Category: News

The future of stormwater management has arrived in the Tampa Bay region, providing homes, businesses and the waters of Tampa Bay with maximum water quality treatment and flood protection performance.

Thanks to an agreement between the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the National Stormwater Trust (NST) partnered with Port Tampa Bay (PTB) to provide solution-oriented stormwater equipment that is armed with real-time, data-driven technology that provides visibility, trust and security.

“By leveraging real-time weather forecasting and automated controls, the water level in this innovative stormwater pond is actively managed to maximize its water quality treatment and flood protection performance,” said Jeff Littlejohn, P.E., National Stormwater Trust President of Business Groups.

With Port Tampa Bay playing a leading role in easing the supply chain crisis, and to ensure 100 percent of the Port’s available land could be used to meet the unprecedented expansion of containerized cargo now calling on the port, NST converted an existing FDOT into a Smart Pond.

Environmental leaders agree that this technology is the future of stormwater management.

“Smart pond technology is a dynamic tool that improves water quality, provides resilient flood protection and will strengthen regional stormwater management,” said Temperince Morgan, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy, Florida Chapter.

The National Stormwater Trust has a track record of success. Babcock Ranch enlisted NST to further strengthen this planned living community where technology and nature work together.

“Smart growth and preservation can work together, and that’s why we enlisted the help of the National Stormwater Trust to provide the latest Smart Pond technology to protect the people, property and environment at Babcock Ranch,” said Syd Kitson, Chairman/CEO, Kitson & Partners.

The National Stormwater Trust, along with the automated controls developed by OptiRTC, are ideal for public as well as private stormwater development needs.

National Stormwater Trust is providing new, resilient stormwater technology installations on Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) ponds in the Tampa Bay watershed! Have questions? Below are a few quick Q&As if you are currently developing a real estate project in the Greater Tampa Bay area [less than a 1-minute read]:

Q: Can I buy offsite stormwater treatment capacity instead of building a pond in my development?  A: Yes, in most cases for commercial, industrial, or multi-family developments in and around the Tampa Bay Area, you can buy stormwater treatment capacity from us and use all of your property for development. This eliminates maintenance and risk management headaches of traditional stormwater ponds and vaults.

Q: Do I have to pipe the runoff from my development to the NST pond?  A: No, you do not have to pipe your stormwater runoff to a FDOT pond and, in many cases, you can discharge directly to a tidally influence waterbody without any onsite attenuation.

Q: How can I buy offsite stormwater treatment capacity from the NST-FDOT public-private partnership?  A: Direct message NST on LinkedIn, contact Mark Thomasson at mpt@nationalstormwater.com, or contact us through our website: www.nationalstormwater.com and we will get right back with you. We can even help your development team quickly estimate the amount of treatment capacity that you will need and will work with your architect or engineer to answer any questions.

Q: What is the process and how complicated is the purchase?  A: It is not complicated at all! First, we send you a reservation agreement for the treatment capacity that you need, then we modify one of our permits to permit your stormwater treatment capacity in an FDOT stormwater pond. You pay one lump sum fee for only the treatment capacity that you need, which eliminates the time and cost of constructing your own pond and all future operation, maintenance, and repair expenses. The entire process is usually complete in 30 to 60 days.

Q: Is the price reasonable?  A: Yes! The typical pricing is around the same or less than the cost to build a traditional stormwater pond and infrastructure, and far less than vault infrastructure. Also, it frees up somewhere between 10 to 15% of your property for development, and you have no long term, recurring operation, repair, or maintenance costs.

Q: What size projects can you handle?  A: We can handle stormwater treatment capacity for any size project, from a fast-food restaurant to a large, multi-tract commercial, residential, or industrial development project (and everything in between).

Q: Can NST manage our current stormwater ponds or help us eliminate them through this program?  A: Yes! NST can professionally manage your existing ponds and improve them with currently available technology to increase capacity, reduce flooding risk, and improve the removal of harmful nutrients. If you would like to remove and redevelop an existing pond and replace it with offsite stormwater treatment, please get in touch with us and we will help you develop a plan.

Contact us today to get started on your offsite stormwater project!

Jackson is joining NST as a Junior Engineer working on NST’s public-private stormwater partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation, opening new markets, and solving stormwater issues for Florida’s airports, seaports, and community developments. Jackson will be identifying and developing new stormwater infrastructure to expand our inventory of compensating treatment and flood mitigation volume. Originally from Buckley, Michigan, Jackson began his professional career at Greenman-Pederson, Inc. (GPI) after graduating in 2020 from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in Tallahassee, Florida. We could not be happier that Jackson is our first hire from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering program. He is a welcome and valuable addition to the NST team.

We’re thrilled to be supporting Tampa International Airport as it expands and improves its aviation refueling infrastructure. By providing cost-effective, offsite stormwater treatment services through our stormwater partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation, we were able to relocate the stormwater treatment away from the airport and reduce the project construction costs.

Thank you to Keith Fleming and Richard Coudurier at the Airport and Madelyn Tackett at Currier & Company, Inc. for your support.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 20. 2020

National Stormwater Trust, Inc. (NST) is a stormwater management company that assumes the operation of existing stormwater ponds and deploys technology solutions from Opti to provide state-of-the-art stormwater treatment services that minimize operation and maintenance costs, reduce the risk of flooding, and benefit the environment.

By partnering with Opti and taking advantage of its market-leading expertise, NST can quickly and efficiently retrofit stormwater ponds with Opti equipment that enables remote operation and control thru Opti’s online software platform. Opti and NST can convert a conventional pond into a “smart pond,” improving its operational efficiency and water quality and flood control benefits. The smart pond technology proactively manages the collection, storage, and discharge of stormwater and provides real-time data that verifies water quality. Opti-equipped stormwater facilities are at least 60% more effective in treating stormwater than passive facilities, and Opti technology is 50% less expensive than traditional water quality enhancement methods.

NST’s exclusive public-private partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) provides the opportunity to retrofit FDOT stormwater facilities with “smart pond” technology from Opti.

“We are proud and excited to be part of the NST–FDOT team.  This innovative program will accelerate water quality improvements for the State of Florida.  Private landowners and developers have a unique opportunity to improve our environment in a very economical and resilient manner.” Says David Rubinstein, Opti’s CEO.

ABOUT NST

NST, headquartered in Tallahassee, FL, can fully develop and manage existing stormwater facilities and create and oversee a program to generate incremental revenue to offset operation and management costs for entities like airports, seaports, state and local governments, education campuses, businesses, industrial and commercial parks, and retail and residential developments.

ABOUT Opti

OptiRTC, Inc., headquartered in Boston, MA, enables healthy watersheds and flood resilient communities. Local governments and commercial landowners across the US use Opti to proactively manage storm events and water resources and foster a more sustainable environment. Using weather forecasting and IoT technology, Opti solutions deliver predictive stormwater runoff control and insights into changing watershed conditions, providing water management professionals with peace of mind, especially when storms are on the horizon.

For more information email Jeff Littlejohn or call 850-363-9644.

Seller: National Stormwater Trust, Inc. (“NST”) (by and through its public private partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (“FDOT”))

Date available: July 31, 2020 (immediate availability)

Amount available: 0.45 acre-ft of stormwater treatment capacity (in smaller increments, if desired)

Basin: Tampa Bay Watershed (see applicable basin map below)

Type: Compensatory (non-physical hook up) and permitted in an FDOT stormwater facility

Timing: Capacity is already constructed and available for transfer

Maintenance: Long term maintenance costs of the stormwater facility and related equipment are fully covered by NST and FDOT

Reservation: Yes, contact us for terms and other details

Offering: Reservations are accepted, but a contract to purchase takes priority over a reservation agreement

Listing: First come, first served. This offer and listing will expire without further notice if withdrawn by NST or the treatment capacity is sold or reserved. This offer is subject to NST’s approval and execution of a reservation agreement or purchase contract with the purchaser.

Executive Summary

In the second half of 2019, FDOT entered into an exclusive public private partnership (“P3”) with NST allowing NST to utilize, create, sell, and permit excess stormwater treatment capacity in FDOT stormwater ponds located in FDOT Districts 1, 5, and 7. This treatment capacity may be purchased and permitted by real estate owners and developers desiring offsite treatment capacity for their development projects, thus allowing a property owner or developer to (i) avoid onsite stormwater infrastructure, (ii) utilize all of the real property for development or parking, and (iii) avoid all long term maintenance and regulatory costs and obligations associated with traditional onsite stormwater infrastructure.

For Assistance and Questions, Please Contact: Jeff Littlejohn at jml@nationalstormwater.com.

Tampa Bay Basin Service Area

Whether you’re planning to attend in person or virtually, we hope you’ll join our speakers at this year’s conference to learn more about the latest innovations in stormwater management and technology!

Mark Thomasson, PE, Principal Stormwater Engineer, National Stormwater Trust

• Innovative Solutions to Stormwater Management
• Course “TT” Wednesday, July 22, 3:30-5:10p

Jack Fiveash, CEO, National Stormwater Trust

•  Using Public Private Partnerships to Solve Florida’s Water Challenges
•  Course “RR” Thursday, July 23, 1:30-3:10p

Matt Rea, Strategic Partnerships Manager, OptiRTC

• Advanced Stormwater Treatment BMPs to Reduce Runoff Volumes and Nutrients in Surface Water Discharges
• Course “EE” Friday, July 24, 8:30-10:10a

Register for the conference here.

Learn more about National Stormwater Trust.

Learn more about OptiRTC.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 9, 2020

Tallahassee, FL – National Stormwater Trust, Inc. (NST) now offers Florida businesses and public operations that manage stormwater an exclusive off-site stormwater program that cuts costs and improves asset value for clients. Through an exclusive public-private partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), NST develops, permits, and operates off-site stormwater treatment capacity in FDOT stormwater facilities that are retrofitted by NST with “smart pond” technology. Through this partnership with FDOT, NST clients can permanently reserve off-site stormwater treatment capacity to satisfy their stormwater treatment requirements without having to set aside their own valuable real estate for a stormwater facility.

NST’s off-site approach allows clients to avoid ongoing, long-term costs associated with stormwater facility operation and maintenance and enables them to develop all of their property without permanently locking away the land and capital usually required for a new development’s stormwater treatment infrastructure. Also, a client’s existing stormwater ponds can be decommissioned and re-developed after the treatment capacity is permitted and moved to an off-site, NST-managed facility.

Relocating stormwater treatment to off-site “smart ponds” provides improved operational efficiency and water quality and flood control benefits. In late 2019, NST opened the off-site stormwater market in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Manatee counties, including two approved projects at the Tampa International Airport. NST will be opening an inventory of stormwater facilities along the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Daytona in the next 90 days.

National Stormwater Trust, Inc., headquartered in Tallahassee, FL, is a stormwater management company that operates stormwater ponds and deploys technology solutions from OptiRTC, Inc. (Opti) to provide state-of-the-art stormwater treatment services. Opti, headquartered in Boston, MA, enables healthy watersheds and flood resilient communities across the U.S., where its local government and commercial clients use Opti to proactively manage storm events and foster a more sustainable environment.

For more information contact: Jeff Littlejohn at 850-363-9644 or fill out the contact information below.

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