City of Tampa Strengthening Stormwater Infrastructure Amid Rising Rainfall News Emergency Management, News General, News Sustainability & Resilience, News Transportation and[...]

The City of Tampa is taking significant steps to modernize its stormwater infrastructure, addressing the growing challenge of managing localized flooding in our coastal, low-lying area.

A recent storm on August 15 brought more than three inches of rain to parts of South Tampa in just one hour. Such intense storms, historically expected only once every 10 years, are now occurring more frequently. In response, Tampa is accelerating several stormwater infrastructure projects to better manage these increasingly common rain events. One such project is taking place at a site currently known as the MacDill 48 park. When it opens next year, this site will include one of the City's largest stormwater ponds along with walking trails and beautiful scenic views. The stormwater capacity of this location is about 25 million gallons of water, or 1650 swimming pools. These initiatives are part of a broader strategy to safeguard our streets and neighborhoods from the ever-present threat of flooding.