Naples City Council applauds removal of stormwater beach pipes

Naples council members favor removing the majority of stormwater outfalls — large pipes that stretch from the sand into the water.

And they plan to implement a new and better system that experts say will improve water quality, reduce flooding and improve the environment.

Karyn Erickson, president of Erickson Consulting Engineers Inc., the Sarasota company the city hired to complete the project, explained to council at its workshop Monday that the current outfall system requires frequent and costly maintenance, accelerates beach erosion and is detrimental to the natural environment, especially sea turtle nesting.

Previously:Naples Council to discuss removing stormwater outfall pipes from city beaches

Tidal backflow through the pipes also exacerbates neighborhood flooding, especially on Gulf Shore Boulevard, which is one of the lowest-elevated roads in the city, Erickson said. 

"These outfalls become often clogged with sand, and due to their low elevation relative to the coastal road, which is only at 3½ to 4 feet above sea level ... you can understand why at mid- to high-tides these pipes cause the water to stage and to stagnate and to flood upstream," she said.

The outfalls are also responsible for high levels of bacteria that "significantly exceed standards," Erickson said.

The project's origin dates to 2011, when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection notified the city it would not issue any more beach renourishment permits until city officials developed a plan to remove outfalls.

Council hired AECOM Technical Services Inc. in 2013 to determine the best alternative to the current stormwater system, said Gregg Strakaluse, Naples streets and stormwater department director.

"We’ve been studying the options, the opportunities and the challenges for doing something that would not just achieve the goal of what the DEP wants, but also the community’s goal of trying to reduce flooding and beach erosion and improve water quality and the environment, particularly for sea turtle nesting," Strakaluse said.

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The council ultimately approved a plan to remove the six southernmost outfalls, extend one of the remaining outfalls farther into the Gulf and use a pump station to run the system.

"The treated stormwater will be conveyed from the pump station to a deepwater location approximately 60 feet below the seabed in embedded pipes within the limestone layer," Erickson said.

Sarasota County implemented a similar system in 2014 and it's been "very successful," she added.

The project will require tearing up portions of Gulf Shore Boulevard, which could allow council to make other improvements.

"Over the years we've talked about the potential of possibly carrying the bike lanes down from Gulf Shore Boulevard south of Eighth Avenue (and) this is an opportunity to possibly do that since we'll be disrupting the whole road segment there," Strakaluse said.

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Councilwoman Linda Penniman said the city should also consider elevating the road.

"Miami as we know has very low streets and they're having to raise them, and I think the time will come, perhaps, when Naples is going to have to consider looking at that application, as well," she said. "Let's not spend money and perpetuate an existing problem ... if we have the opportunity to eliminate that problem by raising the road."

Strakaluse said he would look into it.

City Council praised Erikson, Strakaluse and the rest of city staff for their work on the project, which Mayor Bill Barnett said will be one of the current council's lasting legacies. 

"This has been amazing and this is something we're going to look at decades, decades, decades down the road," he said. "It's going to cost us some inconvenience, I'm sure, there's no two ways about it when you get some public input, but I think the size and the breadth of this project is something we can all be proud of."

The project will cost between $10 million and $10.5 million and construction could start in April 2020.