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Canal Dredging Plan Heading To Council

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By Mark Holan The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 7, 2007

TAMPA - Waterfront residents in South Tampa who want to tax themselves to pay for canal dredging say their proposal has strong support as it heads toward an Oct. 25 review by the Tampa City Council.

Opposition and questions still hang over the project, which has been discussed for years.

Up to 600 property owners each could be asked to pay an $8,000 assessment for dredging 13 canals in West Shore neighborhoods and two canals on Davis Islands. They would pay an additional annual fee estimated at $50 to $75 for canal maintenance.

The Tampa Canal Preservation and Restoration Association, a citizens' group working with city staff, aired its proposal at public meetings last week at Plant High School.

Opponents say a $1.3 million federal grant the city intends to use toward the estimated $6 million dredging bill should be used to restore natural estuaries rather than canals. They also say stormwater assessments they pay to the city should be used for cleaning up the waterways since city stormwater drains are clogging the canals.

City stormwater director Chuck Walter said the federal grant, which requires a $1 million city match, is to pay for removing silt dumped in the canals by stormwater pipes, but not to a navigable depth. He said the assessment would provide enough money to allow for dredging to navigable depths.

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