Is Clearwater Dredging Project Stuck Again?

A 14-year-old plan to dredge and restore Stevenson Creek is mired in delays again. The Tampa Bay Times reports that the project's future now is uncertain.

At issue is a plan by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restore the Stevenson Creek Estuary in north Clearwater.

U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young says he has secured funding for the project twice, but only 20 percent of the work has been done. The project is now broke and at a standstill.

On Thursday, Young is scheduled to meet with Army Col. Alan Dodd, commander of the corps district that includes Tampa Bay. The meeting is in Washington, D.C.

The meeting is in response to an angry letter from the Florida Congressman.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Young – frustrated by another round of delays – recently fired off an angry letter to the Army Corps of Engineers:

"It is with the greatest of frustration that I write you again to share my utter disbelief and the disbelief of the people I represent in Clearwater, Florida," begins a letter that Young wrote last week to Jo Ellen Darcy, the Army's assistant secretary for public works.

"After 14 years of planning and almost three years of actual work on the project, the restoration of Stevenson Creek remains just 20 percent complete."

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the corps "settled" with one of two dredging projects that was fired from the project. But the settlement cost money – money that was to fund the dredging.

According to the Tampa Bay Times: "The settlement has burned through all the federal money earmarked for the creek, leaving the city holding the bag and responsible for cost overruns."

Stevenson Creek is one of the most polluted bodies of water in Pinellas County. The creek essentially has served as the basin for rainwater runoff from Clearwater, Largo and Dunedin. Pollutants include silt, oil, pesticides and fertilizers. The creek's estuary empties into Clearwater Harbor.

The Clearwater City Council plans to try to seek more federal money to allow the project to go through, though it has reached a $5 million federal cap, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Related coverage:

• Another Standstill for Stevenson Creek Cleanup
• Restoration of Stevenson Creek to Resume
• Sunday Sunset: Setting on Stevenson Creek
• Sunday Sunset: Sights from Stevenson Creek
• Destination Clearwater: Stevenson’s Creek

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