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River Ridge reviews NPDES filing and discusses decade‑long storm surge resilience planning
Summary
Johnson Engineering confirmed the CDD's NPDES annual report was approved by Lee County and will be submitted to FDEP before the Nov. 1 deadline. The Board also discussed a staff‑led resilience plan and potential multiagency effort to address storm surge risks that could affect nearly half the community in extreme scenarios.
Johnson Engineering reported that the Lee County NPDES Permit FLS000035‑004 Cycle 4 Year 7 Annual Report was reviewed and approved by Lee County and will be submitted to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection ahead of the Nov. 1, 2024 deadline. Staff were instructed to continue into Year 8 because the timeline for a new permit is not yet clear.
District Engineer Charlie Krebs noted that Johnson Engineering attends the Lee County bi‑monthly NPDES meetings and forwards minutes to the District Manager to keep staff apprised of any changing sampling or reporting requirements.
Separately, Eric Long briefed the Board on an action plan to build resilience for storms and climate impacts over the coming five to ten years, including forming an advisory/review panel and coordinating with state, county and village partners. Using a hypothetical 'Hurricane Milton' topographic analysis, Mr. Long said a 10' to 12' storm surge could have flooded an estimated 45% to 55% of the community, and observed that resilience work could take a decade and require multiagency coordination and funding.
Mr. Long requested that the CDD designate Board and staff representatives to help coordinate resilience efforts; the Board agreed that Mr. Long and Mr. Merrill will assist and authorized District Engineer Charlie Krebs to help as necessary. The Board did not adopt any regulatory or funding commitments at the meeting; the discussion focused on planning and coordination.
