VENICE, Fla. -- Work is ongoing on a storm water project along Venice beach that looks to keep bacteria and beach closures away.
Last summer, the beach was closed for high levels to Enterococci bacteria, which is typically found in human and animal waste. The city believes water from runoff stored underground was sitting too long and stagnating. Two years earlier, the beach had bacteria warnings a handful of times.
The new system will periodically flush out that system and bring the water to retention swales near the beach. The water would then get more exposure to the sun before running into the Gulf, if at all.
The project's cost comes in at $560,000, 75% of which is being paid for by environmental grants. It should be complete by mid-March.
