2010 Water Resources Development Act Requests

Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14) submitted the following requests on December 3, 2009, on behalf of Southwest Florida for the 2010 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA):

City of Fort Myers River District Wet Detention Project - $3 million requested: This project is the construction of a wet detention pond within the City of Fort Myers Riverfront. This project will treat and attenuate runoff from a portion of the City that currently does not receive treatment prior to discharging to the Caloosahatchee River. After construction of the proposed wet detention pond, runoff will be diverted into the wet detention pond where it will be treated and attenuated. The detention area will allow suspended solids to settle out, runoff to infiltrate into the surrounding soil or evaporate, and nutrients to settle out or be processed by plant material and oils and greases to be retained. This project will reduce the volume of water and pollutants discharged into the river, improving the water quality in the river.

Lee County Wastewater Management Infrastructure Improvements - $4 million requested: This project will address four older septic system communities in the Hendry Creek, Mullock Creek, and Pine Island Sounds Aquatic Preserve watersheds. These projects will provide central sewer to areas currently served by septic systems that have a potential for failure. All of these areas proposed to receive central sewer service are within the study area of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, established in Section 320 of the 1995 Amendment to the Clean Water Act. Funding will be used to construct gravity sewer lines, sewage pump stations, and force mains.

Fort Myers Beach Water Utility Improvement Project - $3.3 million requested: Funds would be used for a capital improvement project that includes complete refurbishment of approximately one mile of main transmission line and the hundreds of service connections that provide water to residents of Fort Myers Beach. Additionally, money would be used to rebuild the north end pump house that was destroyed during Hurricane Charley and the construction of a structure around an open transfer pump station to meet security requirements for public water systems.

Fort Myers Beach Storm Water Management Improvement - $2 million requested: Currently Fort Myers Beach lacks a comprehensive storm water management system causing inconvenience and serious safety concerns during evacuations. This project will provide collection and conveyance while treating storm water that flows into Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. This is the minimum level of service that will prevent most of the at grade homes from incurring damage during customary summer rain storms, and ensuring that a single travel lane will be available during evacuations at the approach of a tropical storm.

Collier County Clam Bay Estuary - $250,000 requested: The Clam Bay Natural Resource Protection Area located within Collier County, Florida, is surrounded by an urban environment that is continually exerting ever increasing pressure on this natural resource. Non-point source nutrient loadings along with dissolved oxygen levels, poor circulation/flushing and a fine-grained sediment layer that inhibits soil-oxygen exchange are all major items of concern. Each of these has a significant impact on the health of this unique estuarine environment. Understanding and balancing these interrelated factors is critical to the long-term health and viability of this essential mangrove-marine life incubator ecosystem. This project would fund engineering studies and analysis to define water quality improvement solutions.

C-43 Caloosahatchee River West Storage Reservoir Project - $570,480,000 requested: The project consists of a 10,000-acre above-ground reservoir located south of the Caloosahatchee River and west of the Ortona Lock (Structure S-78). The reservoir depths will vary between 15 and 25 feet, with a storage capacity of approximately 170,000 acre-feet. The reservoir is designed to achieve federal and state dam safety requirements. The project will capture and store stormwater runoff in the C-43 basin, reducing excess and harmful water flow to the Caloosahatchee Estuary.

NOTE: These are only requests; they have not been authorized by Congress yet.

Office Locations

  • Washington, D.C.

    115 Cannon House
    Office Building
    Washington, D.C. 20515
    Phone: 202-225-2536
    Fax: 202-226-0439
  • Cape Coral, FL

    804 Nicholas Parkway E.
    Suite 1
    Cape Coral, FL 33990
    Phone: 239-573-5837
    Fax: 239-573-9125
  • Naples, FL

    3299 Tamiami Trail East
    Suite 105
    Naples, FL 34112
    Phone: 239-252-MACK (6225)
    Fax: 239-252-8065
Office Locations Map