Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater Flooding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident presses Edgewater staff on flooding risks as city debates stricter stormwater standards
Summary
A resident questioned whether planned infill and new developments will meaningfully reduce flooding, while Development Services Director Ryan Solstice explained the city's 100-year storm retention standard, differences between open- and closed-basin analyses, and trade-offs that can force additional fill or loss of lots.
At the City of Edgewater comprehensive-plan kickoff, a resident challenged staff to explain how the wave of proposed developments would prevent neighborhood flooding, saying the post-development channelized runoff would simply move floodwaters into neighbors' yards or homes.
"All of these places are going to be infilled, going to go impervious, retain some water. All of which we're doing thus far and then the best of it is going to go somewhere," the resident said, expressing skepticism that mitigation will prevent increased flooding.
Ryan Solstice, the Development Services Director, explained the city's stormwater approach and the trade-offs being considered. He said the city requires a 100-year storm-event standard (13.1 inches retained) while the St. Johns River Water Management District typically measures to a 25-year storm event, and the city code requires developers to reduce post-development discharge by 10% (the city allows 90% of pre-development discharge in some contexts). Solstice described the difference between open-basin and closed-basin analysis: in open basins some flow is discharged to public conveyance; in closed basins discharge must be retained.
Solstice warned that stricter retention standards often force developers to increase fill or use larger horizontal ponds, which can reduce the number of lots. He listed alternatives the city may encourage or require, including increased open space, stem walls, stilts, perimeter swales, and use of wetland cells to manage reclaimed water during high-flow periods. He also noted the city uses third-party engineering review and that stormwater calculations are provided by developers and reviewed externally.
The exchange underscored a central tension for the comp-plan update: tighter stormwater standards can protect downstream properties and reduce runoff, but they may also require design changes that reduce developable land or change housing form. The public workshop sessions will include discussions about stormwater trade-offs and design options.
