- April 19, 2024
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Homes along two L Section streets in Palm Coast now back up to a forested parcel of land. But the houses are about to become waterfront: The city government, seeking more stormwater storage capacity, is planning to convert the forest into a retention lake, complete with vegetated islands and two boardwalks.
The city hopes to start construction in January or February 2023.
The land is enclosed by London Drive and Leaver Drive, which is itself bordered by a canal called the London Waterway.
The lake would serve as additional water storage for the southward flowing waterway, which sometimes floods, city staff members explained to locals at a neighborhood meeting on April 28. The lake would also give city staff an additional opportunity to treat the stormwater to remove nitrogen and phosphorus, and would serve as wildlife habitat, they said.
"This helps out the city as a whole, not just the entire neighborhood," city Stormwater Engineer Carmelo Morales said.
The open lake would be 10 to 12 feet deep and fringed with water lilies, pickerel weed, arrowhead and various rushes, with cypress, maples, oaks and native ground cover along the shore. The city expects to use 22 plant species. A fountain may be added to keep the water moving.
The city determined when developing a stormwater master plan several years ago that the London Waterway needs additional capacity, Morales said. The city government owns the wooded parcel, and has the St. Johns River Water Management District's permission to conduct the work, he said. The city expects to use grant money to complete it.
The area will be a "passive park" for use by people who live adjacent to it, but the city doesn't want to encourage people who don't live in the neighborhood to use it and clog up area streets, since there won't be parking.
The city will be accepting questions about the project until Thursday, May 12: Email the city's Engineering and Stormwater staff at Engineering&[email protected].
