Water bodies, watersheds and storm water
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Northern Coastal Basin Home
Resources
- Northern Coastal Basin Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan, 2003
- Order these documents on
CD-ROM:- Northern Coastal Basin Bathymetric Survey – Technical Memorandum
No. 49 - Northern Coastal Basin Reconnaissance Report –
July 1998 - Northern Coastal Basin Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan, 2003
- Northern Coastal Basin Bathymetric Survey – Technical Memorandum
Rose Bay
In the years before Florida’s explosive growth, Rose Bay was a productive estuary in the Halifax River in Volusia County.
Good water quality and the bay’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean (near Ponce de Leon Inlet) once provided vital nursery grounds and habitat for shellfish and young estuarine and offshore fish species. Over time, however, the byproducts of growth — stormwater runoff and leaking septic systems — degraded the bay’s beauty and productivity.
The St. Johns River Water Management District has been working with residents and local governments to form a coalition of agencies to pursue solutions to pollution problems and restore Rose Bay.
The bay’s challenges
Rose Bay faced a handful of major water quality problems, including:
A five-point restoration plan for Volusia County’s Rose Bay is nearing completion. The new U.S. Highway 1 bridge is part of that restoration plan.
- Runoff from storm water — Storm water carried nutrients (such as fertilizers), sediments (such as dirt and asphalt pieces) and other pollutants (such as grease and chemicals) into the bay.
- Leakage from septic systems — Wastewater leaking from residential septic systems seeped into the bay. This nutrient pollution fuels algal blooms that cloud the water and adds to a layer of organic sediment throughout the bay when dead algae fall to the bay’s floor. Increased bacteria levels make safe shellfish harvesting impossible and raise other potential public health concerns.
- Restricted water flow — Two causeways reduced water flow and circulation.
Partnerships for solutions
The District, the city of Port Orange and Volusia County coordinated efforts to address the bay’s problems through the Rose Bay Task Force.
A comprehensive outline for a five-point restoration plan was developed and partnerships with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) were established.
The restoration plan was adopted by all parties. All phases were implemented, pollution sources were addressed and the plan’s final components are approaching construction.
Restoring Rose Bay
Following are the five points of the Rose Bay restoration plan and the accomplishments made toward implementing those points.
1. Control stormwater runoff pollution.
Working with the District, Volusia County and FDOT, the city of Port Orange has addressed stormwater discharges into Rose Bay. By combining projects with road improvements and sewer installation, the city has provided stormwater treatment throughout the bay’s watershed.
Projects to retrofit (upgrade) stormwater swales (also known as shallow ditches) in the communities of Harbor Oaks and Allendale have provided the neighborhoods with improved drainage and water quality treatment.
Port Orange, Volusia County and the District have formed partnerships to buy and develop a series of stormwater parks, where storm water is stored and treated before being discharged into Rose Bay.
The city of Port Orange, with District assistance, has completed a project that allows water from four stormwater ponds to be diverted to the city’s reuse irrigation program. The project reduces the volume of storm water going into Rose Bay by up to 1.2 million gallons of storm water per day, increases the city’s reuse water supply and provides additional floodwater storage capacity.
2. Eliminate leaking septic systems from discharging into Rose Bay.
The communities of Harbor Oaks and Allendale have been annexed into the city of Port Orange. Through the Port Orange Water Utilities and with state legislative assistance, city-supplied sewer service has been provided to residences and businesses in the Rose Bay region.
3. Replace the existing U.S. 1 bridge and remove the current causeway to reestablish natural water exchange in the bay.
FDOT constructed a causeway replacement bridge and removed the old causeway in 2002.
4. Remove the old causeway that is east of U.S. 1.
In 2007, the District and Volusia County completed removal of an abandoned road causeway that bisected the bay and restricted natural water flow and circulation.
5. Remove accumulated sediment to restore estuary habitat.
The District coordinated with the Corps and Volusia County to develop and implement a habitat restoration plan. Completed in 2011, the resulting Corps 206 Program removed accumulated sediments to allow reestablishment of a highly productive oyster-based habitat that once flourished in the bay.
For more information
Contact Paul Haydt, basin program manager, at (386) 329-4303 or phaydt@sjrwmd.com.
Updated on 11-16-2011
