2 days ago
Springfield works to restore their floodplain
SPRINGFIELD, Fla. (WMBB) – The City of Springfield is working with the St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program to restore their floodplain.
The city is drafting a design plan that's about 30% complete.
Springfield has been experiencing flooding issues since Hurricane Michael hit in 2018.
'After Hurricane Michael. We lost a lot of our tree canopy, which a single tree can filter up to 100 gallons a day. And so when you lose all of those trees in a very short period of time, it causes a lot of issues with stormwater flooding,' St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bay Estuary Program Official Jessica Graham said.
After a heavy rain, there's nowhere for the runoff to go.
'If there's no floodplain there, no wetlands there, then it just washes off into wherever it can go. The path of least resistance. And so the floodplain will help to retain that. It kind of acts like a sponge. And so the sponge can help to keep that there, filters it, and then it allows it to go into the groundwater rather than the surface,' Graham said.
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The Army Corps of Engineers conducted a hydrologic and hydraulic study in 2021 to determine how to alleviate the flooding issues. They decided on a nature-based solution by planting native trees to help clear out debris.
The project will help restore the floodplain by enhancing the wetland habitat in the upper tributaries of Martin Lake.
The St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program secured a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for 510-thousand dollars fund 30% of the design. They are working to identify areas where the water flow is backing up.
'It's identified some areas that we need to increase our culverts, as well as areas that have just been really filled in by sedimentation and a lot of vegetation. But right now we've been trying to really find the stream boundaries,' Graham added.
They are still working to secure additional funding.
They need an additional $500,000 to complete the rest of the design work.
The St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program is holding a public workshop at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 16, at Springfield City Hall. The project will also be discussed at the Springfield commission workshop at 5:30 p.m. that night.
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