State senators to visit Ocala to talk about water issues
Comprehensive water policy proposals will be considered in 2010 session.
By Fred Hiers
Staff writer
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Florida lawmakers on the powerful Senate Select Committee on Inland Waters will make Ocala their first stop next week as part of a statewide tour and public meetings to discuss water issues.
The Ocala meeting, organized in part by Sen. Charlie Dean (R-Inverness), will give residents an opportunity to tell the legislators about water issues currently debated in Marion County, such as springs protection and keeping Central Florida from siphoning water from the upper Ocklawaha River.
The series of public meetings are being scheduled as the committee is slated during the 2010 legislative session to consider comprehensive water policy proposals. The policies could include issues such as new local sources first legislation, overhauling water management district authority and setting water quality standards.
During the senate's last session, select committee chairman Lee Constantine proposed springs protection and watershed restoration legislation. The bill did not pass the senate, but the select committee is expected to build on the failed proposal next year and again propose similar legislation. The bill set standards for nutrient levels that pollute springs and set time lines for their restoration.
Dean, who requested three public meetings in his district, said it is imperative that members of the public come to the meetings and tell lawmakers they want local water sources, including the springs, protected from outside use.
"When the public comes before our committee ... I think the lasting impression on lawmakers is the importance of these issues from the people back home," Dean said. "We need to be participants ... having them know that these are some of our primary concerns."
Dean said now is a good time to hold water meetings because the recession and Florida's housing slowdown gives lawmakers additional time to consider smarter water policies.
Constantine's office said the purpose of the meetings is to listen to constituents, rather than for lawmakers to set the tone and direction of the meetings.
More meetings will be scheduled during the next few months, but none have yet been formalized, according to Constantine's staff.
"The select committee of Florida's inland waters is going to be coming to Ocala to hear from the people of Marion County," Constantine said in a prepared statement. "The focus is to listen to the concerns of the people."
His staff said they did not want to elaborate on water use proposals the select committee might bring up during next year's session.
Marion County is home to Silver Springs, one of the largest artesian spring formations in the world, producing nearly 550 million gallons of water daily.
Silver Springs forms the headwaters of the Silver River, the largest tributary to the Ocklawaha River, which empties into the St. Johns River. Polluting nutrient levels have been rising in those waters for the past few decades due to fertilizer and septic use in the area.
Marion County Commissioner Stan McClain said a common fear is that the select committee next year proposes too many changes to current Florida law requiring that communities first exhaust their own water resources before crossing county borders for more.
"That's why it's important to continue to solidify our position" to keep local sources first legislation in place, he said.
Marion County also needs to continue putting pressure on Tallahassee lawmakers to stop targeting the Ocklawaha River as a water source for Central Florida, he said.
"That's one of the things the select committee ... will look at," he said.
"But anytime people have the opportunity to attend these public meetings, it's imperative for them to go," McClain said. "And I think Sen. Dean has done the right thing by asking them to come here."
Contact Fred Hiers at 867-4157 or fred.hiers@starbanner.com.
Copyright © 2009 Ocala.com — All rights reserved. Restricted use only.
http://www.ocala.com/article/20091210/ARTICLES/912101006/1001/NEWS01?Title=State-senators-to-visit-Ocala-to-talk-about-water-issuesS
Friday, December 11, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Water withdrawal study gets more time
River study extended to mid-2011
Jacksonville Business Journal
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
---------------------------------
The St. Johns River Water Management District will extend its study of the potential environmental impacts of withdrawing water from the river by seven months to mid-2011.
The extended timeline will allow the district to involve outside experts in more peer review and scientific model enhancements. The district’s partnership with the National Research Council has allowed it to collect more data, enhance modeling and receive more peer review as it studies the impact of withdrawing up to 262 million gallons of water a day from the river.
“It’s critical that we are flexible with this study as it evolves to ensure that we end up with a comprehensive assessment based on sound science,” said Tom Bartol, the district’s project manager for the study and director of the Division of Water Supply Management.
The core findings of the study are expected to be unveiled to the public in fall 2010.
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/12/07/daily13.html
Jacksonville Business Journal
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
---------------------------------
The St. Johns River Water Management District will extend its study of the potential environmental impacts of withdrawing water from the river by seven months to mid-2011.
The extended timeline will allow the district to involve outside experts in more peer review and scientific model enhancements. The district’s partnership with the National Research Council has allowed it to collect more data, enhance modeling and receive more peer review as it studies the impact of withdrawing up to 262 million gallons of water a day from the river.
“It’s critical that we are flexible with this study as it evolves to ensure that we end up with a comprehensive assessment based on sound science,” said Tom Bartol, the district’s project manager for the study and director of the Division of Water Supply Management.
The core findings of the study are expected to be unveiled to the public in fall 2010.
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/12/07/daily13.html
Upcoming Event
Kenneth E. Sassaman, Professor of Florida Archaeology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida, will present a lecture titled "Outsmarting Rising Water for 8000 Years: An Archaeology of Ancient Cultures of the St. Johns River Valley," at 7pm this Thursday in the Center for Marine Studies at the Whitney Lab, 9505 Oceanshore Blvd., on the border of Flagler and St. Johns counties.
For more information visit: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Neighbors/NewsTribune/flaNT05120909.htm
For more information visit: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Neighbors/NewsTribune/flaNT05120909.htm
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
SJRWMD hires group to patrol counties looking for violators of their new water restrictions
http://www.ocala.com/article/20091207/ARTICLES/912071002/1001/NEWS01?Title=Water-district-hires-private-enforcers
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Judge rejects objections to Fla. pollution deal
By BILL KACZOR (AP)
November 16, 2009
--------------------
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The federal government will attempt to set Florida's water pollution standards — the first time it'll try that for any state — under an agreement approved Monday.
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle rejected objections from state and local government agencies as well as agriculture and business interests. They had argued the agreement would result in hastily drawn, unscientific rules and that complying with them would be too costly as taxpayers and businesses cope with the recession.
In approving the consent decree between five environmental groups and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Hinkle noted that it allows for delays in the rule-making process to make sure regulations are proper. He said other objections are premature and must wait until after the proposed regulations have been drafted.
"This consent decree does not require an invalid regulation," Hinkle said at the end of a two-hour hearing. "This is a reasonable compromise."
The environmental groups had sued EPA, arguing it had a duty to step in under the federal Clean Water Act. They argued the Florida Department of Environmental Protection hadn't complied with a 1998 EPA decision that states should set numerical limits for nutrients in farm and urban runoff.
That pollution has been blamed for causing algae blooms in Florida's inland and coastal waters. The environmentalists' lawyers showed Hinkle poster-size photos of waterways clogged with lime-green scum.
"It's so serious that it's harmful for people to have human contact, dangerous for your pets to drink, shuts down drinking water plants," environmental lawyer David Guest said after the hearing. "It's a threat to the tourism industry. It's a threat to waterfront property values."
Guest represents the Florida Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida and St. Johns Riverkeeper.
The agreement is seen as a precedent that could serve as a model for other states. It won't be final until Hinkle issues a written order. He said he couldn't promise when he'll do that except that he'd try to be quick.
Lawyers for the objectors, including Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, said their clients have not yet decided whether to appeal.
Bronson isn't the only politician critical of the agreement. Attorney General Bill McCollum last week wrote Florida Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole a letter that said Florida shouldn't have been singled out. McCollum asked him for a status report on the dispute at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.
The judge said he also planned to consolidate three separate lawsuits challenging a Jan. 14 EPA decision that Florida needs the numerical standards.
The state now has descriptive standards that determine when waters are polluted, but Guest said numerical standards would provide an early warning.
The decree says EPA must propose rules for lakes, rivers and other freshwater bodies by Jan. 14, 2010, and issue a notice of final rule-making by Oct. 15, 2010. It must do so for coastal and estuarine waters by the same dates in 2011.
Those deadlines are too soon, said Terry Cole, a lawyer for several agriculture and pulp and paper trade groups as well as the Florida Stormwater Association, made up of local and regional government agencies.
Cole argued the state should be allowed to set its own standards but would need more time because the scientific issues are complex.
Hinkle, though, pointed out Florida already has had 11 years to do that.
"How long do we need?" he asked.
Cole said he didn't have an answer.
The state could pre-empt the EPA regulations by adopting its own standards first.
EPA lawyer Martha Collins Mann disputed arguments that her agency would adopt a one-size-fits-all standard. She said the agency's proposed rules would take into account differences between various water bodies.
Associated Press Writer David Heller in Tallahassee contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hZ9CM82u11X8yfzx3_ArugVrwJ2AD9C0RGRO0
November 16, 2009
--------------------
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The federal government will attempt to set Florida's water pollution standards — the first time it'll try that for any state — under an agreement approved Monday.
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle rejected objections from state and local government agencies as well as agriculture and business interests. They had argued the agreement would result in hastily drawn, unscientific rules and that complying with them would be too costly as taxpayers and businesses cope with the recession.
In approving the consent decree between five environmental groups and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Hinkle noted that it allows for delays in the rule-making process to make sure regulations are proper. He said other objections are premature and must wait until after the proposed regulations have been drafted.
"This consent decree does not require an invalid regulation," Hinkle said at the end of a two-hour hearing. "This is a reasonable compromise."
The environmental groups had sued EPA, arguing it had a duty to step in under the federal Clean Water Act. They argued the Florida Department of Environmental Protection hadn't complied with a 1998 EPA decision that states should set numerical limits for nutrients in farm and urban runoff.
That pollution has been blamed for causing algae blooms in Florida's inland and coastal waters. The environmentalists' lawyers showed Hinkle poster-size photos of waterways clogged with lime-green scum.
"It's so serious that it's harmful for people to have human contact, dangerous for your pets to drink, shuts down drinking water plants," environmental lawyer David Guest said after the hearing. "It's a threat to the tourism industry. It's a threat to waterfront property values."
Guest represents the Florida Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida and St. Johns Riverkeeper.
The agreement is seen as a precedent that could serve as a model for other states. It won't be final until Hinkle issues a written order. He said he couldn't promise when he'll do that except that he'd try to be quick.
Lawyers for the objectors, including Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, said their clients have not yet decided whether to appeal.
Bronson isn't the only politician critical of the agreement. Attorney General Bill McCollum last week wrote Florida Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole a letter that said Florida shouldn't have been singled out. McCollum asked him for a status report on the dispute at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.
The judge said he also planned to consolidate three separate lawsuits challenging a Jan. 14 EPA decision that Florida needs the numerical standards.
The state now has descriptive standards that determine when waters are polluted, but Guest said numerical standards would provide an early warning.
The decree says EPA must propose rules for lakes, rivers and other freshwater bodies by Jan. 14, 2010, and issue a notice of final rule-making by Oct. 15, 2010. It must do so for coastal and estuarine waters by the same dates in 2011.
Those deadlines are too soon, said Terry Cole, a lawyer for several agriculture and pulp and paper trade groups as well as the Florida Stormwater Association, made up of local and regional government agencies.
Cole argued the state should be allowed to set its own standards but would need more time because the scientific issues are complex.
Hinkle, though, pointed out Florida already has had 11 years to do that.
"How long do we need?" he asked.
Cole said he didn't have an answer.
The state could pre-empt the EPA regulations by adopting its own standards first.
EPA lawyer Martha Collins Mann disputed arguments that her agency would adopt a one-size-fits-all standard. She said the agency's proposed rules would take into account differences between various water bodies.
Associated Press Writer David Heller in Tallahassee contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hZ9CM82u11X8yfzx3_ArugVrwJ2AD9C0RGRO0
Friday, November 13, 2009
River permits restricted; plan to save manatees
No new river permits any time soon
11/13/2009
by Mike Sharkey
for Financial News & Daily Record
------------------------------------
It’s very likely the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Commission won’t issue any new permits pertaining to the St. Johns River until at least July due to the number of manatee deaths in local waters over the 12 rolling months.
That decision is, in part, thanks to Duval County’s Manatee Protection Plan.
So far this year there have been 12 manatee deaths in local waters. The threshold is five in a 12-month period, an element of the protection plan. More than five is considered “unacceptable” and triggers a report to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission. At Thursday’s Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting, Waterways member Steve Nichols said he attended an Oct. 30 meeting at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife office with about 30 others who have a vested interest in the river and manatee protection. Nichols said the manatee deaths and permitting were a major topic of discussion.
“The county has been on notice. There will be no new permits for recreation or port-related,” he said. “The US Fish & Wildlife Commission relies on local and state jurisdiction. There have been 16 deaths in the last 19 months and they see no way to allow new permits. The State says if there are five deaths in 12 months, then the plan is not effective.
“We are virtually shut down for permits on the river. That’s a fact.”
Nichols suggested the City create a new Manatee Protection Plan and submit it to the FWC for consideration. Lisa Rinaman of the mayor’s office said an internal meeting has been scheduled for Dec. 15 and the City would like to present a draft of its new plan to the FWC in January.
Rinaman, and others, say one of the biggest issues surrounding manatee protection in local waters is enforcement of the rules of the water, especially speeding in manatee zones. She said this was discussed during the Oct. 30 meeting.
“Our JSO officers have the same resource issues as others and it’s good that came to light,” she said.
Waterways member Ed Grey also attended the Oct. 30 meeting with Nichols. Grey said the lack of enforcement resources is a major obstacle to enforcing speed limits — and thus the safety of the docile manatees — in local waterways.
“Florida Fish & Wildlife has five officers in the area and they also have to patrol the woods for hunters. They are lucky to have three on the water,” he said, adding the Marine Division of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is in the same situation. “They issue very few speeding tickets in the manatee zone. There’s an inability to detect the speed and measure it from another vessel. The charges do not hold up in court.”
Grey said often JSO’s Marine Division will stop a boater they suspect of speeding and use it as an opportunity to inspect the boat for the proper licenses, registrations and safety devices and give the pilot a “stern lecture on speeding in the manatee zone,” said Grey.
If FWC approves the City’s draft in January, it’s still about a six-month approval process.
Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon also talked to the Commission about the status of the St. Johns River. Armingeon said the health of the river has never been more important and added unless the amount of nutrients being dumped into the river on a daily basis isn’t seriously addressed soon, the local water supply may be affected.
“By the year 2030, we could face a daily deficit of 150 million gallons a day,” he said. “In January, we may be given the same marching orders as Central Florida: you need to find an alternate source of water.
“Water conservation is the first step we as a state have to take to reduce water usage. But, water conservation is not listed as an alternative water supply. The idea of North Florida supplying South Florida with water has resurfaced.”
According to Armingeon, about 120 million to 130 million gallons of wastewater flow into the St. Johns River in Northeast Florida every day. He said JEA is the largest discharger of nitrogen followed by Georgia Pacific. Stormwater runoff is also a problem.
“The storm drains Downtown discharge into the river at the Northbank with no treatment,” he said, adding the problem must be addressed individually as well as from a government standpoint. And, he said, it’ll be expensive. “To meet these standards (set forth by the state) we are going to have to spend money. It’s a fact.”
msharkey@baileypub.com
356-2466
Link to article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=529569
11/13/2009
by Mike Sharkey
for Financial News & Daily Record
------------------------------------
It’s very likely the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Commission won’t issue any new permits pertaining to the St. Johns River until at least July due to the number of manatee deaths in local waters over the 12 rolling months.
That decision is, in part, thanks to Duval County’s Manatee Protection Plan.
So far this year there have been 12 manatee deaths in local waters. The threshold is five in a 12-month period, an element of the protection plan. More than five is considered “unacceptable” and triggers a report to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission. At Thursday’s Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting, Waterways member Steve Nichols said he attended an Oct. 30 meeting at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife office with about 30 others who have a vested interest in the river and manatee protection. Nichols said the manatee deaths and permitting were a major topic of discussion.
“The county has been on notice. There will be no new permits for recreation or port-related,” he said. “The US Fish & Wildlife Commission relies on local and state jurisdiction. There have been 16 deaths in the last 19 months and they see no way to allow new permits. The State says if there are five deaths in 12 months, then the plan is not effective.
“We are virtually shut down for permits on the river. That’s a fact.”
Nichols suggested the City create a new Manatee Protection Plan and submit it to the FWC for consideration. Lisa Rinaman of the mayor’s office said an internal meeting has been scheduled for Dec. 15 and the City would like to present a draft of its new plan to the FWC in January.
Rinaman, and others, say one of the biggest issues surrounding manatee protection in local waters is enforcement of the rules of the water, especially speeding in manatee zones. She said this was discussed during the Oct. 30 meeting.
“Our JSO officers have the same resource issues as others and it’s good that came to light,” she said.
Waterways member Ed Grey also attended the Oct. 30 meeting with Nichols. Grey said the lack of enforcement resources is a major obstacle to enforcing speed limits — and thus the safety of the docile manatees — in local waterways.
“Florida Fish & Wildlife has five officers in the area and they also have to patrol the woods for hunters. They are lucky to have three on the water,” he said, adding the Marine Division of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is in the same situation. “They issue very few speeding tickets in the manatee zone. There’s an inability to detect the speed and measure it from another vessel. The charges do not hold up in court.”
Grey said often JSO’s Marine Division will stop a boater they suspect of speeding and use it as an opportunity to inspect the boat for the proper licenses, registrations and safety devices and give the pilot a “stern lecture on speeding in the manatee zone,” said Grey.
If FWC approves the City’s draft in January, it’s still about a six-month approval process.
Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon also talked to the Commission about the status of the St. Johns River. Armingeon said the health of the river has never been more important and added unless the amount of nutrients being dumped into the river on a daily basis isn’t seriously addressed soon, the local water supply may be affected.
“By the year 2030, we could face a daily deficit of 150 million gallons a day,” he said. “In January, we may be given the same marching orders as Central Florida: you need to find an alternate source of water.
“Water conservation is the first step we as a state have to take to reduce water usage. But, water conservation is not listed as an alternative water supply. The idea of North Florida supplying South Florida with water has resurfaced.”
According to Armingeon, about 120 million to 130 million gallons of wastewater flow into the St. Johns River in Northeast Florida every day. He said JEA is the largest discharger of nitrogen followed by Georgia Pacific. Stormwater runoff is also a problem.
“The storm drains Downtown discharge into the river at the Northbank with no treatment,” he said, adding the problem must be addressed individually as well as from a government standpoint. And, he said, it’ll be expensive. “To meet these standards (set forth by the state) we are going to have to spend money. It’s a fact.”
msharkey@baileypub.com
356-2466
Link to article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=529569
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Upper St. Johns River Basin Project receives Thiess Riverprize Award
11/09/2009
Daily Record (Jacksonville)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District project that was formally awarded the Australian-based International Riverfoundation’s Thiess Riverprize Award in 2008 was recently presented the honors accompanying trophy in a ceremony held at its Jacksonville district headquarters.
Maurice Sterling, project management director of the St. Johns River Water Management District and local project sponsor, presented the award.
“This award is one the team can be extraordinarily proud of. This is more than three decades in our partnership history and is a case of the government doing something right,” said Sterling. “There were speed bumps along the way but we were able to iron them out and come out with a good product for our partnership.”
Lt. Col. Nathaniel Rainey, deputy district commander, received the award on behalf of the district team and said he felt as if he had just won the Super Bowl. “This is a really special award,” said Rainey. “We are so proud of the relationship with the St. Johns River Water Management District.
“The St. Johns is our river, it supports our community and we live in its basin, which is part of our geography. This project demonstrates partnerships and teamwork at its best.”
According to Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield of Australia’s University of Queensl and chair of the Riverprize judging panel, the St. Johns River Basin Project is a large wetlands restoration initiative that addresses environmental degradation and flood damage reduction in the headwaters region of the St. Johns River. One of the largest river restoration projects in the United States, the project uses innovative approaches in design and management to combine environmental benefits with flood damage reduction over 60 kilometers of river length and thousands of acres of floodplain. It covers a total of 247 square miles. The project was based on a nonstructural approach to flood management instead of an artificial system of dikes and dams.
It was the first project in the nation with Corps involvement that was described by law as a nonstructural flood control project.
“The Everglades may be the largest ecosystem project, but the Upper St. Johns River Basin Project was, at least, one of the largest environmental projects we completed,” said Steven Robinson, project manager from 1997-2004. “It is one of the projects I am most proud of having been a part of.”
Robinson also said the team comingled environmental restoration with flood reduction engineering and produced a project that works as much for the environment as it does for the engineered science and technology for which it was designed.
Sterling said the $222,000 Riverprize is the largest privately-funded money prize in the world, given to recognize innovative river management. Received by the water management district, the prize was used to complete wetlands restoration and the river cleanup programs throughout Northeast and Eastern Central Florida.
The International Thiess Riverprize began as an initiative in 1999 to award best management practices for the restoration and sustainable preservation of rivers and waterways, and has to date awarded more than $2 million to support ongoing river restoration work.
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=529529
11/09/2009
Daily Record (Jacksonville)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District project that was formally awarded the Australian-based International Riverfoundation’s Thiess Riverprize Award in 2008 was recently presented the honors accompanying trophy in a ceremony held at its Jacksonville district headquarters.
Maurice Sterling, project management director of the St. Johns River Water Management District and local project sponsor, presented the award.
“This award is one the team can be extraordinarily proud of. This is more than three decades in our partnership history and is a case of the government doing something right,” said Sterling. “There were speed bumps along the way but we were able to iron them out and come out with a good product for our partnership.”
Lt. Col. Nathaniel Rainey, deputy district commander, received the award on behalf of the district team and said he felt as if he had just won the Super Bowl. “This is a really special award,” said Rainey. “We are so proud of the relationship with the St. Johns River Water Management District.
“The St. Johns is our river, it supports our community and we live in its basin, which is part of our geography. This project demonstrates partnerships and teamwork at its best.”
According to Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield of Australia’s University of Queensl and chair of the Riverprize judging panel, the St. Johns River Basin Project is a large wetlands restoration initiative that addresses environmental degradation and flood damage reduction in the headwaters region of the St. Johns River. One of the largest river restoration projects in the United States, the project uses innovative approaches in design and management to combine environmental benefits with flood damage reduction over 60 kilometers of river length and thousands of acres of floodplain. It covers a total of 247 square miles. The project was based on a nonstructural approach to flood management instead of an artificial system of dikes and dams.
It was the first project in the nation with Corps involvement that was described by law as a nonstructural flood control project.
“The Everglades may be the largest ecosystem project, but the Upper St. Johns River Basin Project was, at least, one of the largest environmental projects we completed,” said Steven Robinson, project manager from 1997-2004. “It is one of the projects I am most proud of having been a part of.”
Robinson also said the team comingled environmental restoration with flood reduction engineering and produced a project that works as much for the environment as it does for the engineered science and technology for which it was designed.
Sterling said the $222,000 Riverprize is the largest privately-funded money prize in the world, given to recognize innovative river management. Received by the water management district, the prize was used to complete wetlands restoration and the river cleanup programs throughout Northeast and Eastern Central Florida.
The International Thiess Riverprize began as an initiative in 1999 to award best management practices for the restoration and sustainable preservation of rivers and waterways, and has to date awarded more than $2 million to support ongoing river restoration work.
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=529529
Friday, November 6, 2009
The license plate makes it through the 1st committee
Bill Number: 0053
Bill Name: HB 53
Action: Favorable
Committee: Roads, Bridges & Ports Policy Committee
Location: 404 HOB
Duration: 1.75
Date: 11/4/2009 8:00:00 AM
Sponsor: Lopez-Cantera (CO-SPONSORS) Ray;
Subject: License Plates
Y Aubuchon Y Gibson Y Precourt Y Rogers (Y) Thompson, N.
Y Clarke-Reed Y Horner - Ray Y Steinberg Y Workman
Y Ford Y Patronis Y Robaina Y Taylor, D.
Total Yeas: 12 Total Nays: 0 Total Missed: 1
Total Votes: 13
Bill Name: HB 53
Action: Favorable
Committee: Roads, Bridges & Ports Policy Committee
Location: 404 HOB
Duration: 1.75
Date: 11/4/2009 8:00:00 AM
Sponsor: Lopez-Cantera (CO-SPONSORS) Ray;
Subject: License Plates
Y Aubuchon Y Gibson Y Precourt Y Rogers (Y) Thompson, N.
Y Clarke-Reed Y Horner - Ray Y Steinberg Y Workman
Y Ford Y Patronis Y Robaina Y Taylor, D.
Total Yeas: 12 Total Nays: 0 Total Missed: 1
Total Votes: 13
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Editorial on HB 53 and Senator King
St. Johns River: Tribute for Jim King
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
Florida Times-Union/Jacksonville.com
Cancer ended the life and legislative tenure of Northeast Florida State Sen. Jim King this year - but not his influence.
Out of respect to King, a former Senate president and one of the Legislature's most revered members, one of his prize bills that failed shows signs of new life.
State Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, filed a bill for next spring that would grant King's wish for a special license plate to help the 13-county St. Johns River Alliance raise money to help preserve the river.
State Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, has sponsored a Senate version.
Jacksonville State Rep. Lake Ray has signed on as a prime House co-sponsor and heads the Duval County delegation's support.
Such a plate sounds worthwhile and harmless. What's the rub about giving people the choice of buying a tag that could raise up to $350,000 to help the river?
But lawmakers in both houses - particularly the Senate - became weary of knock-down, drag-out political fights over other proposed tags involving the Confederacy and religious themes.
And lawmakers argued that more than 100 different tags were too many.
King's modest proposal to help the river was drowned out by controversies surrounding the number and messages of specialty license plates in general.
And not even King's political persuasion could keep his proposal from being rolled into all the others and left in the scrap pile.
End of life request
But King's pull didn't end with his life.
He earned respect and admiration from his colleagues for his negotiation and people skills, good nature and willingness to be a mentor to all who sought his guidance.
Ray said King had mentioned the license plate legislation as being important to him in one of the last conversations he had with Lopez-Cantera, who filed HB 53 on the river license plate shortly after King died on July 26.
The annual legislative session doesn't begin until March. Approval of the St. Johns River plate would be a fitting tribute to King.
An even better one would be a future hands-off approach by lawmakers regarding the educational funding reforms that King championed to correct funding imbalances for districts throughout the state.
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2009-11-05/story/st_johns_river_tribute_for_jim_king
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
Florida Times-Union/Jacksonville.com
Cancer ended the life and legislative tenure of Northeast Florida State Sen. Jim King this year - but not his influence.
Out of respect to King, a former Senate president and one of the Legislature's most revered members, one of his prize bills that failed shows signs of new life.
State Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, filed a bill for next spring that would grant King's wish for a special license plate to help the 13-county St. Johns River Alliance raise money to help preserve the river.
State Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, has sponsored a Senate version.
Jacksonville State Rep. Lake Ray has signed on as a prime House co-sponsor and heads the Duval County delegation's support.
Such a plate sounds worthwhile and harmless. What's the rub about giving people the choice of buying a tag that could raise up to $350,000 to help the river?
But lawmakers in both houses - particularly the Senate - became weary of knock-down, drag-out political fights over other proposed tags involving the Confederacy and religious themes.
And lawmakers argued that more than 100 different tags were too many.
King's modest proposal to help the river was drowned out by controversies surrounding the number and messages of specialty license plates in general.
And not even King's political persuasion could keep his proposal from being rolled into all the others and left in the scrap pile.
End of life request
But King's pull didn't end with his life.
He earned respect and admiration from his colleagues for his negotiation and people skills, good nature and willingness to be a mentor to all who sought his guidance.
Ray said King had mentioned the license plate legislation as being important to him in one of the last conversations he had with Lopez-Cantera, who filed HB 53 on the river license plate shortly after King died on July 26.
The annual legislative session doesn't begin until March. Approval of the St. Johns River plate would be a fitting tribute to King.
An even better one would be a future hands-off approach by lawmakers regarding the educational funding reforms that King championed to correct funding imbalances for districts throughout the state.
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2009-11-05/story/st_johns_river_tribute_for_jim_king
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
New findings of the Mocama group that lived along the SJR
Archaeologists help distinguish Mocama group
Mocama were part of vast trading network
By Matt Soergel
For the Augusta Chronicle
On Sunday, October 25, 2009
---------------------------------------------------------
They didn't leave many signs that they had been here, those who lived along the coast from the Georgia barrier islands down to the St. John's River.
There were just piles of shells from the oysters they ate and burial mounds where people were laid to rest after elaborate ceremonies.
Among those mounds, archaeologists have found scattered treasures: tiny cobs of corn, shell arrowheads and decorations, shards of pottery. They also discovered pieces of copper and rock that provide tantalizing clues that these people were hardly isolated along the salty southeastern edge of the continent.
For years, they've been known as the Timucua, lumped in with about 35 chiefdoms scattered across 19,000 square miles of what is now south Georgia and north Florida. Archaeologists, though, say those who lived along the coast -- from south of the St. Johns River up to St. Simons Island -- were a distinct group that should be known as the Mocama.
The word translates roughly to "of the sea," and it's an apt name for those whose lives were governed by their maritime environment.
No one knows how the American Indians referred to themselves. But Mocama was the dialect spoken by the Timucua, according to the Spanish who lived among them and who named the area the Mocama province. And a mission founded by the Spanish on southern Cumberland Island reflected that name: Mission San Pedro de Mocama.
"The Mocama were people of the water, be it the Intracoastal or the Atlantic," said Robert Thunen of the University of North Florida.
He and a UNF colleague, Keith Ashley, are among the archaeologists who have been working to learn more about the Mocama. They have evidence that the group was part of a vast trading network before the Europeans arrived and painstakingly have been piecing together what life was like just before first contact with Europeans.
Researchers in the past 25 years have taken giant leaps in their understanding of such Native Americans, said Jerald T. Milanich, a University of Florida scholar who has written numerous books on the subject.
He credits Mr. Thunen and Mr. Ashley with helping to figure out the comings-and-goings of American Indian groups -- in addition to their interaction with French and Spanish colonists, well before Jamestown or Plymouth.
Among the Timucua -- who were named for the language they spoke -- there were probably 11 dialects, Mr. Ashley said. Mocama speakers were congregated from the mouth of the St. Johns River and the nearby barrier islands.
The Mocama were at the center of a crucial part of early American history: Fort Caroline. It was there, in what's now Jacksonville, that the French got a toehold in the New World in 1564, living among -- and eventually annoying -- the native Mocama speakers. By 1565, that outpost was overrun by the Spanish, who based themselves in St. Augustine so they could run the French out.
UNF archaeologists and students have been conducting digs on land along the coastal estuaries where the Mocama lived. And on Black Hammock Island in the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, they are investigating what Mr. Ashley thinks was a Spanish mission.
From the site of the mission, he looked out at Big Talbot and Fort George islands and described how villages would have been scattered among them, reached by dugout canoes.
People had been living there for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. Mr. Ashley said pottery from the area has been dated to as far back as 2500 B.C.; it's the oldest pottery found in the United States, except perhaps for slightly older material from the Savannah River area.
Within the past 10 years, archaeologists have been able to figure out what kind of pottery was being made, in addition to where and when it was made. That tells them more about migration patterns before and after the Europeans arrived.
And it's clear, Mr. Ashley said, that about 1,000 years ago, the Mocama were connected to Cahokia, a large, sophisticated American Indian settlement near St. Louis and to a related culture around Macon.
"The common perception is that these guys are sequestered here in the salt marsh, that this is the only world they know," Mr. Ashley said. "But in all reality, they were involved in far-flung trade networks all over the Southeast."
Mocama were part of vast trading network
By Matt Soergel
For the Augusta Chronicle
On Sunday, October 25, 2009
---------------------------------------------------------
They didn't leave many signs that they had been here, those who lived along the coast from the Georgia barrier islands down to the St. John's River.
There were just piles of shells from the oysters they ate and burial mounds where people were laid to rest after elaborate ceremonies.
Among those mounds, archaeologists have found scattered treasures: tiny cobs of corn, shell arrowheads and decorations, shards of pottery. They also discovered pieces of copper and rock that provide tantalizing clues that these people were hardly isolated along the salty southeastern edge of the continent.
For years, they've been known as the Timucua, lumped in with about 35 chiefdoms scattered across 19,000 square miles of what is now south Georgia and north Florida. Archaeologists, though, say those who lived along the coast -- from south of the St. Johns River up to St. Simons Island -- were a distinct group that should be known as the Mocama.
The word translates roughly to "of the sea," and it's an apt name for those whose lives were governed by their maritime environment.
No one knows how the American Indians referred to themselves. But Mocama was the dialect spoken by the Timucua, according to the Spanish who lived among them and who named the area the Mocama province. And a mission founded by the Spanish on southern Cumberland Island reflected that name: Mission San Pedro de Mocama.
"The Mocama were people of the water, be it the Intracoastal or the Atlantic," said Robert Thunen of the University of North Florida.
He and a UNF colleague, Keith Ashley, are among the archaeologists who have been working to learn more about the Mocama. They have evidence that the group was part of a vast trading network before the Europeans arrived and painstakingly have been piecing together what life was like just before first contact with Europeans.
Researchers in the past 25 years have taken giant leaps in their understanding of such Native Americans, said Jerald T. Milanich, a University of Florida scholar who has written numerous books on the subject.
He credits Mr. Thunen and Mr. Ashley with helping to figure out the comings-and-goings of American Indian groups -- in addition to their interaction with French and Spanish colonists, well before Jamestown or Plymouth.
Among the Timucua -- who were named for the language they spoke -- there were probably 11 dialects, Mr. Ashley said. Mocama speakers were congregated from the mouth of the St. Johns River and the nearby barrier islands.
The Mocama were at the center of a crucial part of early American history: Fort Caroline. It was there, in what's now Jacksonville, that the French got a toehold in the New World in 1564, living among -- and eventually annoying -- the native Mocama speakers. By 1565, that outpost was overrun by the Spanish, who based themselves in St. Augustine so they could run the French out.
UNF archaeologists and students have been conducting digs on land along the coastal estuaries where the Mocama lived. And on Black Hammock Island in the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, they are investigating what Mr. Ashley thinks was a Spanish mission.
From the site of the mission, he looked out at Big Talbot and Fort George islands and described how villages would have been scattered among them, reached by dugout canoes.
People had been living there for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. Mr. Ashley said pottery from the area has been dated to as far back as 2500 B.C.; it's the oldest pottery found in the United States, except perhaps for slightly older material from the Savannah River area.
Within the past 10 years, archaeologists have been able to figure out what kind of pottery was being made, in addition to where and when it was made. That tells them more about migration patterns before and after the Europeans arrived.
And it's clear, Mr. Ashley said, that about 1,000 years ago, the Mocama were connected to Cahokia, a large, sophisticated American Indian settlement near St. Louis and to a related culture around Macon.
"The common perception is that these guys are sequestered here in the salt marsh, that this is the only world they know," Mr. Ashley said. "But in all reality, they were involved in far-flung trade networks all over the Southeast."
Friday, October 23, 2009
With the time change comes new watering restrictions
Most of Central Florida to be under once-a-week watering restrictions starting Nov. 1
By, Kevin Spear
for the Orlando Sentinel
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
------------------------------------------------------
The most restrictive limits ever on lawn watering will kick in soon for people who live in the St. Johns River Water Management District, which covers most of Central Florida. On Nov. 1, when daylight saving ends, residents will be allowed to water their grass only once a week until March, when daylight savings resumes and twice-a-week watering is allowed again.
District officials imposed the rule earlier this year as part of efforts to solve a growing water crisis brought on by rapid population growth dipping into a limited amount of underground aquifer water. District officials think lawns don't need as much watering during winter months.
The once-a-week rule, effective in all 18 counties of the district, allows homes with odd addresses to water on Saturday and those with even addresses to use sprinklers on Sunday.
Restrictions are much more complicated for the South Florida Water Management District, which takes in parts of south Orange County and Osceola County. The district now has in effect a drought-response rule that, to avoid confusion, requires its residents to follow the rules of the St. Johns River Water Management District. That means that on Nov. 1, residents of south Orange County and Osceola County will be allowed to water once a week.
But the drought is over and the South Florida Water Management District is about to rescind its drought rule and enact a year-round conservation rule. When that happens, probably later this year, the district residents will be allowed to water twice a week.
By, Kevin Spear
for the Orlando Sentinel
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
------------------------------------------------------
The most restrictive limits ever on lawn watering will kick in soon for people who live in the St. Johns River Water Management District, which covers most of Central Florida. On Nov. 1, when daylight saving ends, residents will be allowed to water their grass only once a week until March, when daylight savings resumes and twice-a-week watering is allowed again.
District officials imposed the rule earlier this year as part of efforts to solve a growing water crisis brought on by rapid population growth dipping into a limited amount of underground aquifer water. District officials think lawns don't need as much watering during winter months.
The once-a-week rule, effective in all 18 counties of the district, allows homes with odd addresses to water on Saturday and those with even addresses to use sprinklers on Sunday.
Restrictions are much more complicated for the South Florida Water Management District, which takes in parts of south Orange County and Osceola County. The district now has in effect a drought-response rule that, to avoid confusion, requires its residents to follow the rules of the St. Johns River Water Management District. That means that on Nov. 1, residents of south Orange County and Osceola County will be allowed to water once a week.
But the drought is over and the South Florida Water Management District is about to rescind its drought rule and enact a year-round conservation rule. When that happens, probably later this year, the district residents will be allowed to water twice a week.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Dredging project cost increases
JaxPort CEO says dredging project could cost $100 million more than thought
By, David Bauerlein
for the Florida Times-Union/Jacksonville.com
on Tuesday, October 20, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deepening Jacksonville’s port to handle massive cargo ships would cost about $100 million more than original estimates from a few years ago.
The latest “rough estimate” is about $600 million to deepen the channel to 48 feet, said Jacksonville Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Rick Ferrin. He gave that dollar figure while speaking as a panelist today at a Global Trade and Transportation Symposium in Jacksonville.
Previously, the Port Authority used a figure of about $500 million to dredge and blast the ship channel from the mouth of the St. Johns River to west of the Dames Point bridge. Deepening that segment of the river would give the new TraPac terminal and the planned Hanjin terminal the ability to serve giant cargo ships from Asia that will call more often on East Coast ports after the Panama Canal is enlarged.
In an interview, Ferrin said the latest cost estimate for dredging remains subject to change. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing a feasibility study that Ferrin said should be ready in early 2011.
“We just know that it’s going to be a very expensive proposition,” Ferrin said.
The Army Corps study will do a cost-benefit analysis to determine how much federal spending is justified. Ferrin said JaxPort is marshalling information to give the Army Corps about the economic payoff of a deeper channel.
The costlier tab for dredging also would put the Port Authority on the hook for a bigger local match. Ferrin said if the total project costs $600 million, the Port Authority’s share would be around $200 million. He said the Port Authority would seek to use a combination of issuing bonds, borrowing from a state transportation fund, and seeking state and federal financial support to pay for the local match.
“We’re going to look under every rock to have as many options as we can,” Ferrin said.
During the symposium, state Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos said the Port Authority’s success at opening trade lanes to Asia and the availability of land for expansion of cargo-related operations makes Jacksonville “enticing.” However, she did not give any financial commitments by the state for the dredging.
By, David Bauerlein
for the Florida Times-Union/Jacksonville.com
on Tuesday, October 20, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deepening Jacksonville’s port to handle massive cargo ships would cost about $100 million more than original estimates from a few years ago.
The latest “rough estimate” is about $600 million to deepen the channel to 48 feet, said Jacksonville Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Rick Ferrin. He gave that dollar figure while speaking as a panelist today at a Global Trade and Transportation Symposium in Jacksonville.
Previously, the Port Authority used a figure of about $500 million to dredge and blast the ship channel from the mouth of the St. Johns River to west of the Dames Point bridge. Deepening that segment of the river would give the new TraPac terminal and the planned Hanjin terminal the ability to serve giant cargo ships from Asia that will call more often on East Coast ports after the Panama Canal is enlarged.
In an interview, Ferrin said the latest cost estimate for dredging remains subject to change. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing a feasibility study that Ferrin said should be ready in early 2011.
“We just know that it’s going to be a very expensive proposition,” Ferrin said.
The Army Corps study will do a cost-benefit analysis to determine how much federal spending is justified. Ferrin said JaxPort is marshalling information to give the Army Corps about the economic payoff of a deeper channel.
The costlier tab for dredging also would put the Port Authority on the hook for a bigger local match. Ferrin said if the total project costs $600 million, the Port Authority’s share would be around $200 million. He said the Port Authority would seek to use a combination of issuing bonds, borrowing from a state transportation fund, and seeking state and federal financial support to pay for the local match.
“We’re going to look under every rock to have as many options as we can,” Ferrin said.
During the symposium, state Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos said the Port Authority’s success at opening trade lanes to Asia and the availability of land for expansion of cargo-related operations makes Jacksonville “enticing.” However, she did not give any financial commitments by the state for the dredging.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Algae Update
Sporting Clay: 'Green monster' still choking river
By, Bob Buehn
For the Florida Times-Union/ Jacksonville.com
on Saturday, October 17, 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------
The river is trying to tell us something and it's not good.
The blue-green algae blooms we saw in August and September are still persisting in some tributaries of the St. Johns, even as the days get cooler.
Soon it will be cool enough to make the remaining algae disappear, but the excessive nutrients, mostly nitrogen and phosphorus, will still be in the water, waiting for next summer when conditions again are right for the "green monster."
This is mostly our doing, caused by storm water washing the fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides from our yards into the river and the numerous creeks and sloughs.
The St. Johns River is Northeast Florida's most important natural feature and certainly defines the eastern part of Clay.
For outdoors folk, the river, Doctors Lake and Black Creek provide endless opportunities for recreation and nature activities. That's why the widespread algae blooms this summer worry me. It's not going to get better unless we all help.
Earlier this summer, when the algae was so thick it looked like fluorescent green paint on seawalls and pilings, and the propane-like odor was making people sick, I wrote about the possible health hazards of algae blooms. That didn't even address the harmful effects to aquatic vegetation and wildlife.
We can all start by working to make our own yards "river friendly." That's not just for waterfront homeowners either, since storm drains and ditches all ultimately funnel water into the river.
The St. Johns Riverkeeper organization advocates for the river and provides a wealth of educational material on its Web site, www.stjohnsriverkeeper.org. Included there is very specific advice about fertilizers, including using fertilizer with no or very little phosphorus, use of organic fertilizer and avoiding fertilizer that contains weed killer.
The St. Johns Riverkeeper notes that any fertilizer and chemicals can potentially harm our waterways.
It will take a mind-set change, but if we use the winter season to change our approach, and keep the health of the river in mind, we can make a difference. Don't be fooled when the water looks clear and healthy in January. The makings of the "green monster" are still there.
E-mail Bob Buehn at bbuehn@yahoo.com.
http://jacksonville.com/community/my_clay_sun/2009-10-17/story/sporting_clay_green_monster_still_choking_river
By, Bob Buehn
For the Florida Times-Union/ Jacksonville.com
on Saturday, October 17, 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------
The river is trying to tell us something and it's not good.
The blue-green algae blooms we saw in August and September are still persisting in some tributaries of the St. Johns, even as the days get cooler.
Soon it will be cool enough to make the remaining algae disappear, but the excessive nutrients, mostly nitrogen and phosphorus, will still be in the water, waiting for next summer when conditions again are right for the "green monster."
This is mostly our doing, caused by storm water washing the fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides from our yards into the river and the numerous creeks and sloughs.
The St. Johns River is Northeast Florida's most important natural feature and certainly defines the eastern part of Clay.
For outdoors folk, the river, Doctors Lake and Black Creek provide endless opportunities for recreation and nature activities. That's why the widespread algae blooms this summer worry me. It's not going to get better unless we all help.
Earlier this summer, when the algae was so thick it looked like fluorescent green paint on seawalls and pilings, and the propane-like odor was making people sick, I wrote about the possible health hazards of algae blooms. That didn't even address the harmful effects to aquatic vegetation and wildlife.
We can all start by working to make our own yards "river friendly." That's not just for waterfront homeowners either, since storm drains and ditches all ultimately funnel water into the river.
The St. Johns Riverkeeper organization advocates for the river and provides a wealth of educational material on its Web site, www.stjohnsriverkeeper.org. Included there is very specific advice about fertilizers, including using fertilizer with no or very little phosphorus, use of organic fertilizer and avoiding fertilizer that contains weed killer.
The St. Johns Riverkeeper notes that any fertilizer and chemicals can potentially harm our waterways.
It will take a mind-set change, but if we use the winter season to change our approach, and keep the health of the river in mind, we can make a difference. Don't be fooled when the water looks clear and healthy in January. The makings of the "green monster" are still there.
E-mail Bob Buehn at bbuehn@yahoo.com.
http://jacksonville.com/community/my_clay_sun/2009-10-17/story/sporting_clay_green_monster_still_choking_river
Thursday, October 15, 2009
New ideas for a greener future along the river
Green ideas presented at conference might help Florida water, land
Research proposals were presented at a water conference
By Steve Patterson
For the Florida Times-Union/Jacksonville.com
Thursday, October 15, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ORLANDO - Plans for cleaning sewer wastewater in New Orleans could end up helping Jacksonville's St. Johns River.
A Central Florida project to make new fertilizers from sludge could cut the algae-feeding nitrogen running off farmland and into rivers across the state.
And a system to capture heat from sewer water and warm athlete housing at next year's winter Olympics could represent a new low-energy way of heating and cooling buildings.
Those promises of green possibilities ran through a national water industry conference this week alongside worries about hazards ranging from droughts to bacteria pollution.
"There is a huge opportunity," said Erik Lindquist, an engineer who helped design a wastewater-based heating and cooling system for 600 homes in Whistler, a Canadian resort where part of the Vancouver Olympics will be held. "I don't think you'll find a cheaper source of heat for your community."
Earth-friendly ideas were sprinkled among more than 500 presentations at the Water Environment Federation's 82nd annual technical conference.
In part, they're a reaction to pressure that cities and utilities have faced to meet federal clean-water rules. It's also about the money to be made from good green ideas.
David Weber, an engineer and company executive from St. Petersburg, spoke about his company's plan for selling a new fertilizer made from the solids left after sewage treatment. A competitor with a similar product talked just before him.
Utilities will pay to get rid of their sludge, Weber said, and farmers will buy the fertilizer because it's designed to hold nitrogen on farm fields longer and has less metal contamination. Rainwater flowing off farmlands is part of a set of problems that Weber said wastes up to 75 percent of the nitrogen in common fertilizers.
"The farmer has paid for that fertilizer, and he has lost three-quarters of it," he said. "If he buys four bags, he only ends up with one bag in the roots."
The five-day conference was also a way to circulate research that could affect many communities.
Brady Skaggs, a Tulane University doctoral student originally from Jacksonville, talked about his research on using a kind of iron called ferrate to kill bacteria in wastewater at a New Orleans sewage treatment plant.
That same approach could be important in controlling bacteria in other places, he said. Skaggs' work is part of a long-term proposal to use the fresh wastewater to restore wetlands, where cypress trees that could be a buffer against storm surges have been killed by rising levels of saltwater.
It would also mean the treatment plant wouldn't have to use chlorine-based disinfectants suspected of causing male fish to develop female characteristics.
steve.patterson@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4263
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-10-15/story/green_ideas_presented_at_conference_might_help_florida_water_land
Research proposals were presented at a water conference
By Steve Patterson
For the Florida Times-Union/Jacksonville.com
Thursday, October 15, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ORLANDO - Plans for cleaning sewer wastewater in New Orleans could end up helping Jacksonville's St. Johns River.
A Central Florida project to make new fertilizers from sludge could cut the algae-feeding nitrogen running off farmland and into rivers across the state.
And a system to capture heat from sewer water and warm athlete housing at next year's winter Olympics could represent a new low-energy way of heating and cooling buildings.
Those promises of green possibilities ran through a national water industry conference this week alongside worries about hazards ranging from droughts to bacteria pollution.
"There is a huge opportunity," said Erik Lindquist, an engineer who helped design a wastewater-based heating and cooling system for 600 homes in Whistler, a Canadian resort where part of the Vancouver Olympics will be held. "I don't think you'll find a cheaper source of heat for your community."
Earth-friendly ideas were sprinkled among more than 500 presentations at the Water Environment Federation's 82nd annual technical conference.
In part, they're a reaction to pressure that cities and utilities have faced to meet federal clean-water rules. It's also about the money to be made from good green ideas.
David Weber, an engineer and company executive from St. Petersburg, spoke about his company's plan for selling a new fertilizer made from the solids left after sewage treatment. A competitor with a similar product talked just before him.
Utilities will pay to get rid of their sludge, Weber said, and farmers will buy the fertilizer because it's designed to hold nitrogen on farm fields longer and has less metal contamination. Rainwater flowing off farmlands is part of a set of problems that Weber said wastes up to 75 percent of the nitrogen in common fertilizers.
"The farmer has paid for that fertilizer, and he has lost three-quarters of it," he said. "If he buys four bags, he only ends up with one bag in the roots."
The five-day conference was also a way to circulate research that could affect many communities.
Brady Skaggs, a Tulane University doctoral student originally from Jacksonville, talked about his research on using a kind of iron called ferrate to kill bacteria in wastewater at a New Orleans sewage treatment plant.
That same approach could be important in controlling bacteria in other places, he said. Skaggs' work is part of a long-term proposal to use the fresh wastewater to restore wetlands, where cypress trees that could be a buffer against storm surges have been killed by rising levels of saltwater.
It would also mean the treatment plant wouldn't have to use chlorine-based disinfectants suspected of causing male fish to develop female characteristics.
steve.patterson@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4263
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-10-15/story/green_ideas_presented_at_conference_might_help_florida_water_land
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Alternative Strategies for West Volusia
Water: West Volusia gets time to make a plan
By Pat Hatfield
For the West Volusia Beacon
October 9, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------
City of DeLand Public Services Director Keith Riger is breathing a little easier these days.
"It appears West Volusia may have more time," Riger said.
Time, that is, to develop strategies to supply water to West Volusia residents in the coming years, as the St. Johns River Water Management District directs utilities away from the aquifer as a sole source of water, and to alternatives such as the river and the ocean.
Florida's water districts announced a few years ago that they would not issue any more groundwater-withdrawal permits after 2013; that local suppliers would have to get any additional water from other sources, including surface water.
Volusia County and the Cities of DeLand, Deltona and Orange City banded together to find their own solution. They weren't happy with the Water Management District's suggestions: pipe water from the Ocklawaha River in Putnam County or from Seminole County's Yankee Lake plant on the St. Johns.
Then, in July, the Water Management District Governing Board put the brakes on its push to treat river water for drinking. The agency announced it would delay funding river-water-withdrawal projects until environmental-protection studies of the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers are completed.
"We think we have until at least 2019 to construct a surface-water plant," Riger said.
Tha'’s still in the near future, in terms of construction, he noted.
The district believes Volusia County's use of groundwater from the aquifer is reaching its sustainable limit, St. Johns River Water Management District spokesman Ed Garland said.
He noted the Water Management District and utilities are working together to provide water to the growing population and protect Florida's springs at the same time.
Can Seminole afford to build Yankee Lake?
Seminole County had hoped to supply much of the Central Florida water deficit from its Yankee Lake plant, but is now re-evaluating that plan.
The Water Management District approved Seminole County's plan to begin withdrawing 5.5 mgd a day at Yankee Lake. This initial use will be largely for irrigation in Seminole County.
In the future, Seminole County planned to increase the output of the plant to 55 or 70 mgd, largely of drinking water, to supply Seminole’s needs and to sell water to neighboring counties.
The Riverkeeper and the City of Jacksonville challenged the Yankee Lake plan in court, fearing the effects of lowering the water level and discharging waste from the treatment process back into the river.
City of DeLand engineer Riger said water suppliers are watching the court case. They are also looking for the results of a Water Management District study of flows and levels at Blue Spring, due next year.
The price tag for Yankee Lake could be as high as $68 million, not including pipes to get the water from the plant to customers. To afford to build it, Seminole County needed millions of dollars from its neighbors, and tried to sign up utilities like DeLand and Volusia County as partners in the plant. That didn't work.
So far, Central Florida utilities have not been willing to pay millions, with no guarantee of how much water they might get from Yankee Lake, when they could get it, and how much they would have to pay.
Seminole County is re-evaluating, Environmental Services Director Andrew Neff said. His department is looking at the costs, scheduling and infrastructure needed, both with and without partners.
Assistant Seminole County Manager Sabrina O'Bryan said when the study is completed in a few months, that information will come to the county commissioners for their review and decision.
Yankee Lake is one of a number of proposed plants along the river that could drain the St. Johns of 260 million gallons of water every day to satisfy Central Florida's thirst.
Some experts suggest bypassing those environmentally dangerous plans — which would supply sufficient water only in the short term, anyway — and going straight to the ocean, where desalination plants like Coquina Coast, proposed off Flagler County, could provide water.
But treated ocean water would cost four to eight times what we now pay.
All this and more will be the topics of a West Volusia Summit beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at City Council Chambers in DeBary City Hall, at 16 Colomba Road. The meeting is open to the public.
Private wells
With sky-high water prices looming, and local utilities structuring their rates to penalize heavy users, the question is asked more and more often: What about people who get their water from private wells? Who's tracking their use, and making them pay?
Monitoring private wells has been viewed by local governments as a logistical nightmare. New digital meters might make it possible.
But the Water Management District won't do it. Counties, which give out the permits for residential wells, could do it if they want to, district spokesman Garland said.
There are around 40,000 domestic-supply wells in the county, Volusia Environmental Manager Steve Kintner said.
A little more than half of them supply household water. Most of the remainder are irrigation wells; there are also a small number of monitoring wells.
Some utility customers don't want to pay potable-water and sewer rates to water their lawns, so they install separate irrigation wells.
Kintner said the topic of metering household wells comes up at planning councils from time to time, but there is currently no plan to do so.
How much water comes out of those wells?
Rich Marella of the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the typical residential well pumps around 200 gallons of water a day for 2.3 or 2.4 people. That includes a small amount of irrigation.
Kintner believes the average is higher. "The average water customer in Florida is using 149 gallons per person, per day," he said, or around 358 gallons for the average household of 2.4 people.
Residential-well users are bound by the same watering restrictions as other users.
"There are people who don’t believe they have to comply with conservation requirements," Kintner said. "They don't understand their water comes out of the aquifer."
Find rules for lawn watering at your address at www.volusia.org/water.
http://www.beacononlinenews.com/news/daily/2115
By Pat Hatfield
For the West Volusia Beacon
October 9, 2009
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City of DeLand Public Services Director Keith Riger is breathing a little easier these days.
"It appears West Volusia may have more time," Riger said.
Time, that is, to develop strategies to supply water to West Volusia residents in the coming years, as the St. Johns River Water Management District directs utilities away from the aquifer as a sole source of water, and to alternatives such as the river and the ocean.
Florida's water districts announced a few years ago that they would not issue any more groundwater-withdrawal permits after 2013; that local suppliers would have to get any additional water from other sources, including surface water.
Volusia County and the Cities of DeLand, Deltona and Orange City banded together to find their own solution. They weren't happy with the Water Management District's suggestions: pipe water from the Ocklawaha River in Putnam County or from Seminole County's Yankee Lake plant on the St. Johns.
Then, in July, the Water Management District Governing Board put the brakes on its push to treat river water for drinking. The agency announced it would delay funding river-water-withdrawal projects until environmental-protection studies of the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers are completed.
"We think we have until at least 2019 to construct a surface-water plant," Riger said.
Tha'’s still in the near future, in terms of construction, he noted.
The district believes Volusia County's use of groundwater from the aquifer is reaching its sustainable limit, St. Johns River Water Management District spokesman Ed Garland said.
He noted the Water Management District and utilities are working together to provide water to the growing population and protect Florida's springs at the same time.
Can Seminole afford to build Yankee Lake?
Seminole County had hoped to supply much of the Central Florida water deficit from its Yankee Lake plant, but is now re-evaluating that plan.
The Water Management District approved Seminole County's plan to begin withdrawing 5.5 mgd a day at Yankee Lake. This initial use will be largely for irrigation in Seminole County.
In the future, Seminole County planned to increase the output of the plant to 55 or 70 mgd, largely of drinking water, to supply Seminole’s needs and to sell water to neighboring counties.
The Riverkeeper and the City of Jacksonville challenged the Yankee Lake plan in court, fearing the effects of lowering the water level and discharging waste from the treatment process back into the river.
City of DeLand engineer Riger said water suppliers are watching the court case. They are also looking for the results of a Water Management District study of flows and levels at Blue Spring, due next year.
The price tag for Yankee Lake could be as high as $68 million, not including pipes to get the water from the plant to customers. To afford to build it, Seminole County needed millions of dollars from its neighbors, and tried to sign up utilities like DeLand and Volusia County as partners in the plant. That didn't work.
So far, Central Florida utilities have not been willing to pay millions, with no guarantee of how much water they might get from Yankee Lake, when they could get it, and how much they would have to pay.
Seminole County is re-evaluating, Environmental Services Director Andrew Neff said. His department is looking at the costs, scheduling and infrastructure needed, both with and without partners.
Assistant Seminole County Manager Sabrina O'Bryan said when the study is completed in a few months, that information will come to the county commissioners for their review and decision.
Yankee Lake is one of a number of proposed plants along the river that could drain the St. Johns of 260 million gallons of water every day to satisfy Central Florida's thirst.
Some experts suggest bypassing those environmentally dangerous plans — which would supply sufficient water only in the short term, anyway — and going straight to the ocean, where desalination plants like Coquina Coast, proposed off Flagler County, could provide water.
But treated ocean water would cost four to eight times what we now pay.
All this and more will be the topics of a West Volusia Summit beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at City Council Chambers in DeBary City Hall, at 16 Colomba Road. The meeting is open to the public.
Private wells
With sky-high water prices looming, and local utilities structuring their rates to penalize heavy users, the question is asked more and more often: What about people who get their water from private wells? Who's tracking their use, and making them pay?
Monitoring private wells has been viewed by local governments as a logistical nightmare. New digital meters might make it possible.
But the Water Management District won't do it. Counties, which give out the permits for residential wells, could do it if they want to, district spokesman Garland said.
There are around 40,000 domestic-supply wells in the county, Volusia Environmental Manager Steve Kintner said.
A little more than half of them supply household water. Most of the remainder are irrigation wells; there are also a small number of monitoring wells.
Some utility customers don't want to pay potable-water and sewer rates to water their lawns, so they install separate irrigation wells.
Kintner said the topic of metering household wells comes up at planning councils from time to time, but there is currently no plan to do so.
How much water comes out of those wells?
Rich Marella of the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the typical residential well pumps around 200 gallons of water a day for 2.3 or 2.4 people. That includes a small amount of irrigation.
Kintner believes the average is higher. "The average water customer in Florida is using 149 gallons per person, per day," he said, or around 358 gallons for the average household of 2.4 people.
Residential-well users are bound by the same watering restrictions as other users.
"There are people who don’t believe they have to comply with conservation requirements," Kintner said. "They don't understand their water comes out of the aquifer."
Find rules for lawn watering at your address at www.volusia.org/water.
http://www.beacononlinenews.com/news/daily/2115
Thursday, October 1, 2009
U.S. House approves funding needed to deepen the SJR
House OKs funds to deepen St. Johns
From the Jacksonville Business Journal
Thursday, October 1, 2009
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The more than $900,000 needed to finish deepening the St. Johns River to 40 feet so larger ships can call on the port was approved by the U.S. House Thursday.
The funding provided through the Energy & Water Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010 still has to approved by the U.S. Senate and signed into law by the president.
“With completion of this project, Jaxport’s three cargo terminals will share a 40-foot depth,” said Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, who introduced a request for the funding.
The Jacksonville Port Authority wants to deepen the river channel to about 50 feet by 2014 to coincide with the opening of the expanded Panama Canal, which will allow larger ships to call on the port. The project is expected to cost about $500 million.
http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/09/28/daily43.html
From the Jacksonville Business Journal
Thursday, October 1, 2009
---------------------------------------------------
The more than $900,000 needed to finish deepening the St. Johns River to 40 feet so larger ships can call on the port was approved by the U.S. House Thursday.
The funding provided through the Energy & Water Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010 still has to approved by the U.S. Senate and signed into law by the president.
“With completion of this project, Jaxport’s three cargo terminals will share a 40-foot depth,” said Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, who introduced a request for the funding.
The Jacksonville Port Authority wants to deepen the river channel to about 50 feet by 2014 to coincide with the opening of the expanded Panama Canal, which will allow larger ships to call on the port. The project is expected to cost about $500 million.
http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/09/28/daily43.html
Monday, September 28, 2009
News article on the future of Florida's rivers and springs
Will
Experts say excess demand might sap the water that now bubbles out of springs in rural
By, Steve Patterson
For Jacksonville.com
on Saturday, September 26, 2009
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Generations of tourists in
That ended decades ago. Wells drilled around the speck of a town on the
Today, people in inland North Florida are wondering whether rivers and more springs could someday face similar damage from a new generation of pumping farther away - in
"White Springs kind of leads you into the whole water supply issue in
"At least in the future, there could be significant impacts. ... [With] what's happened up to this point, are we looking at the beginning of those effects?"
State agencies are taking a closer a look at that.
Herd's office and the St. Johns River Water Management District will spend the next few months analyzing how water use in
Their main question is how that will affect plants and wildlife around the
Early forecasts suggested that by 2030, Jacksonville-area demand could suck down aquifer levels anywhere from one to three feet near the
That forecast is on top of the demand that will come from people actually living in those areas, who use water for farming and mining as well as in their homes and shops.
Although
"We're getting too close to a tipping point that can radically change an ecosystem," said Rob Brinkman, chairman of the Sierra Club's Gainesville-area group.
"The water we're using is having an effect on how much water is coming out of the springs, and that affects the water quality."
On the
If water agencies decide the
Deciding whether that's necessary will mean finding out how sensitive different springs and sections of river are, because the same change in the aquifer can affect two places very differently, Canepa said.
A new forecast that factors water use from both districts and new estimates of slower population growth should be ready early next year, he said.
"Right now, we don't think that there's an issue," Canepa said. "But the jury is still out."
Proving what causes changes at any one spring can be complicated, and some changes have nothing to do with anyone in
At Worthington Springs in
But Brinkman said the big issue is less about whether one town is affecting another than whether Floridians are taking care of their water supply.
"The problem in
If people learned to conserve water better, he said, "we could get to the point where
steve.patterson@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4263
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-09-26/story/will_jacksonvilles_water_woes_spread_across_north_florida
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