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District outlines Lafayette Barker 'stormwater park' to reduce downtown detention costs
Summary
Engineers presented a regional detention 'stormwater park' alternative for the Lafayette Barker outfall that would use a lower-cost 36-inch sewer and detention basin to capture stormwater, create sellable detention credits for downtown developers, and reduce need for deep piles and expensive concrete outfall work.
District engineering staff unveiled a concept July 22 that would convert a low-lying, contaminated redevelopment parcel at Lafayette Barker into a regional stormwater detention site, reducing the need for a costly conventional outfall and allowing developers downtown to buy detention credits instead of constructing on-site ponds or expensive underground storage.
Watts (district engineer) explained that soils near the current outfall have "very low, severely low load bearing capacity," requiring pile foundations and expensive concrete work for a traditional outfall. He said an alternative approach would be to install a 36-inch concrete drain for smaller storms and construct a detention basin for larger events so the design avoids heavy structural needs. "We can install about a 36 inches drain from that sewer all the way to the creek," he said.
Staff described the concept as a regional detention model tested elsewhere: district-owned storage could be sold as credits to downtown developers, potentially offsetting the cost of construction and creating a nonreverting maintenance fund. The board asked for cost comparisons; staff said 30% drawings will be produced by year-end and that modeling of storm separation cost savings will be presented at the upcoming public workshop tied to the rate process.
