Posted on December 20, 2016
By C.T. Bowen, Tampa Bay Times
A federally required environmental study of the proposed Sunwest channel dredge from Aripeka to the Gulf of Mexico could cost as much as $500,000, but neither Pasco County nor its private partner is ready to cover the cost.
Last month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notified the county that its May 18 application to dredge a 60-foot-wide channel through Fillman’s Bayou too closely resembled an earlier proposal rejected by the corps in 2014. Federal regulators ordered the full environmental impact statement, saying the dredge could potentially damage “biological resources including special aquatic sites, endangered species, navigation, essential fish habitat, conservation, water quality, aesthetics and climate change.”
Under federal rules, the Army Corps picks a third-party contractor to conduct the study at the expense of the permit applicant. On Tuesday, commissioners agreed to ask the corps to begin that process to devise a scope of work for the study, with the caveat that the county wasn’t committed to pay for it.
“When we get a true number from the corps, we have the ability to pull out,” County Attorney Jeff Steinsnyder said.
The costs of the permit application, the in-depth environmental study and the eventual dredging — if the corps issues a permit — are the responsibility of the county’s partner, Sunwest Acquisition.
The channel separates the county-owned, but privately operated SunWest Park on the south from Sunwest Acquisition’s land on the north, which is targeted for an upscale residential and resort development called Sunwest Harbourtowne. The county is seeking the dredge in order to add seven boat ramps at its park for public use. Sunwest Acquisition wants the deeper channel to give its property direct access to the Gulf of Mexico and to enhance the marketability of the development.
The Army Corps rejected the previous application in 2014, saying the proposed project was contrary to the public’s interest because the benefits did not outweigh the environmental degradation. The application met strong opposition from environmentalists, who expressed concern over damage to seagrass and near-shore flats fisheries.
Earlier this year, county consultant BCPeabody proposed a shallower, shorter and realigned channel that would damage up to 45 percent less seagrass than the earlier plan. But, the newer proposal still could damage 14.6 acres of seagrass, which helped spur the federal mandate for the more thorough environmental study.
The $500,000 cost estimate is based on county conversations with both the Army Corps and with BCPeabody, said Kelley Boree, Pasco’s director of parks, recreation and natural resources. Sunwest Acquisition, however, believes the expense will be lower and asked the county to proceed, Boree said.
However, Sunwest Acquisition’s Gary Grubbs hasn’t committed to paying the tab if it mirrors the $500,000 estimate, Boree said. Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said she favored sending the request to the corps, but wanted to be sure the county didn’t get stuck with the tab. No other commissioners commented.
County Administrator Michele Baker said previously she would not recommend that the commission pay the costs if Grubbs declined to do so.
Source: Tampa Bay Times
