The construction of a new coastal stormwater management system will soon resume in Naples.
To mark the occasion, the city is inviting the public to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the next phase of the multimillion-dollar project.
The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Oct. 15, at the Third Avenue North beach end.
The city’s public works director has described the project as a “massive” undertaking. It will include the installation of about 6,000 feet of new stormwater pipes, varying in size from 24 to 54 inches.
The project will remove eight of the stormwater outfalls – or large pipes – lining the city’s beaches, as directed by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection more than a decade ago.
The new management system, including two new pumps, is designed to reduce street flooding, water pollution and beach erosion. It will pump excess water 1,500 feet into the Gulf of Mexico, through new underground drainage pipes.
Planning for the project began in 2011 after the Florida Department of Environmental Protection notified the city that if it didn’t take action the state agency would no longer approve permits for beach renourishment — or restoration — in Naples.