SANTA-ROSA

Navarre construction runoff issue prompts Santa Rosa to better 'anticipate' future issues

Alex Miller
Pensacola News Journal

Following a rainfall two weeks ago that swept fill dirt into a waterway leading to East Bay in Santa Rosa County's south end, county staff gave an update on the incident and steps moving forward to the commissioners Monday evening.

Following a heavy rainfall Sept. 9, stormwater swept into a narrow ditch created as part of a project to repair a damaged bridge culvert in the area between Midway and Navarre. The water carried fill dirt with it and caused dirtied water to flow into a lagoon that feeds into the bay. 

County Engineer Rebecca Jones and the county's Assistant Environmental Director Tanya Linzy confirmed to commissioners Monday that the rainstorm caused the failure of the "turbidity barrier" at the culvert project site.

Residents say that after a Sept. 9 rainstorm, fill dirt washed into a lagoon that feeds into East Bay in Navarre, pictured here Sept. 15.

The contractor on the project replaced the barrier the next day, and Linzy has previously said she found no evidence that any sediment entered East Bay itself.

However, photographs taken after the event and sent to the conservation group Save Our Soundside seem to indicate sediment reached the bay. News Journal photos taken in the area Sept. 15 appear to show cloudy, brown water flowing into the East Bay.

At Monday's meeting, Linzy presented a series of images taken at the site over the past two weeks.

"I believe that some of those slight discolorations you're seeing at the mouth here at the spillway is actually more stained concrete being shot through than actual sediment sitting there," Linzy said, adding that later photos show the water in the area became "essentially clear."

The East Bay ecosystem in the south end is already environmentally damaged to the point that the state is moving to shut down oyster harvesting in the area.

Those living in the area where the culvert was being replaced previously told the News Journal they understand the roadwork between Bergren Road and Edgewood Drive is necessary, but said county officials should have anticipated the possibility of rain creating stormwater troubles and planned better to prevent any escape into the lagoon.

The new culvert is needed to increase the water flow beneath East Bay Boulevard and into the bay, and residents in the south end have regularly raised concerns that development in this area of the county has caused more stormwater issues.

On Monday evening, as Linzy presented the update to commissioners, she gave her thoughts about what could be changed moving forward.

"I feel as though the only thing that I would suggest in the future is that we take more of a step back and look at each (case) and just anticipate — and maybe even take it a step further than what we would normally have deployed," Linzy said.

Commissioners were pleased by the fact they felt the issues were responded to quickly.

"Mother Nature just takes whatever your best practice is, and kind of throws out the window and says, 'I'm Mother Nature. I'm stronger than anything mankind can do,'" said Commissioner Colten Wright.

Commissioner Dave Piech said he never wants to see this happen again but added, "3 1/2 inches of rain in an hour. That's pretty torrential."