National Stormwater Trust recently completed its second Smart Pond installation utilizing Rubicon automated water control technology at a mixed-use development in Fleming Island, Florida.
The project follows NST’s first Rubicon installation at FDOT’s SR 43 Pond 29 and represents another step in expanding the range of automated control technologies available within NST’s Smart Pond toolbox.
This installation also demonstrates a different application for the technology. While the SR 43 project involved public transportation infrastructure, this is a privately owned mixed-use development where efficient use of land and stormwater infrastructure are important parts of the overall site design.
Getting More from the Existing Stormwater System
The mixed-use development covers an approximately 18.9-acre project in Clay County. The stormwater system includes two treatment ponds, with the Smart Pond improvements focused on Pond A.
The underlying design uses automated outlet control to change how water is managed within the pond. Rather than allowing the facility to operate only as a passive system, automated control provides the ability to manage pond stages and discharge based on operating conditions.
That additional control can increase detention time for water-quality treatment while preserving the storage needed for larger storm events. In this case, the improved treatment efficiency also supports a site design that reduces the land area dedicated to Pond A and makes additional portions of the property available for development.
Adding Rubicon to the Smart Pond Toolbox
The installation incorporates Rubicon automated water-control equipment along with the controller, communications, solar power, and related infrastructure needed to operate the system remotely.
This is NST’s second field installation using Rubicon technology. The first was completed earlier this year at FDOT’s SR 43 Pond 29 in Hillsborough County.
The value of adding another technology platform is flexibility. Stormwater facilities vary considerably in configuration, hydraulic conditions, operating objectives, and ownership. NST’s approach is to select and integrate reliable, field-proven equipment that fits the needs of the individual facility rather than forcing every project into the same equipment configuration.
From Design to Construction
Construction activities at the development included installation of the automated control equipment and the associated structural and control infrastructure at Pond A.
As with other Smart Pond retrofits, much of the value comes from improving infrastructure that is already serving the property. The objective is not to replace the stormwater system. It is to make that system operate more intelligently and extract additional performance from the existing asset.
Looking Ahead
This mixed-use development project is expected to be the second of several upcoming NST projects utilizing Rubicon technology.
As Florida moves toward higher stormwater treatment standards and a more performance-based regulatory framework, the ability to improve existing facilities will become increasingly valuable. Smart Pond technology provides one practical way to increase treatment performance, improve operational flexibility, and make more efficient use of land without defaulting to larger conventional stormwater facilities.
For NST, this installation is another step toward making intelligent, actively managed stormwater infrastructure a routine option for both public and private projects throughout Florida.