Drainage Design
Since 1985, Drainage Design Services have been provided as a specialty by FDA for
various government and private entities throughout Florida. Our drainage personnel
are committed to providing quality engineering services and project deliverables
meeting the standards and expectations of the client and governing regulatory
agencies.
Notable Projects:
- SR 542 Drainage Complaint Study (Florida Department of Transportation District Seven): This study assessed the existing conditions which resulted in the prolonged roadway overtopping and inundation of SR 542 during the 2004 hurricane season, and studied alternatives to prevent future overtopping. Local perception was that the flooding was a result of discharges from an upstream lake. The study through the analysis of rainfall, stage, and discharge data in addition to assessing historical data, concluded otherwise. The prolonged inundation of SR 542 was attributed to the high tailwater conditions associated with the outfall canal which had been compromised by debris and lack of maintenance.
- SR 78 Roadway Design Project (Florida Department of Transportation District Seven): This project involved the design of 2 miles of roadway drainage infrastructure and two stormwater treatment ponds. The flat project terrain with large contributing offsite areas to the roadside ditches resulted in serious flooding issues for the existing condition. Rerouting a portion of the project drainage to a nearby canal was successfully negotiated with the City of Cape Coral to provide the mutual benefit of increasing their stored water supply and reducing flooding on SR 78. The project also involved special considerations for placement of pond sites due to the location of three bald eagle’s nests within the project area.
- City of Tampa City-Wide Sediment Trap Design: This project resulted from citizen complaints concerning excessive sediment build-up within residential canals which hindered their boating access to the bay. FDA provided design and construction plan services for sixteen sediment traps at various locations within the City. The project included determining the ideal locations for retrofitting the sediment traps onto existing storm sewer outfall pipes, and determining the size of the traps based on the discharge rates from the upstream contributing areas.
