Moving Water South Phase II
Ribbon Cutting Moving Water South Project Phase II: Blackstone Preserve
Completed project will reduce flooding, improve water quality and recharge groundwater supplies in the Lehigh Acres area
Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District (LAMSID) is celebrating the recent completion of its Moving Water South Phase II – Blackstone Preserve Pump Station Project, which was constructed in partnership with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is located at 321 Blackstone Drive, Lehigh Acres, FL 33936 at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24.
The District will hold a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday, April 24 at 11 a.m. at 321 Blackstone Drive, Lehigh Acres, Fl 33936 with community members, stakeholders, and project partners in attendance. The order of events also included a ribbon cutting, a ceremonial first flow through the Pump Station and subsequent tour of district facilities.
The Moving Water South Phase II: Blackstone Preserve Project was made possible by LAMISD $317K, a $517K grant from FDEP, $200K from SFWMD, and a coordinated effort with FDOT that saved a combined total of more than $20 million.
The Moving Water South Phase II: Blackstone Preserve Project is a crucial step to improving stormwater storage capacity, improving flood control measures and restoring historical flow patterns to the southern part of LAMSID’s water control system in Lehigh Acres – the eastern portion of Lee County.
The Blackstone Preserve Project is a 70-acre water quality and water storage project complete with a berm, water control structure and pump station to allow LAMSID to more effectively regulate the flow of water. Tetra Tech provided design services, MWI Pump provided the pump station, and JP Murphy Inc. provided construction services. LAMSID crews took on the in-house construction of the berm on the project site.
The Blackstone Preserve Project is a complementary project with the State Road 82 Road Widening Project. A portion of runoff generated from the additional impervious road lanes will be stored and treated in the Blackstone Preserve. This will provide additional water quality treatment for stormwater runoff, flood attenuation and increase groundwater recharge, while reducing stormwater discharges by 391.2 acre-ft. per year to the Caloosahatchee River. From preliminary evaluation, the MWS PII project will result in a reduction 55 kg/yr. of Total Phosphorous (TP) and 3,877 kg/yr. of Total Nitrogen (TN) in stormwater discharges from the project area.
A 2007 study conducted by ADA Engineering indicated that Lehigh Acres has a water storage deficiency of approximately 15,000 acre-feet. Blackstone Preserve Pump Station Project is one of eight projects identified during the study which would help improve the area’s water storage capacity.