural operations (citrus and row crops) keeping harmful
nutrients out of existing stormwater management systems.
The EAC strongly requests consideration and action on these recommendations, as part of the
non-structural Wastershed Management Plan initiatives.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Pollution discharge into natural water systems is a nationwide and local concern. "The
objective of this Act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological
integrity of the Nation's waters." Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §1251 et seq. (1972)
Introduction (applied irrigation and precipitation).
When we water our yards, water our landscaping, and water our agriculture, or during
rainfall, any water that isn't absorbed into the ground must flow somewhere depending
on the nature of the watershed topography and existing man-made infrastructure. This
"runoff' typically collects and transports one or more types of pollutants. How we
manage runoff has dire public health and environmental consequences.
Prior to intensified urbanization, surface waters flowed through wetlands in Collier
County and into four primary estuaries.' Intense development over the past 70 years,
including the extensive canal construction has substantially altered natural drainage
patterns into these estuaries. Now all but the Ten Thousand Islands estuary are impaired
with at least one type of dangerous pollutant directly linked to urbanization.
Collier County Watershed Management Plan
The Watershed Management Plan (WMP)2 was developed to protect water resource
quality and quantity within each drainage area or watershed and the related receiving
estuaries. The WMP identifies serious environmental and public health issues including:
1) Excessive fresh water discharges from canals (including ground water
discharges)especially to Naples Bay;
2) Limited conveyance capacities of various canals in the system for large storm
events;
3) Pollutant loading associated with development may degrade water quality due
to pollutant loading associated with development and agriculture; and
4) Aquifer impacts due to canal discharge, reduced ground water recharge, and
potable and agricultural withdrawal demands.
Correcting these issues unequivocally depends on our present and future decisions
managing stormwater and irrigation runoff.
Wiggins Pass Naples Bay, Rookery Bay, and Ten Thousand Islands (north to south).
However, there are other smaller and important estuaries along our coastline that
require equal protection.
2 Prepared by Collier County Stormwater and Environmental Planning Section and
Atkins North America, finalized November 2011 and accepted by the BCC on
December 13, 2011. The WMP is online at
www.colliergov.net/Index.aspx?page=2302.
1
Growth Management.
The WMP links land use with pollution in the "down stream"estuaries that are vital to
this community.
Collier's population increased 32.5% between 2000 and 2010. Florida's rate was 17.6%.
Collier's 2010 total population is estimated at 285,000, and population growth is
projected to be 334,000 in the year 2020, or a 17.2% increase. Florida's projected growth
rate is 10%.3
Looking within Collier County, population growth directly impacts specific watersheds
and receiving estuaries. Growth management planning is essential to accommodate new
development because appropriate future land use is the key to, among other things,
restoring and then protecting our estuaries from anthropogenic impacts.
Planning Community4 2010 2020 Change Growth
Rate
NN -North Naples 55,041 59,559 4,518 8.2%
SN - South Naples 28,689 36,416 7,727 26.9%
CN -Central Naples 18,845 19,668 823 4.4%
EN- East Naples 22,320 22,602 282 1.3%
GG-Golden Gate 44,925 47,265 2,340 5.2%
UE- Urban Estates 38,658 44,074 5,416 14.0%
RE- Rural Estates 34,739 36,069 1,330 3.8%
M - Marco 1,219 1,240 21 1.7%
RF-Royal Fakapalm 11,797 19,610 7,813 66.2%
C-Corkscrew 4,550 21,368 16,818 369.6%
I- Immokalee 24,154 26,317 2,163 9.0%
BC-Big Cypress 233 268 35 15.0%
Intra County and Regional Coordination.
Collier County is diverse. With urbanized, rural fringe, rural, agricultural, and
conservation areas. We have both incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. Growth
management and stormwater management coordination is imperative. Uncoordinated
decisions in one area likely will impact other areas. Preparation for population growth
countywide within planning areas is vital. Understanding how other counties in our
region accommodate development and manage stormwater is a necessity. The following
3 Source: Florida Bureau of Business and Economic Research.
4 Source: Collier County Growth Management Division.
2
provides a snapshot of regional stormwater strategies and offers recommendations for
Collier County.
The WMP was developed to satisfy a Growth Management Plan
commitment to assess and protect water resources. The project
was funded in 2007. Atkins (formerly PBSJ) was hired in 2009 to
update the Big Cypress Basin hydrologic / hydraulic model, and
develop the WMP. They reviewed existing reports, evaluated
existing water resource conditions and developed alternatives to
restore or mitigate identified problems. The WMP in and of itself
is not intended to be regulatory. The WMP recommended
initiatives may lead to regulations and/or regulatory policies. The
recommendations serve as a guide in developing policies,
programs, ordinances or regulations to restore and protect Collier
water resources.
Collier County
The WMP demonstrated that Collier County's major problem
with water quality is nutrient pollution. A recently prepared
nutrient budget for Collier County demonstrated that the major
sources of Phosphorous pollution are citrus, high density
residential housing and field crops, in that order. For Nitrogen,
the major contributors are citrus, field crops and residential-low
density housing. The contributions to nutrient pollution from
agriculture are more than twice that of urban contributions.
Collier County recently enacted a Fertilizer Ordinance designed
to reduce contributions in the urban area, but steps are also
needed to`reduce Contributions from agriculture.
A comparison of Lee's GMP and land development regulations
with those of Collier County regarding stormwater strategies
suggests that both counties seem to be complying with applicable
regulations. How each county funds stormwater management is
different. Lee County is divided into "drainage districts" and
charges a stormwater tax according to impact within these
Lee County districts.
It should be noted that Sarasota County also charges a stormwater
tax countywide. It appears eight to 10 Florida counties have taxes
in place dedicated to improving and managing stormwater. South
Florida Water Management District was instrumental in
determining the drainage districts and appropriate taxes for Lee
County.
3
Map series, quality and timeliness in Charlotte County is
outstanding. The maps clearly show re-charge areas. In an effort
to preserve floodplain areas, wetlands and aquifer re-charge areas,
Charlotte County Charlotte limits development in those impacted areas.
Charlotte County development in western part of the county
concentrates on urban revitalization and infill encouraging
development where stormwater management is already in place.
Compromises in Miami-Dade stormwater system and aging
infrastructure problems related to the stormwater system have
been identified by the South Florida Regional Planning Council.
The Everglades Plan to restore water flow will have a minor
impact on the Big Cypress area in Collier County.
Miami-Dade County
Southeast Florida is focusing on very expensive and retroactive
`fixes' for their stormwater and related infrastructure problems.
As Collier County urbanizes, policies must prevent stormwater
issues rather than "fixing"them after the fact.
Monroe County requires that new single family and duplex homes
located in subdivisions that do not have an existing stormwater
management system must provide an on site stormwater
management plan. Alterations of existing facilities which result in
an increase in impervious area also fall under this requirement.
Monroe County has an abundance of existing subdivisions which
have not been built out. Most of these subdivisions were designed
Monroe County prior to requirements for including stormwater treatment systems.
As these subdivisions are built out there would be tendencies for
the quantity of stormwater coming off them to increase while the
quality deteriorates. The requirement for all new development to
provide for stormwater treatment tends to reduce this problem.
A similar requirement in Collier County would tend to reduce the
trend in some of the existing large subdivisions that have many
vacant lots to have increasing problems with flooding and
deteriorating water quality at no significant cost to the County.
4
The Sarasota Stormwater Management Plan illustrates the
County's uses of multiple infrastructure for stormwater
management: soft drainage approach, natural drainage ways, man
made lakes,canals,,road swales, and larger drainage pipes.
Sarasota uses flooding protocols throughout the county. The
County uses side berms to allow greater flows during flood event.
Sarasota County Sarasota employs multiple flood control methods: larger lakes for
better storage, over bank spillways, weir outflow structures, man
made canals, larger road swales configured as a pan bottom, and
canal flow structures.
Sarasota has identified the following strategies for future
improvements: reducing flow restrictions construction of new
canals, and replace bridges that restrict flow.
Recommendations.
1. Prepare a Collier County Low Impact Development Manual and then adopt Land
Development Codes to implement innovative, cost neutral, onsite stormwater
management.
2. Require onsite stormwater management, such as retention areas, for new construction
in older subdivisions without treatment systems, rather than spending public funds on
expensive swales and canals.
3. Adopt and implement growth management strategies, including incentives to direct
new development into existing urban areas where stormwater management
infrastructure is already in place.
4. Divide County into "drainage districts" and charge a stormwater user fee according to
impact within these districts.
5. Protect natural groundwater recharge areas by preserving natural sheet flow,
particularly in areas of projected high growth rates.
6. Work with the Water Management District to identify and implement strategies for
reducing nutrient pollution from agricultural operations (citrus and row crops)
keeping harmful nutrients out of existing stormwater management systems.
5