BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LEON COUNTY, FLORIDA

PCM130104 Timberlane Road near the Market District
stormwater management systems. Redevelopment of these parcels will also offer the opportunity
to incorporate landscape areas into the site, which would both shade the vehicular use area and
lower the temperature of the runoff into Lake Jackson. It is anticipated that these changes will
improve the water quality of stormwater runoff entering Lake Jackson.
Regional Stormwater Treatment
As a result of the concerns over the impacts to Lake Jackson from untreated stormwater runoff
from developed areas, a number of studies and plans have been developed by local and state
government over the last several decades. The Lake Jackson Regional Stormwater Retrofit Plan
was developed by the Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD), FDEP, Leon
County, and the City of Tallahassee in 1992. A more comprehensive Lake Jackson Management
Plan (also known as the Lake Jackson Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM)
Plan) was developed in the 1994 by NWFWMD to preserve the undisturbed portions of the Lake
Jackson watershed, and restore those areas that are already polluted or under stress. An update
and addendum to this plan was published in 1997. Priorities of the Lake Jackson SWIM plan
include:
Improve and maintain water quality in Lake Jackson to preserve environment, fisheries
and recreation.
Preserve the undisturbed portions of the Lake Jackson watershed by developing a
comprehensive management plan for the entire watershed.
Restore the polluted portions of the lake through constructing and operating regional
stormwater treatment facilities throughout the watershed.
Work with federal, state and local governmental agencies to acquire and manage
environmentally sensitive land in the Lake Jackson watershed.
Increase public awareness and participation in the management of the lake and its
uplands.
Develop a plan to remove nutrient-laden sediments during a natural drawdown of the
lake.
Leon County worked with the Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) to
design and construct the following regional retrofit facilities identified in the Lake Jackson
SWIM plan: Megginnis Creek, I-10, Okeeheepkee Area, and Yorktown Pond. The
Okeeheepkee Area facility constructed north of Fuller Road was enhanced by the additional
treatment facility built by Leon County south of Fuller Road. The frequent flooding in the
Jackson Heights neighborhood created federal funding eligibility to acquire several homesites.
These parcels were combined to construct flood attenuation and water quality facilities, replacing
the stormwater retrofit originally proposed at Lake Charles and Cynthia Pond.
The Lake Jackson drawdown of 1999 presented the opportunity for lake sediment removal.
Construction funds budgeted for the Rhoden Cove and Lexington facilities were added to state
grant funds so that Leon County staff and private contractors could remove over 2 million cubic
yards of sediment.
Leon County pursued funding through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Rhoden Cove
and Lexington facilities, and then was able to successfully obtain funding from the Water
Quality Program Funds from the Blueprint 2000 Sales Tax Extension. Comprehensive Plan
Page 460 of 622 Posted at 5:00 p.m. on April 1, 2013
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Attachment #5
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