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Orange Park council hears stormwater update as residents raise concerns about Johnson Slough
Summary
Public works director presented a multi-year stormwater program, vulnerability assessment and DEP grant use; a resident urged caution on Johnson Slough work citing wetlands and local match concerns.
Public works director Kyle Crocey told the Town of Orange Park Council on Jan. 20 that the town has a multi-year plan for stormwater work focused first on the Johnson Slough mouth and then upstream crossings at Shaw, Morgan and San Robar.
Crocey said the town submitted a vulnerability assessment prepared with Jones Edmunds to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and that the town received a $150,000 DEP grant with a $10,000 town match to support immediate project identification. He described photos of recurring high tides and routine rain events that inundate Plainfield, Nelson Drive and Dogwood Lane and said the town will combine culvert repairs, headwall replacement and dredging projects in a planned five-year sequence.
The update also covered a lead service line inventory that showed more than 80% of Orange Park structures predate 1989 and that the stormwater crew has four of five authorized positions filled. Crocey said the town is seeking grant assistance, planning lift-station rehabs (Windigate, Holly Point, Reed Street) and purchasing emergency generators for critical facilities. He described operational work crews clearing vegetation and culverts while capital projects proceed under design.
Resident and public-comment speaker George Bush urged the council to reconsider heavy engineering and road-building in Johnson Slough wetlands and asked where the town’s matching funds would come from. The town manager told Bush staff would follow up by the end of the week about funding questions. Crocey and council members reiterated that projects without grant funding will be prioritized in future budgets and that grant partners could include DEP and the St. Johns River Water Management District.
Council members asked about the state permitting timeline for Winford construction; Crocey said permits are submitted and the town is waiting on FDEM (Florida Division of Emergency Management) approval. Crocey said the town’s vulnerability report listing critical assets is available online and noted the master planning work for the public works compound and lift-station resiliency was underway.
The presentation included operational details: about five stormwater positions (four filled), lead-service-line inventory results by building year bands (over 80% older than 1989; over 75% older than 1965), and a prioritization sequence beginning at the mouth of Johnson Slough and moving upstream. Crocey described the need to remove roughly four feet of organic sediment from some channels and to repair failing culvert headwalls where tree roots have damaged structures.
The council did not take formal action during the presentation; Crocey said staff will pursue grant applications and include unfunded projects in upcoming budget discussions.
