Plan re-emerges to shift water resources across Florida - St. Petersburg Times
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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
-------------------------------------------------------------
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
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