2012 FDOT Mitigation Plan - Southwest Florida Water Management ...

REGIONAL MITIGATION PLAN
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Mitigation Project Name: Gateway Restoration Project Number: SW 45
County: Pinellas
Location: Sec. 12, T30S, R16E
IMPACT INFORMATION
(1) FM: 2569051, SR 679 (Bayway), Bunces Bridge DEP #: 52-0148752-001 COE #:199100289 (IP-AM)
(2) FM: 2588701, I-275-Roosevelt to Big Island Gap ERP #: 43001034.006 COE #:199402523 (IP-ES)
(3) FM: 2556301, SR 60, Courtney Campbell to Fish Creek ERP #: 43000920.005 COE #:200105084 (IP-MN) (4)
FM: 2570931, SR 60, Clearwater Harbor Bridge Replace ERP #: 44021540.001COE #: 200024966 (IP-TF)
(5) FM: 4062531, SR 686 (Roosevelt) at 49 th Street ERP #: 44007482.012 COE #:200206320 (NW 14)
(6) FM: 2557341, SR 676-Maritime Blvd. to SR 60 ERP #: 4413736.003 COE #:199502501 (IP-ES)
(7) FM: 2583981, I-275, Howard Franklin to Himes Ave. ERP #: 43002958.006 COE #:20053876 (IP-JF)
Drainage Basin: Tampa Bay Drainage Water Body(s): McKay Bay, Bunces Pass, Clearwater Harbor, Boca Ciega
Bay, Anclote River, Lake Tarpon, Curlew Creek, Cross Bayou Canal, Fish Creek, Tampa Bay
SWIM
water body? Y, referenced water bodies connect to Tampa Bay.
MITIGATION ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Mitigation Type: Restoration and enhancement
Mitigation Area: 106.3 acres
SWIM project? Y Aquatic Plant Control project? N Exotic Plant Control Project? Y
Mitigation Bank? N Drainage Basin(s): Tampa Bay Drainage Basin SWIM water body? Y
Project Description
A. Overall project goal: To restore and enhance estuarine wetland and coastal upland habitats within the Gateway
Tract owned and managed by Pinellas County Environmental Management (Figure A).
B. Brief description of pre-construction conditions: The project area includes the western half of the Gateway
“North Tract” and the entire “South Tract” (Figures B & C). The majority of the earthwork construction areas within both
tracts included uplands that were heavily dominated by Melaleuca and Brazilian pepper. The majority of the uplands
within the north tract had fill material placed on historic estuarine wetland habitat. Within the north central area of the
north tract, the designated mitigation area includes include mangrove habitat with an extensive "checkerboard"
mosquito-ditch system. The spoil mounds adjacent to the ditches had extensive and dense coverage of Brazilian
pepper.
C. Brief description of construction activities and habitat conditions: Restoration commenced with herbicide
eradication and mechanical removal of the exotic vegetation in early 2004 (Figure B). Proper erosion control methods
were installed, followed by necessary earthwork activities in the upland areas to create lagoons and salt-marsh habitat.
A few of the ditch and adjacent spoil mounds were regraded to create channels necessary to improve tidal connectivity
to Tampa Bay. For the first time conducted in Florida, a unique spoil removal method was also applied to the
construction effort. Referred to as "hydroblasting," this method was utilized in order to gain access into the mangroves
without impacts that would otherwise occur with traditional construction equipment. Hydroblasting uses traditional pumps
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