Lakeland receives $280K from Florida DEP for Lake Bonny stormwater project
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection State Water Quality Assistance Grant will fund the Lake Bonny Stormwater Outfall Project
LAKELAND – The City of Lakeland has been awarded a State Water Quality Assistance Grant in the amount of $280,000 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for the Lake Bonny Stormwater Outfall Retrofit Project. The FDEP’s Non-Point Source Management Program administers the initiative to provide local government funding for projects designed to control water pollution from non-point sources. Non-point source pollution comes from a wide area and causes nutrient, sediment, and fertilizer contamination that enters stormwater runoff and then is carried to surface water bodies.
The project consists of the installation of a nutrient separating pollution control device (PCD) that will be installed at an outfall to Lake Bonny on the north side of North Crystal Lake Drive near its intersection with US Highway 98 North. The PCD will effectively reduce the amount of sediment, nutrients, and floatable trash entering Lake Bonny from the stormwater outfall at this location.
Lake Bonny does not meet current water quality standards due to elevated levels of nutrients and has a mandated Total Maximum Daily Load nutrient reduction requirement. Previous studies identified the main source of nutrients to Lake Bonny is through stormwater discharge from a number of outfall locations. The outfall chosen for this project was shown to contribute significant non-point source nutrient loads to the lake.
The Lake Bonny Stormwater Outfall Retrofit Project includes permitting, construction, and installation of an underground PCD with nutrient removal capabilities through innovative biosorption filters and baffle boxes. These proven methods are designed to remove sediment and trash from the stormwater flow before it enters the lake. This project is scheduled to start the fall of 2022 and will take approximately three months to complete.