The Pasco County Commission has approved a cooperative grant agreement between the county and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), relating to cleaning up debris in New River, in an area of Wesley Chapel.
The agreement calls for the project cost not to exceed $1,799,712, according to materials in the county board’s Sept. 19 agenda packet.
The project funding is related to damage caused by Hurricane Ian, which caused a significant amount of damage in the New River waterway, on Sept. 28, 2022.
Hurricane Ian littered the waterway with debris, branches and fallen trees, in an area between Betts Drive and Creek Road.
That debris impeded the river’s flow and has created potential risks to life and/or property.
The county’s public works department is undertaking a project to restore the impacted section of the New River to pre-storm conditions by removing the debris, branches and fallen trees.
The public works department applied for a grant from the NRCS to help pay for the project, under the Emergency Watershed Protection Program of the federal Flood Control Act of 1950.
The public works department received word on April 17, 2023, that its grant had been approved.
Under the grant, the NRCS will provide 75% of construction costs, which totals $1,249,800, and all technical assistance costs up to 8% of construction costs, up to $133,3120, for a total of up to $1,383,112 in federal funding.
The county is expected to provide the remaining 25% of the cost, which equals $416,600, as well as any technical assistance costs that exceed the federally funded amount.
The cooperative grant is a cost reimbursement grant.
The county will spend the budgeted funds and then request reimbursement. The county has until March 1, 2024 to complete the eligible work.
Published October 04, 2023
