This week, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the National Stormwater Trust (NST) and Port Tampa Bay (PTB) announced an agreement to provide stormwater equipment that is armed with real-time, data-driven technology that provides visibility, trust and security.
The three organizations pointed to environmental benefits for the Tampa Bay area including an 84 percent increase in flood attenuation volume and a 44 percent increase in nitrogen removal.
“By leveraging real-time weather forecasting and automated controls, the water level in this innovative stormwater pond is actively managed to maximize its water quality treatment and flood protection performance,” said Jeff Littlejohn, the president of business groups of the National Stormwater Trust.
With Port Tampa Bay playing a leading role in easing the supply chain crisis and to ensure 100 percent of the port’s available land could be used to meet the unprecedented expansion of containerized cargo now calling on the port, NST converted an existing FDOT into a Smart Pond.
Environmental and business leaders applauded the use of technology.
“Smart pond technology is a dynamic tool that improves water quality, provides resilient flood protection and will strengthen regional stormwater management,” said Temperince Morgan, the executive director of the Florida Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.
“Smart growth and preservation can work together, and that’s why we enlisted the help of the National Stormwater Trust to provide the latest Smart Pond technology to protect the people, property and environment at Babcock Ranch,” said Syd Kitson, the chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners.
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