Bayou Texar Foundation

article by BLAIR STEPHENSON

In the 1960s, homebuilding proliferated around Bayou Texar. Red clay streamed from construction sites into the bayou, smothering sea grass and ruining the sea life "nurseries" as it settled like a blanket on the bottom of the bayou. Additionally, the stormwater volume increased as the city of Pensacola grew. This stormwater was delivered straight into Bayou Texar via 65 stormwater outfalls carrying debris of all sorts—garbage, animal feces, dirt, and anything else that happened to wash into the streets. It was obvious to some that this was causing great harm to the bayou as it was functioning as a giant stormwater pond. This threatened the sea life and the quality of the water in our wonderful waterway, a site long used for recreational activities.

So in the 1970s, Dr. Phil Payne and a group of other concerned citizens formed the Bayou Texar Foundation to combat the situation. They addressed City Hall about the street materials flowing unfettered into the bayou and worked to have the City deal with the problem. The Bayou Texar Foundation became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in January 1977, and in May of 1988 it was incorporated by the State of Florida. Largely alone for about 25 years, Dr. Payne sought to better the bayou by petitioning City Hall to budget for more sweepers and more street sweeping.

As time passed, the Bayou Texar membership and officers decided it needed fresh leaders to take charge of the organization. New officers were elected with Walter Biggs and Marty Donovan as co-presidents; the organization grew, and Dr. Payne served with us and taught us (until his untimely death in 2005). After citizens packed City Hall to standing room only, with our two co-presidents delivering a barrage of information, the City Council acquiesced to having an in-depth study performed by a company, Dames and Moore. The results of that study, known as the Carpenter's Creek/ Bayou Texar Watershed & Stormwater Management Assessment, were formally presented to the City Council on May 8, 2000.

This study delivered a full assessment of the situation with a strategy for and inclusion of cost details for a program to remediate the situations that existed. The Council unanimously accepted the final report and directed the City staff to prepare recommendations for implementing the-management program and integrating the specific project elements into the City’s budget.

The Bayou Texar Foundation’s officers rotated out, while new but experienced members stepped up. Blair Stephenson, President, and Eleanor Godwin, Secretary, addressed the City Council on August 23, 2001, strongly encouraging they implement a Stormwater Utility Fee, which would be necessary to fund the projects outlined in the Dames and Moore Stormwater Management Assessment. The-vote passed.

The Stormwater Utility Fee has been in place now for 21 years and has produced immensely positive results. In fact, just one year after the Stormwater Utility Fee was approved, the City revealed these capital improvements for 2002:

• East Hill Stormwater Enhancements ($2.25M)

• Seville Dr. Stormwater Outfall ($0.75M)

• 16th and 17th Ave. at Texar, Retrofit $0.50M)

• Ash Dr. Stormwater Vaults ($0.53M)

• Palafox Industrial Park ($0.81M)

• Guillemard St. Storm Sewer Reconst. ($0.75M)

• Bayou Texar Entrance Channel ($0.20M)

• Long Hollow Pond (Phase 1) ($0.12M)

• 12th Ave & Cross St Pump Station ($0.175M)

• Carpenters Creek Needs Assessment ($0.15M)

• F & Lee St Retention Pond ($0.19M)

The total of these projects was just under $6.5 million.

Installation of improved stormwater filtration will better protect the bayou

The Stormwater Utility Fee was renewed in 2014. Progress continued until all 65 of the Outfalls into Bayou Texar were retrofitted and more filtration management systems are being placed, for Bayou Texar and other places in the City as well to keep up with City growth and stormwater management needs while protecting the quality of our precious waterways. The positive results in Bayou Texar make the expenditure undeniable — no fish kills in over 15 years, silt and other detritus is actively removed by filtration systems as stormwater flows into the bayou, sea grass is growing at an amazingly fast rate, and water life has grown, including large schools of minnows, dolphins, and the occasional cownose ray and manatee.