 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Lake Seminole muck plan irks Largo folks
By MAUREEN BYRNE
© St. Petersburg Times, SEMINOLE -- The recommendation for how to remove nearly 1-million cubic yards of muck from Lake Seminole is in, but it likely will be a couple of years before the massive project begins. The final report of the Lake Seminole Watershed Management Plan has been delivered to the Pinellas County Public Works Department, which is overseeing a $15-million restoration of the lake. The watershed covers 3,500 acres that drain into the 684-acre lake. "We do these projects because we want to see results from them," said David Talhouk, a county engineer overseeing the cleanup. "A lot of work was put into this. We've been as thorough as possible and we're ready to go forward." Removing the muck accounts for $9.7-million of the cleanup cost. The Tampa consulting firm Post Buckley Schuh & Jernigan has recommended dredging the sludge from the lake and then pumping it via pipeline under the Seminole Bypass Canal to a drying site. The sticking point is where to dry 930,000 cubic yards of sediment. Largo residents and city officials have panned the county's plan to use a closed 32-acre landfill in Largo because they feared the odors from the drying sediment and the heavy traffic from trucks transporting the sludge to Toytown. So, the county staff has found an alternate site: 15 acres of county-owned land in an industrial area south of Ulmerton Road. But a smaller area means there would not be enough space to allow the sludge to dry out naturally. The report suggests using a rapid dewatering technology that involves injecting a chemical additive called a polymer into the sediment and applying a mechanical process to squeeze water out of the muck. The dry residue then would be trucked to the Toytown landfill to help build a new golf course there. The report says the Largo landfill is the preferred site to treat the sediment because of its large size, its accessibility to trucks and the hydraulic pipeline, and its current vacancy. But, the report continues, if Largo doesn't grant approval for use of the landfill as a site for a treatment and handling area, the county should pursue its own land as an alternative. The county realizes it would be a hard sell to convince Largo residents and officials. "We're taking that off the table," said Talhouk, the county engineer. "(The county property) is a perfect location." That said, the Largo landfill is still an option for a treatment site in the consultant's final report. Mike Sepessy, an environmental specialist supervisor for Largo, says he is optimistic that other stages of the cleanup plan will improve the water quality in the lake. They include injecting alum into runoff, which forces the sediment to settle out in ponds before the water flows into the lake; and bringing in water from a nearby bypass canal as a way to improve circulation. Maybe dredging won't be necessary or a scaled-down project will be enough to improve the lake, Sepessy said. And if the Largo landfill is pursued as the site for the dredging operation? "It's kind of an issue that is left up to our commission," Sepessy said. For years, Lake Seminole anglers have complained there aren't as many fish to catch. Longtime park users noticed the lake was turning green. "It took us 50 years to get to this point and it's going to take a while to clean it up," Talhouk said. "The biggest change will occur when we take the sediments out of the lake." During the past 50 years, stormwater carrying lawn fertilizer, motor oil, sewage and other chemicals has washed in, clogging the lake bottom with silt and damaging its ecosystem. So county engineers and environmental consultants are working to reverse that trend and make the lake a viable fishery once again. The study is being paid for primarily by the county and the Southwest Florida Water Management District, commonly known as Swiftmud, with the cities of Largo and Seminole also contributing. Talhouk said a series of internal meetings will take place before his department presents the plan to the County Commission. "We should have it in front of the board by the end of the year," he said. Once a presentation is given to the commission, it will go before the Seminole City Council and Largo City Commission. Parts of the plan are already in the works, such as refurbishing existing retention ponds and building new ponds to aid in the filtration. "We tried to get a head start on as many things as we could," Talhouk said. The report says the sediment removal project would last about five years from the initiation of design and permitting. Once the permits are in place, a pilot study would be done before embarking on the overall project. Talhouk said the dredging process wouldn't begin for at least two more years. That is, if funding is secured. "Any project on the books is potentially in jeopardy," Talhouk said. "Any time the economy goes down, does that affect public works projects? Absolutely." Talhouk said that is why he is busy trying to get state and federal grants to help pay for the project.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks |
