The City of Port Orange completed some temporary repairs to fix the damage done to the Cambridge Canal by Hurricane Nicole.
The extreme high tides during Nicole damaged the canal’s retaining wall and caused Rose Bay to spill back into nearby ponds and then the canal.
Since the end of November, the City has added Super Sack sandbags to the canal to keep the bay from coming back into the drainage system. Super Sacks weigh about 300 times more than a normal sandbag. Two new temporary pumps placed at the canal can pump water out of the drainage system at a rate of 5,000 gallons per minute.
The City plans to connect piping to one of its existing larger pumps. This will allow the City to pump water directly out into the bay at a rate four times faster than what the two smaller pumps can do combined.
The repairs are being done in an effort to help the City maintain the water levels in the canal during routine rain events and reduce the risk of flooding.
“I’m proud of the city employees who worked hard on this temporary solution, and I look forward to getting a permanent solution in place as soon as possible,” said Port Orange Mayor, Don Burnette.
The City has already sent divers out to assess the damage to the retaining wall and its concrete base as it works to make permanent repairs. Additional fixes could include adding overflow structures to direct the water during extreme tides, constructing a new discharge trough, and making electrical and communications improvements to the pump station.
The specifics of those improvements will depend on the recommendations of the design engineer.
The long-term fixes could take a year to complete and cost around $4 million. The temporary fixes are estimated to cost around $200,000. The City is seeking federal and state funding to help cover the costs.
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