Old Tampa Bay Tidal Circulation Water Quality Improvements

In highly urban areas, large transportation projects often spend tens of millions of dollars purchasing right-of-way for stormwater management, including the purchase of developed property to be demolished to construct ponds. In lieu of traditional stormwater BMP's, Atkins and FDOT looked at an area of Old Tampa Bay that has historically had poor water quality and evaluated improving this offsite area to compensate for other projects that drain to Tampa Bay. This paper explores that, after more than two years of in-situ study, modeling and coordination with multiple agencies, Atkins and FDOT have established a new tidal connection through the SR 60/Courtney Campbell Causeway to improve water quality north of the causeway and create an ecological uplift that is conducive to seagrass growth.