Navigating the Challenges of Industrial Construction in Wetland Areas

Industrial construction in Florida presents unique challenges and opportunities for construction companies, especially because over 31% of the state is wetlands. As the demand for logistics and distribution facilities grows, understanding the nuances of constructing these large-scale projects increases.

The complexities of industrial construction in Florida and other wetland areas involve numerous unique environmental challenges and safety protocols. This article will explore some insights on overcoming these obstacles to get industrial projects completed. 

Environmental Regulations

Florida’s construction landscape is characterized by unique environmental considerations. The presence of protected species in extensive wetland areas requires additional planning strategies and specialized mitigation efforts.

For example, gopher tortoises are heavily protected in Florida. Florida requires contractors to conduct a gopher tortoise survey and relocate the animals if their presence is discovered. An environmental team will come out and comb the entire area, looking for their burrows. 

When they’re discovered, excavation or construction work is prohibited until the tortoises are moved off-site. To relocate them, a PVC tube is placed down the burrow to the end. Excavation is done along the pipe to reach the tortoises, which are then placed in a container and relocated to a farm or facility where they can roam freely and remain in a protected environment.

Additionally, the high water table in many areas of Florida, often about four feet below the surface, complicates deep excavation work for underground utilities The additional effort and coordination by sitework or earthwork trade partners is paramount in making sure utilities are successfully installed in a timely manner. This effort is further complicated by the large amount of wetlands in the area and specific requirements in managing the dewatering as to not create further wetland impacts.

Permitting for Deep Utilities & Stormwater Systems

Permitting can sometimes be a long headache, particularly on projects in environmentally sensitive areas. The influx of construction in larger municipalities, like Tampa or Dallas, puts a lot of strain on local AHJs. In these areas, it can sometimes take years to get permits issued to install utilities or begin site work. 

Site work prepares the location for the vertical building. At this phase, the project may require what are called “deeper utilities.” This can include regular utility systems such as sewer, plumbing or electrical, as well as the storm system, where rainwater flows into the municipality's storm system. Permitting for these systems can take time — if you don't have those utilities in place, it can put your project out of phase or out of sequence. 

As part of the permitting process, municipalities calculate stormwater runoff — if the amount of expected runoff is over the limit, the project may require plans for stormwater retention. 

Many projects built in wetlands will require a containment pond to control the amount of stormwater that flows into the storm system. Some cases can require the construction of an underground vault system for stormwater storage in order to maximize building size on a specific site without losing essential parking spaces to serve the building users.

The stormwater detention vault system acts as a way for water to be directed from the actual pond itself. As the pond reaches a certain level, it will flow into this underground vault system and then slowly dissipate back into the existing water table over time. 

Coordinating Utilities and Offsite Improvements

Utility coordination and stormwater management are both major aspects of industrial construction projects, especially in areas prone to heavy rainfall and environmental sensitivity. Some projects require significant offsite improvements to mitigate their impact on local communities. 

Offsite improvements are a pretty key factor for closing out the project and for ensuring that incoming tenants can begin to use their facility. If the turn lanes aren’t complete, it doesn’t matter how quickly the project is built, especially if employees can’t access the industrial facilities with their materials or trucks.

Stormwater management also helps prevent flooding and ensure the project's longevity. Depending on the area, the civil engineers may have to design the stormwater infrastructure based on a hundred-year storm calculation. 

This means they design for the worst possible storm expected in the next 100 years so make sure that if such a storm occurs, the building does not become completely flooded. Some municipalities even require designs to withstand 500-year or 1000-year storms, the parameters of which can be challenging to quantify and design within.

Keeping the Project Team Connected

With all of the varying factors to consider with industrial construction in wetland areas, technology plays a major role in how quickly companies can deliver projects. Old school methods, such as Excel sheets and manual mark-ups, can often lead to delays and missed details.

To avoid these pitfalls, it’s important to make sure that all teams, both on the design and trade partner sides, are fully integrated onto a project management platform. Any changes to the design or scope need to be understood and integrated in the field as fast as possible. A unified digital platform can greatly simplify correspondence about project updates to make sure everyone — the ownership team, construction team and design team — is on the same page.

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