Water-Related News

Disguised stormwater treatment project to be useful, scenic

TAVARES – Work on the $5.6 million Ruby Street Stormwater Improvement and Beautification Plan, a project in downtown Tavares that has been under construction for two years, is nearing completion.

Tavares City Administrator John Drury said finishing touches should be completed in time for most of the city’s year-end holiday celebrations.

The city will hold a street party to inaugurate the project sometime in November.

“It is the kickoff to the season when all of our northern friends come back to enjoy our great climate, our great weather and our great events,” Drury said.

The project’s underlying purpose is to treat runoff storm water and direct it through pipes beneath Ruby Street to man-made ponds surrounded by wooden bridge and lush landscaping. Those ponds, which will be the centerpiece of a scenic park, will treat the runoff before it discharges into Lake Dora.