SWFWMD Funds Tarpon Woods Flood Control Projects

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board voted Oct. 6 to fund three projects to help reduce flooding in East Lake's Tarpon Woods subdivision. The cost of the $1.9 million in projects will be funded equally by the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board and Pinellas County.

Pinellas County requested funding for the projects outside the typical funding cycle to provide some flooding relief to the community before the next rainy season. The Tarpon Woods area, which has historically experienced flooding problems, experienced flooding again this summer.

The District completed the Brooker Creek Watershed Management Plan in July, which identified projects that would improve the hydrology of wetlands in the Brooker Creek Preserve and provide additional flood protection in the Tarpon Woods area. District scientists created a computer model for the Brooker Creek watershed, an area covering approximately 46 square miles.