Why is stormwater a problem?

Only recently did communities understand the damage stormwater was causing lakes, rivers and bays. After a heavy summer rain, stormwater running off our buildings, homes and streets carries along with it pollutants such as oil and grease from cars and fertilizers from lawns. The storm water runs through ditches and 450 miles of underground pipes which is discharged into Tampa Bay, Lake Maggorie and another surface water. St. Petersburg communities are seeing the effects of stormwater on our environment. Florida legislation requires communities to begin treating this stormwater before discharging it into our lakes and bays.

Flooding is also a major problem of stormwater. Florida's flat terrain, heavy rains and densely developed properties mean that when storms occur, our old network of storm water drains can't handle runoff quickly enough. This means puddles form, hampering traffic flow and inconvenience to everyone. The City of St. Petersburg has identified 300 drainage improvements to help solve this problem. The cost to complete these projects is in excess of $300 million.

Stormwater Management Utility

Current federal and state laws require that municipalities clean up stormwater but do not provide funds to do it. In order to raise millions of dollars necessary to collect stormwater efficiently and treat it, the City needed to find a way to raise revenues. The stormwater management utility collects water, treats it and disposes of it. At the same time it maintains drainage systems and plans for future collection systems.

When will we begin to see results?

It took one hundred years for St. Petersburg to develop critical problems with stormwater run off and it will not be solved overnight. Currently, the City is concentrating on completing 300 projects already identified as problem areas. Even after the completion of 300 projects, the City will be busy with repairs and new drainage projects made necessary by the city's fast growth.

For more information on stormwater management, contact the City of St. Petersburg Engineering Dept. at P.O. Box 2842, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.

Phone: (727) 892-5645

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