Cape Coral City Council approved a resolution Wednesday to fund repairs for a street in the northwest region affected by settling ground.

This comes as residents on the street face delays for mail deliveries by the postal office serving the impacted Cape Coral North area which cited safety concerns for its drivers.

The impacted area — in front of 1521 NW 16 Terrace — is about 80 feet in diameter and near the intersection of Chiquita Boulevard and Northwest 16 Terrace.

Deputy Public Works Director and Chief Engineer William (Bill) Corbett spoke at the meeting and said the injection of grouted columns 40-feet deep at 12 locations under the area that’s settling “will provide a firm and stable surface in order to repave and rebuild the road.”

ECS Florida recommended this as the appropriate solution in a July 17 report. They provide geotechnical, construction materials, environmental/building science, and infrastructure consulting services.

“They (ECS Florida, LLC) went down 270 feet until they found firm and stable ground,” Corbett said. “Beneath the ground, all the way down to that 270 feet, there’s been loose soils and water down there, and that’s what’s contributing to the settlement.”

On July 28, the city solicited pricing proposals from two grouting contractors recommended by ECS Florida. Only Helicon USA (Helicon) and Keller North America, Inc. (Keller), were selected because, “work of this nature requires specialized equipment, technical knowledge, and demonstrated expertise,” a city report said, though the city has not decided on a specific contractor.

Corbett said the primary culprit for the loose sediment is aquifer depletion, as cited in the report.

More

• A Cape Coral aquifer experiences record low levels, and water restrictions are only a temporary solution
• Cape Coral urges immediate conservation as depleted aquifer reaches further critical levels
• Watering restricted in NE Cape Coral after aquifer's level drops; almost all lawn irrigation banned 

According to Corbett, the project is limited to the public right of way by the public works department, meaning, at this point in time, homeowners are responsible for their own properties.

The repairs are being funded by the six-cent gas tax fund and is not to surpass $500,000.

Councilperson Rachel Kaduk, who represents District 7, asked whether the grout would make it worse for the homeowner.

“No,” Corbett said. “In fact, it may have a positive benefit. So, if you can imagine injecting down into the ground, it would not go into a straight column. It will spread.”

He said because it spreads, it may provide support outside of the linear column, potentially benefiting the homeowner and their driveway's condition.

But he also said there’s no way to know that as they do not definitely know the horizontal subsurface conditions, especially at 40 feet.

Kaduk asked City Attorney Aleksandr Boksner if this work done on the city’s own property was to negatively impact the homeowner, would the city be liable.

“I would take the legal position that it (the city) would not,” Boksner said.

Jennifer Nelson-Lastra, representing District 4, asked that because the primary culprit is aquifer depletion, is it likely that other parts of the city will need similar repairs.

“It’s very well possible,” Corbett said. “We don’t know what’s going on, you know, hundreds of feet deep in every square mile of the city. There are other areas in the city that do have these types of settlements. But the bottom line you don’t know until it’s there.

To mitigate this risk, properties are required to comply with geotechnical exploration requirements.

“That evaluates the soil subsurface oil conditions,” Corbett said. “And that is required on a variety of different projects throughout the city, throughout our permitting and building processes.”

The city's staff said they are working with both vendors to determine the best path forward, based not only on cost but also on lead time.

As for continued mail delivery delays from USPS in the area: “The Postal Service always strives to provide the best possible service; however, the safety of our employees and customers is our priority. Regarding mail service at the specific location, there are some pending safety issues which have temporarily affected mail delivery to a few of the residents on this route and local management is currently aware of it.  In the interim, all mail and packages for affected customers will be available for pickup at the Cape Coral North Branch located at 1441 SW 4th ST, Cape Coral, FL 33991, Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.  We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this unexpected situation may have caused and appreciate their patience," the Postal Service said.

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