dec-2017

46 47 ter water quality and another lake may have more nutrients in it.We have a project in the hopper, right now, called the Lake Eva/Lake Henry Restoration Project. Lake Eva has some water quality issues, whereas Lake Henry has flooding issues. By trying to connect the two lakes,we want to clean the water even more before we divert that additional rainwater from Lake Henry into Lake Eva.We’re in the feasibility study phase, right now.We’re looking at all different options.The lakes are less than four miles apart, and there are some natural canals and ditches in the area.What we’re looking to do, instead of trying to connect the two lakes with pipes and pumps, is to use the natural wetlands and the canal system and see if we can use Mother Nature to our benefit.There’s an elevation difference of about ten feet between the two lakes, so that also works to our benefit. “We’re also trying to promote local businesses and industries to use reclaimed water for irrigation pur- poses.We’re working on a project called RIBS–Rap- id Infiltration Basin System.We’re trying to offer that as an opportunity to the businesses.We also have a pretty active water conservation programwith the Water Management District,where we’re offering incentives to residents for using less water.” “We have a lot of different things going on in Haines City,” Javed says, summing up.“We’re at the cutting edge of going into this century with a lot of exciting opportunities.Our mantra, right now, is ‘Haines City, Forward–One City,One Vision.’We’re open for business and we’re dedicated to re-invent- ing our present and building for the future.” Eva Community Park is home to several annual, lo- cal events including,“Thunder on the Ridge,” a large fireworks show,“Ribs on the Ridge,” a barbeque competition, and “Ironman 70.3,” a family-friendly, triathlon event. Javed says that the city is also working to pre- serve the quality of its lakes by implementing best management practices.“We’re probably one of the first cities in the area working on low impact devel- opment,”he states.“We’re working with the Water Management District on design and construction of rain gardens and bioswales in our downtown area.We want to clean the water quality of our rain water before it goes into our lakes, and by imple- menting these LID techniques,we’re able to treat the water before it either goes back into the aquifer or back into our lakes.And we’re doing this all over the city. It’s a three-year project.We’ve identified the first phase and, right now,we’re in the construction phase of the project. “One of themain concepts behind the project is ‘OneWater.’What wemean byOneWater is that you can use the integratedwater resourcesmanagement to lookat themultipleways you can use stormwater –you can use it for recreational use,or you can also use it for water supplyby treating some of the surface water and putting it back into the ground.One of the other options we are looking at is to see if maybewe can augment reclaimedwater with surfacewater and dump that back into the aquifer after running it through a series of treatment trains.” “We’re big on trying to protect our lakes,” Javed asserts.“We’re trying to see if we can connect the different lakes - for example, if one lake has a bet- HAINES CITY, FLORIDA We’re passionate about improving our communities and our world through the work that we do. www.vhb.com Engineers | Scientists | Planners | Designers Orlando • Tampa • Sarasota n VHB www.vhb.com PREFERRED VENDOR