Lower Kissimmee Basin Stormwater Treatment Area
Location
North of Lake Okeechobee, adjacent to the Kissimmee River
Resource
Wetland, Species
Solution
Pay for Performance
Jeremy McBryan, PE, CFM, ENV SP
Director, Florida Water Quality
Contracted through EIP’s innovative Pay for Performance model, the Lower Kissimmee Basin Stormwater Treatment Area will provide the State of Florida with a state-of-the-art method to reduce phosphorus destined for Lake Okeechobee. This 3,400 acre project is slated to be the largest performance-based contract for the delivery of environmental outcomes in Florida.
Within the scope of this project, EIP will design, construct, and operate a new stormwater treatment facility to reduce the threat of blue green algae in South Florida by capturing water from the Kissimmee River and associated canals before runoff and nutrients are discharged into the lake. Initial evaluations show that the project could result in Stormwater Treatment Area cells comprising roughly 3,100 acres of effective treatment area, which have the potential to remove approximately 26 metric tons of total phosphorus.
Under the Pay for Performance model, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has contracted with EIP to deliver specific milestones for a fixed price. The first phase of the project is comprised of analysis, feasibility and preliminary design activities. Phase 2 includes final design and permitting, approximately two years of construction, approximately one year of facility start-up, followed by up to five years of operations.
EIP is active in Florida, owning and operating five wetland mitigation banks on which over 2,200 acres of herbaceous and forested wetland habitat in the Tampa Bay area have been restored. Restoration activities being performed by EIP in Florida include restoring wetland hydrology, reintroduction of native species, and reinstating a prescribed burn regime.
In the News
- New water cleaning project aims to improve the health of SWFL water systems (WINK News)
- SFWMD Projects to Reduce Nutrient Load Entering Lake (Lake Okeechobee News)
- Hybrid filters in STAs could increase phosphorus reduction in water from Kissimmee River (Lake Okeechobee News)
- SFWMD Governing Board Approves Contract to Build Lower Kissimmee Water Quality Project (South Florida Water Management District)
Lake Okeechobee Water Quality
A video snapshot from the early stages of the Hybrid Stormwater Treatment Area, which will reduce the threat of blue green algae in South Florida.