Escambia To Receive Almost $3 Million In Grant Funds For Flood Repairs

February 25, 2015

Escambia County will receive nearly $3 million in grant funding to assist with seven flood repair projects after money became available in the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.

The county had previously applied unsuccessfully to the program, but funding just came available and was announced this week. The County could also be eligible for reimbursement on design costs up to 7.5% of total construction costs, or nearly $224,000.

The EWPP alleviates hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, wind­storms and other natural occurrences.

The projects covered under the grant include:

Crescent Lake, one and a half miles east of the intersection of Mobile Highway and Michigan Avenue; 600-feet north of Michigan Avenue. Stormwater toppled the 72-acre Crescent Lake embankment causing flooding downsteam. Flooding deposited sediment and debris to the side of Michigan Avenue, an arterial five-lane road and threatens to destroy 14 apartments. The grant will provide $674,531 to fix the breach in the Crescent Lake embankment and install a concrete emergency spillway.  Workers will vegetate disturbed areas and remove debris and sediment from the downstream channel to Michigan Avenue to prevent flooding.

The Gatewood Ditch, south of Gatewood Drive, 400-feet south of Johnson Avenue. Eroding into a retention pond and an adjacent apartment complex. The debris and sediment from the erosion are reducing the drainage capacity and threatening to destroy downstream drainage structures and further damage Johnson Avenue. The grant will cover $350,790 of the cost to fill the eroded area and replace 1,700 feet of concrete-lined ditch.  Workers will plant vegetation on the side slopes to protect from further erosion and replace the damaged retention pond outlet, stabilizing the stormwater facility outlet.

Olive Road, 1,000 feet southwest of Scenic Highway and Olive Road intersection. Erosion at the outlet of a concrete-lined waterway carved a gully adjacent to Olive Road 40-foot deep and 100-feet wide that threatens to collapse the westbound lane of Olive Road. Olive Road is a primary east-west arterial with an average daily traffic of 12,800 vehicles. The grant will provide $198,671 to install a concrete box, pipe-drop structure and a water and sediment control basin to stabilize the head of the gully and safely discharge stormwater.

Glyn Brock Gully, 200 feet north of the intersection of Johnson Avenue and Olive Road. Sediment from the Gatewood ditch and storm debris has reduced capacity in the stream channel, threatening to flood eight downstream homes on Winding Lane and five homes on Cypress Point.  The grant will cover $206,657  of the cost to remove sediment and debris from the stream channel and ditch and repair the eroded area with rock riprap.

Addison Drive between Addison Drive and Scenic Highway/ Escambia Bay, 300 feet east of Ellyson Field Industrial Park. A gully is eroding into two homes on Addison Drive. The grant will provide $91,868 to remove sediment and debris from the landslide, grade and shape the slope and install a conveyance system to move water to the outlet.

The Ten Mile Creek channel is unstable and widening, threatening to collapse Pine Forest Road Bridge and erode into nine homes and eight townhouses. The grant amount for repairs is $1,377,175. Workers will stabilize the stream channel grade, address gully erosion on the channel sides and repair outlet structures.

Swamphouse Road, on the University of West Florida campus. Stream bank erosion threatens the road, utilities, the Swamphouse Restaurant and Marina. The storm tore the road in half and trees are falling into the stream channel. The grant will provide $83,440 to re-grade the side slope, plant sod and remove sediment and debris from the channel.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News