DRMP’s design to alleviate flooding problems in a Palm Coast, Fla., neighborhood involved conceptualizing a unique, multi-purpose approach that delivers recreational and environmental benefits to the local community.
DRMP recently completed the design of the London Waterway Expansion Project for the City of Palm Coast. The project is located on 19.5 acres of vacant city-owned, wooded land in the Matanzas Woods Neighborhood and is surrounded by London and Leaver drives. The project is ready for construction and will take about a year to complete.
When working on this project, DRMP wanted to design something beyond your typical rectangular Florida retention pond for flood control and create a natural-looking, aesthetically pleasing stormwater system.
The firm came up with a concept to convert the piece of city-owned property into a lakeside neighborhood passive park that will increase flood storage capacity for Palm Coast residents and improve water quality for the environment.
Our design features the construction of an 11-acre naturally contoured lake with curvy edges for flood storage; two one-half acre islands of preserved vegetation to promote terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem interaction; two open overlooks with benches that have short trails and boardwalks leading to them; and plantings to encourage desirable native vegetation to improve habitat for various species and for erosion protection along the shoreline.
Changing Course
There was a considerable amount of public input during the design phase of this project. The original concept of our design changed after receiving feedback in a public meeting. During that meeting we presented two concepts.
The first design involved a minimal approach in terms of public access with a few short paths leading to pavilions. Our second design was more grandiose and provided wider public access with a few short paths leading to pavilions, a half-mile recreational loop crossing over the water and through both islands and a kayak launch.
However, neighborhood residents were concerned our design of an active park would pose parking issues and attract loiterers from outside of the neighborhood. In response, the design team corroborated with City staff, and we scaled back the design and modified the project to be more of a passive park.
More than a Retention Lake
The main purpose of the proposed 11-acre lake is flood control to increase the available flood storage in the London Waterway and help ease flooding in the northern part of the City.
The lake will provide stormwater treatment and improve the quality of water being discharged into the London Waterway, Hulett Branch downstream, and the receiving Pellicer Creek Aquatic Preserve. We used BMPTRAINS, a software program developed by the University of Central Florida Stormwater Management Academy, to determine pollutants in the water for the existing and proposed conditions.
The lake will be about 10-12 feet deep and includes 4.2 acres of littoral zone to promote native aquatic, wetland, and upland habitats. By planting water lilies, arrowhead, pickerelweed, rushes, as well as oak, cypress, and maple trees, along with using natural and biodegradable mulch material, the shoreline will be protected from erosion, and wildlife habitat will be created.
The proposed work required coordination and permitting with the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
We have secured a grant of $904,500 through the SJRWMD Cost-Share Program on behalf of the City to aid with funding for the construction costs of the project, and are working with the FWC to secure an additional $74,500 to aid with costs related to aquatic habitat creation.
Designing a high-quality stormwater project that goes beyond solving flooding issues and provides an environmental and recreational benefit to the local community was a unique and exciting opportunity.
