Orange County Public Works will soon kick off a construction project worth $23.4 million and aimed at improving the capacity of three major retention ponds in Orlo Vista.
This will be achieved through vertical expansion – deepening each retention pond by approximately 3 meters and reinforcing their banks. The two currently installed pumping systems will be replaced with three more reliable and advanced pumps. This will enable more efficient water pumping into Shingle Creek.
Initially, a cost estimate for $10 million was developed in 2018. Orange County received federal funding for about 75% of this amount and was supposed to cover the rest from its own budget.
As the construction costs rose, the County submitted a request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to increase the project’s budget, whose value eventually doubled. The County was able to procure the additional funding from the federal budget in the amount of $9.15 million. An additional $2.5 million was assigned by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The remaining $4.3 million will be covered by the County.
Now, when the funding is secured, the second phase of construction will begin promptly, in the first quarter of 2023. The work completion is scheduled for 2024.
This project is an essential measure for preventing flooding due to natural disasters, which will increase safety and reliability of real estate investment in this part of Florida.