Tampa International Airport consistently grows year after year, as does the need for airport parking. The Aviation Authority asked Taylor Engineering (Taylor) to design and permit an expanded stormwater management system for the expansion of the North Employee Parking. In addition to the parking lot work, Taylor modeled and analyzed the stormwater impact of removing 120 acres of forested land on the Airport.

As with most Airport projects, Taylor designed this project to limit ponding areas, minimize stormwater detention durations, and construct dry conveyance systems requiring limited maintenance.

Initially, Taylor sought to expand the existing parking lot pond but found the current stormwater system to be at capacity. Taylor then developed conceptual alternatives to determine the least costly design between a new pond location and a large stormwater bypass pipe. Ultimately, the team decided on a new pond location which saved close to a million dollars for the Airport.

Since much of the project is within the FEMA 100-Year Floodplain, the grading work required floodplain impact analysis. Taylor updated and refined the Airport’s master ICPR model to assess the changes in stormwater stage and flow across most of the Airport. Taylor worked with Mead & Hunt to develop a well-draining grading plan that provided the required floodplain compensation without the construction of floodplain compensation ponds.