Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) are constructed living wetlands divided into flow-through treatment cells that remove nutrients from agricultural and urban runoff water, especially after major storms, prior to discharge to our creeks and rivers.

Project Highlights

In the face of increasingly intense storms and rising sea levels, effective and functioning stormwater systems are critical to avoid flooding and any of the damages associated with it. Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) are constructed living wetlands divided into flow-through treatment cells that remove nutrients from agricultural and urban runoff water, especially after major storms, prior to discharge to our creeks and rivers.

With sea levels rising, high tides, and storms, the water levels at the receiving end of the system (our estuaries) are higher than that of the treatment area and the saltwater creeps in, causing tidal backflow.

This tidal backflow results in saltwater moving into the STA and taking up space typically available for stormwater runoff. Martin County’s Golden Gate STA, built in 2003, has received recent resilience funding through the State of Florida to address such issues.

Currently, tidal backflow in the north outfall canal for the STA results in storage reduction of the lake and increasing salinity. The county will construct a new weir structure to protect this outfall.

It will also restore portions of the outfall canal utilizing nature-based solutions for erosion control and water quality. The overall goal of this project is to reduce saltwater intrusion within the STA, increase stormwater storage capacity, and improve water quality within the basins associated with this outfall.

Project design is estimated to begin in 2022.

The outfall canal will be restored with natural solutions for erosion control, such as American Eelgrass (Vallisneria Americana) or Widgeon Grass (Ruppia Maritima).