The City of Archer, Florida, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, March 16, at 11 am for the Holly Hills Water Quality Improvement and Stormwater Mitigation Project, a major stormwater management initiative designed to reduce neighborhood flooding and improve water quality. The event will take place at the project site (SW 128th Place just west of Barn Street) in the Holly Hills neighborhood at 11 am.

Designed by Dewberry, the improvement project will address persistent, localized flooding in the Holly Hills neighborhood. The City of Archer does not have a central wastewater treatment facility. When flooding occurs, stormwater can inundate septic tanks; with little treatment, the low-quality stormwater then flows into a nearby relic sinkhole. As part of the Santa Fe Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP), the project will improve the collection of stormwater, enhance water quality, and reduce localized flooding. Specific measures include increasing the size and depth of existing retention ponds, removing connections from the ponds to the on-site sinkhole, and installing a "sand chimney" to improve percolation. Additional improvements will include the installation of bioswales, or roadside swales planted with wetland vegetation to improve nutrient removal rates.

The project has a public education component as well, involving education for residents about how Archer is improving water quality and reducing flooding in the area. The project is being funded through a partnership of the Suwanee River Water Management District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the City of Archer.

"Community support through projects, especially flood prevention, is a core mission of the District," said Hugh Thomas, executive director for the Suwannee River Water Management District. "Being in the Santa Fe BMAP, this project also provides valuable water quality benefits as well."

"The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's TMDL grant funding allows us to partner with communities for projects like Holly Hills to reduce the amount of nutrients introduced into the Santa Fe River Basin," said Tom Kallemeyn, permitting program administrator for the Northeast District. "This project also provides a required remedy to control flooding for residents of this area."

Carter Excavating, Inc., will serve as the general contractor. Construction is estimated to be complete by July. Dewberry will conduct monitoring for a period of 18 months following construction to measure water quality improvement.