Raulerson & Sons Ranch, Inc.
Stormwater Reuse Alternative Water Supply
RCS completed the design and permitting of this water quality retrofit and stormwater reuse project for a 670-acre agricultural area. The project involved designing a stormwater reuse and treatment system for the site to meet the proposed phosphorus Total Max Daily Load (92% reduction) for areas in the northern tributaries to Lake Okeechobee. A stormwater model was developed to analyze the existing and proposed stormwater system and to estimate the pollutant load reduction.
The project was designed to Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), and Florida Department of Transportation standards. The project included the following design elements: three cell storage treatment facility, total area of 30 acres. The facility is a minor impoundment with a berm top width of 10 ft, 3:1 side slopes, and a height of 6.5 ft, stormwater pump station with two 24 inch axial flow pumps, 500 gallon diesel fuel tank, and electrical panel, radio telemetry system to control the stormwater pumps to prevent drawdown to on-site wetlands, 15 control structure risers with diameters ranging from 12 to 30 inches, a 2,000 foot long detention treatment swale, realigned 3,000 feet of farm access road, and wetlands rehydration - eight of the control structures were designed to improve the hydrology of on-site wetlands.
The design provided for 1 inch of stormwater treatment and 1.5 inches of stormwater reuse capacity in a three-cell treatment storage facility. The first cell was a 1-acre sump that allowed for sediments to settle. Cell 1 gravity flowed to Cell 2, a 19-acre treatment and storage pond, and then, to a 13-acre wetlands polishing pond. Runoff stored in Cell 2 was used to partially meet the irrigation requirements of the site. The project was also designed to meet stringent peak discharge requirements.
The project was funded by several different State and Federal agencies. $1,277,000 of funding was obtained from the SFWMD SB444 Alternative Water Supply Program, other SFWMD programs, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and NRCS.
