Robinson Bayou Basin Improvement Study

The Robinson Bayou and headwaters encompasses approximately 300 acres of uplands and wetlands much of which is located within the city limits of Panama City Florida. Increased development and urbanization have resulted in the loss of wetlands and an increase in impervious surfaces. In addition, increased rainfall and more intense storms have led to frequent flooding within the basin. Furthermore, Hurricane Michael (2018), a category five storm, removed most of the canopy contributing to the accelerated flooding of roads and houses. Landscape scale damage from Hurricane Michael significantly damaged and killed trees within Panama City resulting in reduced transpiration rates and increased sedimentation and woody debris within the stormwater system creating blockages that led to increased flooding occurrences and duration. Most of the native vegetation within the wetlands has been replaced with invasive exotics due to increased and ongoing disturbances. By reducing localized flooding, the project will protect lives and property from existing and future flood risks due to urbanization and increased intensity storms. This initiative aims to abate flooding by attenuating stormwater runoff across the basin and providing available water for water-deprived wetlands downstream. Its design entails enhancing coastal resilience from intense storms and urbanization by augmenting storage capacity, facilitating flood attenuation, wetland restoration and stormwater treatment. This integrated approach will also enhance water quality discharges into the Gulf of Mexico. The project is in the initial stages of data collection and analysis.