Eufaula Outfall Treatment Unit – RESTORE

PROJECT STATUS: 

5.8.25: The staff is working with the Hazardous Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to secure additional funding for this project. Additionally, they have prepared a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for an Alternative Stormwater Analysis of the Gilmore Basin area, which aims to explore alternative solutions to flooding in that region.

2.5.2025 On February 3, 2025, the City Council voted to reject all bids for the Eufaula Outfall and it was decided not to construct this outfall. Instead, Council authorized staff to prepare an RFQ for Storm Hardening to the Gilmore Basin.

12.5.2024 This project will be presented to City Council on January 21, 2025 to award the bid.

10.3.2024 Bid opening today. The city received four bids, with the lowest bid totaling $1,135,742. The bids will be presented to the city council for award determination.

9.10.2024 - Project is currently in the bidding phase. Bid opening is scheduled for September 26, October 3, 2024 at 2:00 pm.

7.18.2024 - Staff is waiting for the approval to advertise the invitation to bid - The City Attorney needs to complete the review. 

6.13.2024 - Final plans received from BDI. The city and Santa Rosa County are currently reviewing all bid documents. Once approved, the project will be advertised. 

PROJECT OUTLOOK AS OF JANUARY 8, 2024: 

On January 16, 2024, City Council approved the new task order with BDI to update the bid documents for the Eufaula Treatment Unit project.
City Staff continues to work with BDI to update the bid documents for the re-advertisement of the project.

The Eufaula Stormwater management system will be composed of a valve to control flood stage backflow, a treatment unit, a stilling basin to capture suspended solids and stabilized side slopes using riprap and native vegetation to provide ecologically beneficial features to the proposed improvements.

BACKGROUND: 

The flooding of April 2014 damaged over 300 homes, caused damage to the utility infrastructure and created health hazards from flooded septic tanks. As a result, the City Council formed a Stormwater Task Force to address potential solutions for the many basins affected within the City.

The City received RESTORE Act grant funding for a project to improve the water quality of the Zamarra Canal inlet near Eufaula Street. The area is the discharge point of the lift station from the Gilmore Basin and the stormwater runoff from Shoreline Drive and Eufaula Street. To improve the waterway, the city sought grant funding for an outfall treatment system to reduce trash and pollutants in the bayou. The Treasury Department has funded this application, and the project can be re-bid for construction. The Gilmore Basin project will require outfall treatment, which can be provided for by the Eufaula Outfall grant.

The project was originally bid with the outfall, gravity pipe, water, and sewer improvements. Two bids were received on March 8, 2022, with the lowest being $6.7 million. This was above the budget amount, and no action was taken; however, in order to complete the outfall project with the 50% grant funding, staff was approved to rebid the project and only advertise the grant-funded outfall as the base bid, and the gravity outfall pipe to the area north of Shoreline Drive as an alternate bid. The water and sewer portions of the work will be rebid as a separate project.

Financing for this portion of the project will be funded through the stormwater utility revenue.