NEW PORT RICHEY — Pasco county commissioners nudged their coastal dredging project forward on Monday, sending it to the next phase of design and funding exploration for the Gulf Harbors and Hudson channel projects.
County officials hope to secure outside grant money for those critical segments of the dredging, estimated to cost $11.65 million, with the Hudson project as the largest ticket item on the list at $7 million for a 60-foot wide channel.
The county has been exploring options for dredging along its 27-mile shoreline for years. Extensive canals dug to provide waterfront home sites have gone without dredging since they were first constructed in the 1960s, though the Hudson Channel is an outlier, having been dredged in 2005. Many waterways have become shallow and difficult to navigate for residents and businesses. Commissioners said Monday they know there is community support for the dredging.
But how to pay for dredging and the exact scope of the work has not yet been settled.
The commission got closer with their discussion this week, generally accepting a staff recommendation that they provide partial funding through a municipal services benefit unit. That would mean that residents who will benefit from the specific project would help pay the cost.
Commissioner Jack Mariano, who has long advocated for the dredging work, said he could see all of West Pasco benefitting from a more vibrant and active waterfront. He also was optimistic about the county getting much of the cost paid for by funds set aside as settlement money from the BP oil spill, a pot of money known as the Restore Act.
He had several other funding ideas, including grants from the state and federal governments which focus on water quality improvements and possibly funding for building oyster beds. "There are a lot of moving parts right now,'' Mariano said. "I’m excited.''
Mariano also hopes that Pasco can negotiate its way into overseeing it’s own permitting process rather than the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. County administrator Dan Biles said that was not something that the commission should count on.
Kevin Kremkau, vice president with Gahagan & Bryant, outlined his company’s assessment of the work required in Gulf Harbors and Hudson, including dredging an estimated 62,400 cubic yards. The site investigation revealed two small areas, one on Harbor Drive and another at the Signal Cove, with arsenic levels high enough to require dredged materials be taken to a landfill.
The investigation also found an area at the main entrance to the Hudson Channel which was filled with algae with “a pasta-like consistency,” which could add to the cost and complexity of dredging.
Commission Chairman Mike Moore asked when the public can be brought in to discuss the project further. "We want to make sure that this is something that residents want to pursue,'' Moore said.
The design and engineering for the project could take 18-24 months, with the actual dredging taking about six months.
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