THE RENAISSANCE PROJECT – AN INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT APPROACH

The Renaissance Project is an integrated water resource management plan for diverting runoff from a 375-acre urban watershed and conveying the water through a settling basin and wetlands eventually to come part of the City's potable water supply. It is a model for regional sustainability of water resources while enhancing the environment. The Renaissance Project has been developed with the combined expertise of City staff, local engineering consultants and other governmental agencies, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). The Project also embodies the principles of the Governor's Commission for a Sustainable South Florida's Eastward Ho! Initiative to encourage development along the East Coast. Once implemented, the Project will:Reduce damaging freshwater “slugs” and pollutant load impacts to the Lake Worth Lagoon by diveConvert the captured runoff into raw water supply,Provide increased flood protection to low-lying areas within the inner City of West Palm Beach, andFulfill water quality and quantity and dry pretreatment requirements for the upcoming CityPlace development and the Palm Beach County Convention Center.Phase I of the Project consists of an upstream diversion and treatment facility to redirect storm water that would otherwise be discharged into the Lagoon. Phase I includes facilities necessary to pretreat the first one half inch of runoff through dry retention. Phase 2 of the Renaissance Project includes facilities to collect and treat all runoff from the watershed and store it within the southern lobe of Clear Lake.