The primary potable drinking water source found in North Central Florida is the fairly shallow Floridan Aquifer; therefore, managing stormwater runoff is a critical issue. In order to properly deal with the problem, the City of Gainesville (City) sought to resolve two problems with one solution. On the proposed site of the Depot Park Stormwater Management Facility, a former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) had left behind a large pit of coal tar, the waste by-product of converting coal to gas. After purchasing the land, the City designating the 35 acre park as a Brownfields area and applied for and was successfully awarded with grant funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Florida Department of Environmental Protection to assess, cleanup, and redevelop the site.

The Depot Park project was estimated to cost $24M, which includes remediation of the site, construction of regional stormwater management facilities, installation of reuse water system for irrigation, and development of recreational components of the park. In order to accomplish their goals, the City partnered with St. John’s Water Management District, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Economic Development Initiative, Florida Communities Trust, the Florida Recreational Trails program, and Gainesville Regional Utilities to secure grant funds totaling almost $3M. Capital Improvement Bonds were issued in the amount of $2.8M and the project moved forward.

Phase 1, the west stormwater pond and recreational trail system, was completed in the spring of 2006. Phase 2, the remediation and east stormwater pond construction, will start in 2008. Phase 3 recreation features will start in early 2009. When completed, the project will have cleaned up a contaminated site, capture and treat stormwater from downtown Gainesville, improve the quality of surface and groundwater affecting the Floridan Aquifer, provide recreational amenities for walking, jogging, cultural activities, and biking, provide passive recreation and culture including nature observation and concerts, revitalize adjacent, historically minority neighborhoods, and preserve and restore the historic Gainesville Train Depot.

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