ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Public Works will move ahead with a $23.4 million flood mitigation project in Orlo Vista after a new haul of federal funding, according to a news release Wednesday.
Residents had about a month between hurricanes Ian and Nicole to salvage what they could and prepare for more rain, a community on their guard ever since Hurricane Irma in 2017 shed more light on Orlo Vista’s flooding issues.
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency in January approved $7.5 million for the project in Orlo Vista, yet the county said Wednesday it since had to ask for more money due to increases in construction costs. At the time, the county said $7.5 million would have been enough to cover roughly 75% of the project costs.
As of Wednesday, Orange County Public Works said FEMA’s total contribution to the project has reached $16.7 million, which joins $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and $4.3 million from the county itself to fulfill the $23.4 million price tag.
The project involves the expansion of storage capacity in three crucial retention ponds in Orlo Vista, deepening them by about ten feet, reinforcing their banks and replacing a two-pump system with a three-pump system able to move 40,000 gallons of water per minute, according to the county.
Phase II of construction on the project will begin in the first quarter of 2023 with completion expected in 2024, the county said.
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