Urban Lake Revitalization - An Investment in Our Community
For many years, Lake Maggiore in St. Petersburg, FL, was a great place to fish and enjoy water-related recreational activities. Unfortunately, for many children in Florida, opportunities to spend the day enjoying places like Lake Maggiore are growing limited—especially in our urban communities. That’s because of the damage stormwater runoff has inflicted on numerous waterways throughout Florida. Up until recently, the 380-acre Lake Maggiore was one such lake.
Lake Maggiore, like many other bodies of water around the state, was damaged by fertilizers, pesticides, oils, and dirt from our roads washing into the lake during rainfall events. The resulting high bacteria levels caused many of these water bodies to be shut down to boaters, fishermen, and swimmers. Overgrown with nuisance vegetation and teeming with reptiles and rodents, too many of these water bodies, including Lake Maggiore, have become community eyesores.
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Photo: Jerry Cook |
During the 1990s, the City of St. Petersburg committed to turning Lake Maggiore back into the community gem it once was. The city, with support from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, looked for ways to improve water quality. We constructed stormwater treatment facilities and replaced an outfall canal that separates Lake Maggiore from Salt Creek. We removed invasive plants. But we also knew that to truly restore the lake, we’d have to remove years and years of muck that was on the bottom of Lake Maggiore. Within the physical constraints of the urban environment, traditional dredging technologies simply wouldn’t work. We didn’t have space in the city to dispose of wet, dredged muck. And traditional technologies would also force us to draw down the lake—a plan that would leave the community without the use of Lake Maggiore.
Based on a competitive process, we selected a firm that provided innovative dredging technology that met our needs. Jahna Dredging was able to couple traditional dredging technology used in mining with a rapid sediment dewatering process. This meant the lake would not be drawn down and that the community would still be able to use Lake Maggiore while the dredging was taking place. It also meant that the sediment pulled from the lake could be dewatered, and dry sediment could be more easily transported for use elsewhere. After two years of dredging, 1.3 million cubic yards of sediment were removed from Lake Maggiore’s bottom.
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Today, because of this restoration project, visitors to Lake Maggiore can once again experience the joy that can only come from fishing from the lakeshore and enjoying time with family or alone. Wading birds, alligators, otters, and even white pelicans have also found their way back to Lake Maggiore, having been forced to abandon the lake when conditions became too toxic.
The successful restoration of Lake Maggiore is a real example of how local government, state agencies, and private industry can work together to create a healthier community. Lake Maggorie is once again a community centerpiece.
Author's Bio: Earnest Williams is a member of the St. Petersburg, FL, city council.
July-August 2007
Urban Lake Revitalization - An Investment in Our Community
For many years, Lake Maggiore in St. Petersburg, FL, was a great place to fish and enjoy water-related recreational activities. Unfortunately, for many children in Florida, opportunities to spend the day enjoying places like Lake Maggiore are growing limited—especially in our urban communities. That’s because of the damage stormwater runoff has inflicted on numerous waterways throughout Florida. Up until recently, the 380-acre Lake Maggiore was one such lake.
Lake Maggiore, like many other bodies of water around the state, was damaged by fertilizers, pesticides, oils, and dirt from our roads washing into the lake during rainfall events. The resulting high bacteria levels caused many of these water bodies to be shut down to boaters, fishermen, and swimmers. Overgrown with nuisance vegetation and teeming with reptiles and rodents, too many of these water bodies, including Lake Maggiore, have become community eyesores.
|
Photo: Jerry Cook |
During the 1990s, the City of St. Petersburg committed to turning Lake Maggiore back into the community gem it once was. The city, with support from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, looked for ways to improve water quality. We constructed stormwater treatment facilities and replaced an outfall canal that separates Lake Maggiore from Salt Creek. We removed invasive plants. But we also knew that to truly restore the lake, we’d have to remove years and years of muck that was on the bottom of Lake Maggiore. Within the physical constraints of the urban environment, traditional dredging technologies simply wouldn’t work. We didn’t have space in the city to dispose of wet, dredged muck. And traditional technologies would also force us to draw down the lake—a plan that would leave the community without the use of Lake Maggiore.
Based on a competitive process, we selected a firm that provided innovative dredging technology that met our needs. Jahna Dredging was able to couple traditional dredging technology used in mining with a rapid sediment dewatering process. This meant the lake would not be drawn down and that the community would still be able to use Lake Maggiore while the dredging was taking place. It also meant that the sediment pulled from the lake could be dewatered, and dry sediment could be more easily transported for use elsewhere. After two years of dredging, 1.3 million cubic yards of sediment were removed from Lake Maggiore’s bottom.
Today, because of this restoration project, visitors to Lake Maggiore can once again experience the joy that can only come from fishing from the lakeshore and enjoying time with family or alone. Wading birds, alligators, otters, and even white pelicans have also found their way back to Lake Maggiore, having been forced to abandon the lake when conditions became too toxic.
The successful restoration of Lake Maggiore is a real example of how local government, state agencies, and private industry can work together to create a healthier community. Lake Maggorie is once again a community centerpiece.