WOODLAKE SHOPPING PROJECT USING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO PROTECT THE RESERVOIR

HAL is supportive of the recent engineering and extra environmental measures taken to protect the reservoir from the run off of Woodlake Commons Shopping Center, a 24 acre commercial site. If successful, the project could serve as a model for future projects.

The new shopping center project at the entrance to Woodlake will be built on a 23.7 acre tract of land just west of Woodlake Village Parkway at Hull Street Road.

The tract is environmentally sensitive because of its proximity to the reservoir. The property has very steep slopes which can generate excess runoff during construction. To compensate, the county required extra measures be used to prevent sediment and phosphorus from entering the reservoir:

1. The project is split into four separate sequences or phases of

construction. This is designed to minimize the amount of land disturbed at any one time. The start of the next phase requires completion of the previous phase.

2. The project will utilize two oversize sediment basins on the construction site to capture the run off and treat it. These basins are 25% larger than the minimum required by state code.

3. Anionic PAM is utilized to coagulate the small sediment particles into larger ones to make the environmental barriers work near 95% efficiency.

[Note: Based on positive experience in other states, HAL has been an avid promoter of the use of this PAM in the watershed to get clean water.]

4. Extra environmental measures are required for critical areas. The project uses double silt fencing, environmental fabrics to hold seed in place for stabilization, mulch treated with PAM over a jute mesh etc.

5. If all these measures fail, then any silt laden runoff will be captured by the fenced off section of the reservoir around the inlet culvert that runs under Woodlake Village Parkway. Attached photos #1 and #2 show a general view of this area; photo #3 shows details of the filter fabric for the dam. The plan is to remove any sediment captured in this section before the dam is removed. 

 Photo # 4 was taken in December 2003 at the opposite end of the reservoir and shows what can happen when inadequate measures are taking to prevent soil erosion during construction.