St. Johns River Alliance

Where on the River is Andrea?

2011-08-31T13:19:00.010-04:00

I visited the historic town of Sanford while in Orlando for a meeting. What a lovely setting on Lake Monroe, aka the St. Johns River! The town developed a nice waterfront park with benches and a playground. The Sanford Museum and Central Florida Zoo are nearby. I stopped by the Rivership Romance dock and spoke with owner Robert Hopkins. They offer lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch cruises.

St. Johns River License Plate - In Stores Now!

2010-12-03T16:03:00.006-05:00

The brand new St. Johns River License Plate is now available for purchase at your local tax collectors office or DMV. Sport this on your ride and show your love for the St. Johns, all the while supporting programs for access, outreach, and research. Get yours today! And while you are there, buy a gift certificate for a friend or loved one. Once they see yours, they'll want one too.

Recent recent news articles on St. Johns River License Plate:

St. Johns River License Plate Pays Tribute to Late Sen. Jim King, Available Soon

St. Johns River license plate debuts

St. Johns River license plates coming any day

St. Johns River Holiday Gift-Giving Guide

2010-11-29T11:53:00.006-05:00

Here are three great excuses for giving gifts that celebrate the St. Johns River!

1) St. Johns River 2011 Calendar: $10 + tax

2) St. Johns River Specialty License Plate Gift Certificate: $25 + fees

3) River Into The New World: The St. Johns DVD: $20 + tax
Visit www.stjohnsriveralliance.com or email sjralliance@gmail.com for more details on how to order.

2010 St. Johns River Summit was a success!

2010-09-17T08:21:00.002-04:00

Read more articles about the event here:

http://wokv.com/localnews/2010/09/funding-for-health-of-river-to.html

http://jaquars.jacksonville.com/news/florida/2010-09-16/story/river-summit-brings-pledge-caucus-no-guarantee-new-money

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/othercities/jacksonville/stories/2010/09/13/daily28.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2010/09/13/daily12.html?ana=from_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_jacksonville+%28Jacksonville+Business+Journal%29

Register Now! 2010 St. Johns River Summit via @constantcontact

2010-08-31T13:08:00.000-04:00

St. Johns River Summit less than 3 weeks away!

2010-08-26T11:28:00.003-04:00

We've been getting some great media attention lately, registration is up, we've secured a title sponsor, and the phones are ringing with more organizations wanting to get involved!

Read some of the recent articles below.

Summit to tackle St. Johns River problems

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/west-volusia/2010/08/26/summit-to-tackle-st-johns-river-problems.html

JEA to sponsor St. Johns River summit

http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2010/08/23/daily10.html

2010 St. Johns River Summit to gather river experts

http://advantagebizmag.com/archives/4758

Finalists Selected in St. Johns River Photo Contest Georgia-Pacific and St. Johns River Alliance to Create Calendar - CNBC

2010-07-21T12:33:00.000-04:00

Finalists Selected in St. Johns River Photo Contest Georgia-Pacific and St. Johns River Alliance to Create Calendar - CNBC

St. Johns River fish deaths worrying sportsmen, scientists | jacksonville.com

2010-06-03T10:45:00.000-04:00

St. Johns River fish deaths worrying sportsmen, scientists | jacksonville.com

The Greater St. Johns Photo Contest

2010-05-11T09:37:00.003-04:00

"The Greater St. Johns Photo Contest" has just been announced. The contest is currently accepting photography submissions from the public in five categories related to the St. Johns River. The photographs will be collected and judged by an esteemed panel. The top 15 submissions will be selected for a 2011 calendar. The grand prize winner will see their picture on the cover of the calendar and win a trip for four to Disney World! The St. Johns River Alliance will receive the proceeds from the calendar sales.

Check it out: http://www.gp.com/stjohns/contest_overview.html

'Green monster’ is returning to St. Johns River | jacksonville.com

2010-05-11T09:36:00.000-04:00

'Green monster’ is returning to St. Johns River | jacksonville.com

Gulf oil spill: Florida braces for impact

2010-05-11T09:35:00.001-04:00

Gulf oil spill: Florida braces for impact

Posted using ShareThis

County pulls back from desal project | StAugustine.com

2010-05-05T12:57:00.000-04:00

County pulls back from desal project | StAugustine.com

Deep Creek Conservation Area

2010-04-12T11:49:00.002-04:00

Wild area on Farmton land to be preserved
Intense debate gives public 'magical' land

By Dinah Voyles Pulver
April 11, 2010

OSTEEN -- For years, the woods surrounding Deep Creek as it flows into the St. Johns River were known only to hunt-club members and the few boaters brave enough to venture past bright yellow "No Trespassing" signs.

But when the landowner, Miami Corp., launched a 50-year development proposal more than two years ago, the creek suddenly attracted a stream of elected officials, scientists and planners getting their first look at the remote wilderness.

Volusia County Councilwoman Pat Northey was stunned when she saw it for the first time. The same impression grips nearly everyone who sets foot on the land.

"It's magical," said Northey, who made it a personal mission to conserve the area and open it to the public.

Wild beauty greets the eye at every turn. A rustle in the leaves reveals a turkey gobbler. A whisper of wings might be a wood stork or ghostly night heron taking flight through the dense cypress forest.

The palette of colors changes with each season. In spring, golden bachelor buttons emerge from the earth while slender red blossoms peek from air orchids. The creek's surface glows with the reflection of bright-green cypress needles.

But this soul-stirring beauty masks an intense debate roiling over the owner's long-term plans for the land.

The 1,140-acre area along the creek is one small part of 59,000 acres the Chicago-based family land trust owns in southern Volusia and northern Brevard counties. The company wants to change its authorized land uses and secure long-term development rights for 25,000 homes and 4 million square feet of nonresidential space on about 19,000 acres.

In exchange, the company will conserve about 40,000 acres, including two large swamps and the corridor along Deep Creek. The creek carries water south from Lake Ashby, collecting rainwater that falls on a vast area east and north of Deltona.

Under the company's original proposal, the creekside land would have been protected to a degree, private but secured by conservation easement for a wetland mitigation bank. That wouldn't give the property the higher level of protection it needs, Northey said, nor would it allow the public to see its rare beauty.

During several contentious meetings, she made one point clear. The proposal would not win her vote unless the Deep Creek area was deeded over to the public.

"It's truly old, natural Florida," Northey said. "It needed to be in public trust, something that people could see and touch and feel."

The company agreed, and the plan now spells out how the 1,140 acres will become the Deep Creek Conservation Area.

The plan, which only changes land use and requires separate approvals for each stage of development, has been approved by the Volusia County Council and submitted to the Florida Department of Community Affairs for review.

The department is expected to declare the plan not in compliance, which would then require mediation and a possible hearing with the state's Division of Administrative Hearings.

If the plan is ultimately approved, within 60 days of that final approval, 465 acres at the creek's confluence with the river will be deeded over to a Community Stewardship Organization. A permanent conservation easement will be granted to the county, the St. Johns River Water Management District and probably Audubon of Florida.

As the company continues to sell credits in its wetland bank, the remaining acreage also will be turned over. The conservation area encompasses the bulk of the flood plain along either side of the creek, beginning just south of Osteen Maytown Road.

The stewardship organization, recommended by a panel of science experts that reviewed the plan, will develop and oversee the management plan for the public conservation area. The organization also will co-hold an easement and make recommendations for other conservation areas at Farmton. Its membership will include representatives of the property owner and the county, with the majority of members from statewide conservation organizations, such as Audubon of Florida.

For opponents, including no-growth advocates and many environmental activists, the tradeoffs aren't enough. They say the company's proposal to build several times the number of homes now allowed will permanently impact natural resources and unfairly position a significant amount of the county's future growth in too remote an area.

Supporters say the conservation-oriented design is the best example of smart growth, and with the future developer paying for roads and services, the kind of long-term planning Floridians should have done long ago.

However, even officials who voted against the proposal say Deep Creek is a wild and wonderful place.

County Councilman Andy Kelly twice voted against the Farmton plan. He compares the impact of the people, homes and commercial development to dropping a pebble in a stream.

"This is like dropping a boulder in the water," he said. "The ripple effect is going to be a massive wave for years to come."

The conservation areas don't compensate for the development impact "in the least," he said. But, he would be happy to see Deep Creek conserved and open to the public.

The view from the bridge on Osteen Maytown Road, where the creek is labeled the Lake Ashby Diversion Canal, fails to do the creek justice. That requires standing alongside the water, surrounded by cypress, cedar and red maple trees, where cell phones receive no signal and the only human sound is boats passing on the river.

"It's phenomenal," Kelly said. "It's a graceful and serene setting and one of those places that once you go there, you don't want to leave."

Although the word pristine is often used to describe the area, it isn't completely untouched by human influence. The creek was dredged sometime during the first half of the 1900s, with high berms created along its banks in some locations. An occasional plastic or glass bottle can be found along the creek.

Both Northey and Kelly want to be sure the county and the stewardship organization carefully define public access so the Deep Creek Conservation Area retains its natural beauty.

Northey said the plan likely will include access by permit, boardwalks, observation platforms and a kayak and canoe launch. She looks forward to sharing.

"It takes your breath away," she said this week. "It's absolutely beautiful."

© 2010 The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/outdoors/environment/2010/04/11/wild-area-on-farmton-land-to-be-preserved.html

Link to President Obama's announcement regarding offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic

2010-04-01T11:42:00.001-04:00

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/energy-security-and-independence

An article about Zora Neale Hurston & "Old Florida"

2010-04-01T11:11:00.002-04:00

Forgotten Florida, Through a Writer’s Eyes

By Adam H. Graham
for the NY Times
published in the weekend edition for April 4, 2010

Think of Florida and some well-worn images are likely to spring to mind: gaudy seaside hotels, palm-studded avenues, beaches dotted with towels and umbrellas.

Then there’s Central Florida, a scrubby swath of live oak hammocks and sandy pine woods that defy all the tourist clichés. This is Old Florida, largely ignored by the stream of tourists on I-4, en route to Disney World or the coast. And this is where one of the country’s first all-black communities, Eatonville, was incorporated, 123 years ago.

The town, once neatly divided by a dirt road, was the childhood home of Zora Neale Hurston, the anthropologist, writer and Harlem Renaissance troubadour best known for her novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” a 1937 roman à clef about a black woman’s search for love in a decidedly untouristy Florida. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hurston’s death, and Eatonville and other towns that Hurston lived in are taking note of the author’s vibrant life.

Much has been written about Hurston’s novels, her ethnographic fieldwork and her contrarian style of politics that railed against conventional race relations. But few have written about her as a traveler. She journeyed extensively in the Caribbean and in the southern United States, and maintained a scrappy hobo spirit, laughing at the Jim Crow laws that were dominant in her day.

In her autobiography “Dust Tracks on a Road” (1942) Hurston describes the elation of jumping midnight trains, riding paddleboats and roving around as a wardrobe girl for a roaming Gilbert & Sullivan theater troupe. She loved traveling, and nowhere more so than in Florida. Indeed, she created a guide for the state, part of a series produced by the Federal Writer’s Project between 1935 and 1943.

Though Central Florida has changed radically over the last century, the places Hurston called home during her childhood (before 1914) and later, from 1932 to 1960 — Eatonville, Fort Pierce, Sanford, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville — have retained much of their Old Florida charm. Together these towns and cities reveal an evocative slice of Hurston’s Florida.

Hurston’s accounts of her childhood are by turns ambiguous and exaggerated. She claimed to have been born in Eatonville in 1901, but her birth date has since been determined to be Jan. 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Ala. She was a preacher’s daughter, the fifth of eight children of the Rev. John Hurston, who eventually became mayor of Eatonville, where the family moved in the 1890s, and Lucy Ann Hurston, a former schoolteacher.

The area became the inspiration for Hurston’s fiction and essays, and was also the source of her W.P.A. work (Hurston studied anthropology with Margaret Mead and Franz Boas at Columbia University, and it was her work on an ethnographic project that brought her back to Florida in 1927; in 1932 she returned permanently.)

In “Dust Tracks,” Hurston regales readers with stories of her ruminative youth, too aspirational to believe at times. “I used to climb to the top of one of the huge chinaberry trees, which guarded our front gate, and look out over the world. The most interesting thing that I saw was the horizon. It grew upon me that I ought to walk out to the horizon and see what the end of the world was like.”

But the writing in her 1939 guidebook, “Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State,” reveals an honesty that captures the spirit of both her and the town: “Right in front of Willie Sewel’s yellow-painted house, the hard road quits being the hard road for a generous mile and becomes the heart of Eatonville.”

When Hurston was 13, her mother died, and Zora was sent to boarding school at Florida Baptist Academy in Jacksonville. After being expelled (for nonpayment) in 1905 at age 14, she returned to Eatonville via the City of Jacksonville, a famed side-wheeler that chugged along the St. Johns River to Sanford. In “Dust Tracks,” she describes the journey: “The curtain of trees along the river shut out the world ... the smothering foliage that draped riverbanks, the miles of purple hyacinths, all thrilled me anew.”

Many of the towns Hurston sailed past and later wrote about have vanished as Florida’s railroads, and then highways, replaced the St. Johns River as the major thoroughfare in the region. Today, a few river cruises try to re-create Florida’s steamboat era: the M/V Rivership Romance is a retired tug from Chicago, refurbished before beginning a new life as an eco-tour vessel, and USA River Cruises travels between Amelia Island and Sanford.

Eatonville is where travelers interested in Hurston will want to linger. Hurston returned to Eatonville from an economically depressed New York in 1932 to conduct ethnographic fieldwork and with the hope of teaching at area colleges. On April 27, 1932, a few years into the Great Depression, Hurston wrote a letter from New York to her benefactor, the New York socialite Charlotte Osgood Mason, saying: “I am going to Eatonville, Fla., and keep in touch with schools from there. Somehow a great weight seems lifted from me.”

On May 8, 1932, no more than a week back home, she wrote Mrs. Mason, exclaiming: “I am happy here, happier than I have been for years. The air is sweet, yes, literally sweet. I am renewed like the eagle. The clang and clamor of New York drops away like a last year’s dream.”

A WALK down East Kennedy Boulevard, Eatonville’s main thoroughfare, passes by Fades to Fro’s Barbershop and Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, where Hurston’s father, the mayor in 1897, became the minister in 1902. The Zora Neale Hurston museum on Kennedy Boulevard arranges guided tours and has free maps for self-guided walks.

Across the street from the museum is Hurston’s alma mater, the boxy-looking Hungerford School. At the southern end of town on West Avenue is glassy Lake Belle, where “the mocking birds sang all night and alligators trumpeted from their stronghold,” according to a passage in “Dust Tracks.”

There are more than a dozen churches in town, too, including the gigantic Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church and the smaller St. Lawrence African Methodist Church, the town’s first, founded in 1881 and rebuilt in 1974. The modern structure is filled with 1920s-era murals depicting Eatonville residents at worship.

Today, residents often gather at Gordon’s Be-Back Fish House, a modest but clean five-table diner on the corner of East Street and Kennedy Boulevard where the tasty offerings include moist slices of ’tater bread, grits and hush puppies. A fried fish basket is $7.50. On a wall hangs a photograph of President Obama’s inaugural ceremony, next to a sign that reads: “No Wearing Pants Below the Waist in Here.” A former mayor, Abraham Gordon, runs the place.

You’ll hear the clang of the Amtrak train from the shaded bench outside. That train, which stops in neighboring Winter Park, is the same one that the characters Janie and Joe arrived on after their shotgun wedding in Green Cove Springs in “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” In her adult years, Hurston lived in Eatonville on and off for a decade but moved around to places like St. Augustine, Jacksonville, Sanford, Daytona, Eau Gallie and Belle Glade, sometimes venturing farther inland to Cross City and Polk County. She spent her later years in Fort Pierce, which has done more than any other community in the area to honor Hurston’s life.

The small Treasure Coast city has erected eight Dust Track Trail markers. One of them is now placed at her gravesite, which the author Alice Walker unearthed in 1973 when she wrote her now-famous “Looking for Zora” article in Ms. Magazine, and which renewed interest in Hurston’s work. A three-day Zora Fest, April 16 to 18, will include lectures, discussions, performances and guided trolley tours.

Fort Pierce’s business district snakes down Avenue D and resembles a colorful Caribbean town. Brightly painted storefronts like La Chic Beauty Salon, Shorty’s Cold Spot and Soul Fighters for Jesus Ministry, adorned with hand-painted signs, have a jumbled grace about them. At the end of Avenue D sits Granny’s Kitchen, which opened in 1975 and churns out hearty mashed lima beans, fried chicken and chitterlings.

It’s run by Miss Hassie Russ, a former student of Hurston’s at the Lincoln Park Academy, where Hurston taught Language Arts in 1958. On a chilly December day, Miss Russ sat down at my table to refill my unsweetened tea and share a few good Hurston yarns.

When Hurston fell ill around 1959, Miss Russ, then her neighbor, cared for and cooked for her at a sunny shotgun cottage with a garden out back. It was owned by a local doctor, Clem C. Benton, who let Hurston use the house free, and it’s now labeled with Dust Track Heritage Marker 3. Dr. Benton’s daughters have lovingly restored the house and filled it with orange-crate bookshelves, period furniture and books that Hurston read.

Hurston spent her last days in the St. Lucie Welfare Home in Fort Pierce. She died on Jan. 28, 1960, and was buried in the weed-choked Genesee Cemetery (renamed the Garden of Heavenly Rest), now marked by Dust Track Heritage Marker 4 and considerably manicured. Her name was misspelled on her gravestone — it read Zora Neil Hurston — but it’s since been corrected by Alice Walker, and the epitaph reads, “A Genius of the South.”

Miss Russ regaled me with stories of the 1950s, while I tucked into my smothered steak and collard greens. “But what about segregation? All those buses and trains Zora rode? Didn’t she ever ride in the back of the bus?” I asked, still puzzled by the logistics of her intrepid travels with little mention of inequality.

Miss Russ laughed, and said: “Oh, no. Zora marched to her own beat. She talked her way up front.”

IF YOU GO

EATONVILLE

The Zora Neale Hurston museum (227 East Kennedy Boulevard;407-647-3307; zoranealehurstonmuseum.com), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free, but donations encouraged. Offers free detailed maps of Hurston’s Eatonville. The exhibit “Zora Neale Hurston: The Legacy of Inspired Reality” features photos and artworks of and inspired by Hurston, through Aug. 27.

Gordon’s Be-Back Fish House, (558 East Kennedy Boulevard; 407-644-6640). Catfish basket, $7.50; sides, including hush puppies, fried okra and grits, $1.50.

Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church (412 East Kennedy Boulevard; 407- 647-0010; www.mdonia.org). Sunday services at 7:45 and 11 a.m. Though the building has gone through many moves and transformations, this is the church where Hurston’s father preached.

SANFORD

Sanford Cemetery (intersection of West 25th Street and Hardy Avenue). Behind the ornate headstones of Sanford Cemetery is an overgrown African-American cemetery, where Hurston’s mother, Lucy, is thought to be buried, though her grave has yet to be discovered.

FORT PIERCE

Garden of Heavenly Rest Cemetery (17th Street and Avenue S). Hurston was buried here, when it was the Genesee Cemetery, in 1960 under a headstone that misspelled her name. Alice Walker discovered Hurston’s grave in the 1970s.

Granny’s Kitchen (901 Avenue D; 772-461-9533). Hassie Russ was a student of Hurston’s at Lincoln Park Academy. Miss Russ now serves up delicious soul food at her cozy restaurant at the head of Fort Pierce’s Avenue D. Smothered steak, with mashed potatoes, cornbread and a side of mashed lima beans, is $7.50.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/travel/04culture.html

One step closer to the SJR license plate!!

2010-03-24T09:54:00.002-04:00

House approves St. Johns license plate honoring King

By Steve Patterson
For the St. Augustine Record
On March 24, 2010

A specialty license plate to finance St. Johns River research and access was approved unanimously by the Florida House Tuesday as a measure honoring the late Sen. Jim King.

"Jim King was a friend of many of the people in the House a well as the Senate," said Rep. Lake Ray, R-Jacksonville, who sponsored the bill.

King, a Jacksonville Republican, was a longtime river advocate who pushed for the new plate through the last day of last year's session.He died of cancer in July.

As a tribute, King's name was written onto a boat being paddled across the river in the plate's design.

Drivers who want the plate would pay an extra $25 per year fee that would raise money for the nonprofit St. Johns River Alliance. The group would be required to use the money for purposes including programs to improve public connections to the river and grants for research.

Legislation to create the plate was stalled last year by concerns about a series of other proposed license plates. Ray said King succeeded in getting the St. Johns plate split off from the others on the last day of the session, but the same couldn't be done in the House.

"He was over there with me on the last day of the session, trying to help me get it passed," Ray said.

Also Tuesday, the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee approved the bill.

"Its next stop is the floor of the Senate," Ray said. "I think it's definitely on its way."

Inner-city kids keep dream alive at St. Johns cleanup | Jacksonville.com

2010-03-22T10:23:00.001-04:00

Inner-city kids keep dream alive at St. Johns cleanup | Jacksonville.com

Manatee Season

2010-03-22T10:20:00.002-04:00

Wildlife officers target manatee speed zones
By Dinah Voyles Pulver
For the Daytona Beach News-Journal
March 20, 2010

While state and federal officials warn boaters to be wary of manatees venturing out for food in area waterways this weekend, they'll be patrolling for boaters violating laws designed to protect the animals.

Marine officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan a joint effort today and Sunday to enforce manatee speed zones on area waterways.

The effort is planned to coincide with a time of year when the animals are most vulnerable, the agencies said. With temperatures warming, manatees are moving north from South Florida and venturing farther afield in the St. Johns River from their warm-water refuge at Blue Spring State Park.

Boaters should wear polarized sunglasses and watch for large, tell-tale circular ripples manatees create in the water, said Chris Roszkowiak, a wildlife commission captain. Watercraft-related incidents account for up to 20 percent of the annual manatee deaths in Volusia and Flagler counties.

Manatee zone boundaries are marked by large posted signs and buoys, white with orange lettering. Boaters must follow federal and state rules.

Federal fines range up to $25,000 and can carry a sentence of up to six months in prison.

dinah.pulver @news-jrnl.com

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2010/03/20/wildlife-officers-target-manatee-speed-zones.html

Nassau County plans to raise rates of heavy water users

2010-03-19T13:06:00.001-04:00

County to raise rates for heaviest water users

By Ryan Smith, News-Leader

The Nassau County Commission unanimously adopted Monday a resolution approving a new conservation rate

structure for Nassau-Amelia Utilities.

NAU provides water utility services to the south end of Amelia Island.

While the average water utility customer should see no change in water and sewer bills, heavy water users will see an increase, according to County Coordinator Ed Sealover.

"What the county is doing is adopting a water conservation rate program that has been suggested by St. Johns River Water Management District," Sealover said Thursday. "For the most part, people will not see an increase on their water bills. But people who are heavy, heavy users of water - and I don't mean bathing or washing clothes; I'm talking about irrigation of lawns - then you will pay more."

According to Sealover, customers who don't use much water will actually see their bills go down slightly. Customers using 5,000 gallons per month or less should see a $1 to $5 decrease in their monthly bills. Average users may see a few cents' decrease.

Those who use 11,000 gallons or more per month, however, will see marked increase as usage goes up - anywhere from around 99 cents for 11,000 gallons to more than $35 for 30,000 gallons.

The resolution adopting the new rate structure will take effect after approval by the Florida Secretary of State's Office.

rsmith@fbnewsleader.com

Story created Mar 18, 2010

http://www.fbnewsleader.com/articles/2010/03/18/news/00newsawaterratesrise.txt

River Clean Up This Weekend!!!

2010-03-19T13:04:00.001-04:00

Big St. Johns River cleanup on Saturday

BY JIM WAYMER • FLORIDA TODAY • March 19, 2010

Along the St. Johns River, litter cleanups always seem to deliver a few surprises.

During a Feb. 27 cleanup at Sarno Lakes, volunteers found snakes under mattresses, a propane tank with a beehive inside and a 9 mm handgun with its numbers filed off.

"We called the sheriff's department and they made it a crime scene," said Barbara Venuto, environmental programs coordinator for Keep Brevard Beautiful, a non-profit group.

The group expects a few more surprises this Saturday when volunteers fan out along the river's floodplains to gather more things that don't belong.

Keep Brevard Beautiful still needs volunteers for Saturday's four cleanup sites.

While the cleanups are safe events, Venuto said volunteers should be on guard.

"I think everyone needs to be aware that you are entering habitat where there are alligators and snakes," she said.

People leave behind a litany of items.

High waters may hide many items, said Leroy Wright, a long-time river advocate.

"It's near flood stage out there now. It's really high," he said. "I think a lot of that stuff is gong to be submerged."

The cleanup never ends, nor does Wright's desire to protect the river.

Even the prospect of snakes and alligators won't keep him away.

"I'm looking forward to getting out there," he said.

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100319/NEWS01/3190326/1006/Big%20St.%20Johns%20River%20cleanup%20on%20Saturday

JEA looks into water alternative

2010-03-19T13:01:00.001-04:00

JEA ponders pumping into aquifer; Utility wants to clean used water and put it back into its source.

By STEVE PATTERSON

Troubled by forecasts it could harm the Floridan aquifer by pumping too much water, JEA is asking whether it can put some water back after using it.

The utility and the St. Johns River Water Management District are looking into the costs and effectiveness of two plans to return sewer wastewater to the ground after carefully cleaning it to a high standard.

One idea involves laying pipelines to carry wastewater to places southwest of Jacksonville where water quickly percolates through the ground and into the aquifer.

The other involves drilling a shaft maybe 2,000 feet deep and injecting the cleaned wastewater into a different aquifer layer below the Floridan. The goal there is to create upward pressure that would maintain Floridan levels, somewhat like slipping a coaster under a wobbly table leg.

The cleaned water would eventually find its way into an aquifer anyway but not as fast, said Karl Hankin, JEA's manager of water and wastewater planning.

"The amount of water we've got on this planet is finite. ... We've probably recycled the water we drink a number of times already," Hankin said.

JEA has lagged behind many communities in using recycled wastewater to irrigate lawns and golf courses, partly because of the cost of laying new pipes through well-established neighborhoods.

As a result, great amounts of cleaned wastewater end up being released into the St. Johns River instead of being reused.

"There is still a lot of reclaimed water that is not presently spoken for," said Kirby Green, management district's executive director.

That wastewater is being viewed as a potential asset now, as the water management district pressures utilities to show how they will meet water demands through 2030 without overburdening the aquifer, their source of drinking water.

Gainesville's utility has returned wastewater to quick-recharge areas for years, Hankin said. He said water is still naturally filtered as it passes through yard after yard of earth, entering the Floridan with no risk of any environmental harm.

But Jacksonville's geology would make that process more complicated.

Most of Northeast Florida's ground contains a barrier, called the Hawthorn layer, that would slow the water's descent, defeating the goal of recharging the aquifer.

To get around that, JEA could run pipes somewhere out near Keystone Heights or other inland points where the Hawthorn layer disappears.

Doing that would cost many millions of dollars, but the exact price isn't known yet. It's likely to be clearer by the time the management district completes a 20-year water supply plan in December.

Hankin said JEA might be able to pour 30 million to 80 million gallons daily into a recharge system. If it injected water directly into a lower aquifer, the utility might handle 1 million to 40 million gallons daily that way, he said.steve.patterson@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4263

(c) 2010 Florida Times Union. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/142618362.html

St. Johns River Celebration washes ashore Saturday | Jacksonville.com

2010-03-16T13:12:00.000-04:00

St. Johns River Celebration washes ashore Saturday | Jacksonville.com

First Coast might need a drink of (river) water soon | Jacksonville.com

2010-03-16T12:59:00.000-04:00

First Coast might need a drink of (river) water soon | Jacksonville.com

Water restrictions change on Sunday

2010-03-11T14:01:00.001-05:00

Twice-a-week watering rules return Sunday
St. Johns River Water Management District rules will change then.

By The Times-Union
on Thursday, Mar. 11, 2010

Twice-a-week watering regulations return Sunday with daylight saving time to the 18 counties within the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Under restrictions adopted a year ago, landscape irrigation is limited to two days a week during daylight saving time, and one day a week during the winter months.

The restrictions were put in place to ensure efficient use of water for lawn and landscape irrigation and to conserve Florida's water. Thirty-six local governments in Northeast and Central Florida also enacted ordinances implementing the district's rule.

Beginning Sunday (with certain exceptions), landscape irrigation restrictions are as follows:

- Wednesday and Saturday for residential landscape irrigation at addresses that end in an odd number or have no address.

- Thursday and Sunday for residential landscape irrigation at addresses that end in an even number.

- Tuesday and Friday for nonresidential landscape irrigation.

- No landscape watering is allowed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. any day, and no more than one hour is allowed per irrigation zone on each day irrigation occurs.

The restrictions apply to water withdrawn from ground or surface water, private well or pump, or from a public or private water utility.

For more information, visit floridaswater.com/wateringrestrictions.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-03-11/story/twice_a_week_watering_rules_return_sunday

Will water from the St. Johns River in Florida ever flow from taps? - OrlandoSentinel.com

2010-03-08T13:22:00.002-05:00

Will water from the St. Johns River in Florida ever flow from taps? - OrlandoSentinel.com

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Ferrin: Mile Point dredging breakthrough? - Jacksonville Business Journal:

2010-03-08T13:21:00.001-05:00

Ferrin: Mile Point dredging breakthrough? - Jacksonville Business Journal:

Jacksonville making progress on access to waterways

2010-02-25T11:31:00.001-05:00

By Ron Littlepage
on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010
for the Florida Times Union/ Jacksonville.com

It was one of those perfunctory gatherings: a ribbon-cutting ceremony that drew city officials, representatives of the companies that worked on the project and a few interested citizens.

But this one, Tuesday morning under a bright, blue sky, was significant.

First, it celebrated the renaming of the city's park and boat ramps at Sisters Creek on the Intracoastal Waterway to honor Jim King, who died last year.

During his long career in the Florida House and Senate, King worked to protect the St. Johns River and its tributaries, and to improve public access to the area's wonderful waterways.

The Sisters Creek park was a special place for King as he was the "voice" of the annual Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament, headquartered at the park, announcing the results - always with humor - as anglers brought fish to be weighed in, small and large.

"I'm not sure where we would be without his advocacy," Mayor John Peyton said.

Peyton invited King's widow, Linda, to the podium. "Jim is smiling," she said. "He's happy to see you here."

And she reminded those present that one of King's unfulfilled goals, having a specialty license plate featuring the St. Johns, which would raise money for the river, will be considered by the Legislature this spring. It needs to pass.

The occasion also marked the official opening of a new kayak and canoe launch at the park.

It's a bit of a hike, especially when carrying a kayak, from the parking area to the launch, which some paddlers won't like, and boarding a kayak from a floating dock isn't the most graceful of actions, but those who use the new launch will have immediate access to the Hannah Mills area - a spectacular expanse of marsh islands and tidal creeks.

Peyton nailed it when he said it's better access to our natural areas that will attract people to live here, and when a city is competing for jobs, quality of life is high on the list.

"If we don't fund our government, these are the things that get cut," Peyton said. "The public parks system gets the short end of the stick. Let's continue to find the dollars to make investments like this."

Much of the focus on access to our waterways has been on major projects, such as the $23 million the City Council approved recently to make improvements to the Southbank Riverwalk, Friendship Fountain and Metropolitan Park.

But these smaller projects are just as critical, and they are getting done.

For instance, a dangerous boat launch at Cedar Point has been replaced; an easy-to-use kayak and canoe launch at Pumpkin Hill opens that area to paddling; and kayaks and canoes can launch at parks on Castaway and Dutton islands.

"We have the ingredients here," Peyton said, to make Jacksonville a better place to live.

Hopefully, there will be more perfunctory ribbon-cuttings in the near future.

ron.littlepage@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4284

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/columnists/ron_littlepage/2010-02-25/story/jacksonville_making_progress_on_access_to_waterwa

Farming water: New plan for Everglades restoration would pay ranchers to use land for storing water

2010-02-18T12:17:00.001-05:00

Farming water: New plan for Everglades restoration would pay ranchers to use land for storing water

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My first trip to Blue Springs

2010-02-16T11:00:00.004-05:00

A friend and I took our first trip down to Blue Springs State Park to see the manatees. We saw quite a few and had a great time. Here are just four of the pictures that we took.

Great Blue Heron & Manatees in Blue Springs

2010-02-08T10:52:00.002-05:00

Photos by the SJRA Executive Director, Mark Middlebrook. More of his photography can be found at the La Florida link in the sidebar.

Upcoming Board Meeting Public Notice

2010-02-08T10:48:00.001-05:00

Public Notice
~~~~~~~~~~~
The St. Johns River Alliance (SJRA) will be holding a regular
session board meeting on Monday, February 22, 2010 from 1-
3pm. The meeting will be held in the Brevard County
Government Complex in Building C on the 2nd floor. The address
is: 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, Florida.

At the time this notice is being prepared, the SJRA staff expects the
agenda of its meeting to include the following topics:

1. A presentation on “Climate Change & Florida’s Coastal Resources- expected
impacts & solutions for adaptation” by Dr. Karl Havens,
member of the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council and Director of
the Florida Sea Grant Program
2. A report by Don Brandes regarding the St. Johns River Water
Management District’s water conservation planning efforts
3. An update on the 2010 River Summit
4. A Discussion of general operating and financial business

Huguenot Debris to be cleaned up by May??

2010-02-08T10:45:00.001-05:00

Huguenot debris cleanup could start, finish before May
A stretch at Huguenot was closed when scraps were found in the sand.

By Steve Patterson
on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010
for Jacksonville.com

A stretch of Jacksonville beachfront that closed last year because of sharp metal debris could be cleaned and open before big crowds - or sea turtles - return this spring.

The City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on approving an agreement among city, state and federal agencies to remove debris at Huguenot Memorial Park by May 1. Three committees have approved it already.

"This for us is the best kind of possible scenario under the circumstances," said Nathan Rezeau, a division chief in the city's recreation department who oversees the park.

Cleanup work at the park off Heckscher Drive could start next month, Rezeau said.

The finish date was picked to get machinery off the beach before nesting season starts for sea turtles, which are federally protected as a threatened or endangered species.

But it also would free up beach space during warm holiday weekends such as Memorial Day and Independence Day, when visitor traffic peaks.

An oceanfront area a few hundred feet north of the St. Johns River jetties has been closed since summer because visitors kept stepping on pieces of half-buried metal.

Those turned out to be military scrap including pipes, knives, shell casings, dog tags and cigarette lighters marked with names of Navy ships that were at Mayport Naval Station in the 1950s and '60s.

It's not clear how the items reached the park, which is on the opposite side the river from Mayport, base spokesman Bill Austin said.

The city and Navy would both pay for the cleanup, budgeted at just under $80,000.

The work would target an area about 400 feet long and 200 feet wide, with contractors scooping up the top 4 feet of sand and spreading it on the shore to dry.

After workers pulled out any big pieces of metal, a machine for sifting sand would sort through the pile and the cleaned sand would be spread back where it was excavated. Metal would be dumped in big containers and held until it can be recycled or hauled to a landfill.

Workers will sort about 4,400 cubic yards of sand, which is expected to take about 13 days.

Besides handling the metal recycling and disposal, the Navy is supposed to reimburse the city for up to $20,000 of the cleanup costs.

The rest of the cost, nearly $60,000, falls on the city. But the work plan, which was negotiated partly with Florida's Department of Environmental Protection, lets the city use money it was already obligated to pay as a penalty for an environmental violation at the city's Trail Ridge landfill. That arrangement, called an "in-kind" payment, represented 50 percent more than the original landfill fine but was still a savings to the city, said Mike Fitzsimmons, a state environmental protection manager.

steve.patterson@jacksonville. com, (904) 359-4263

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-02-07/story/huguenot_debris_cleanup_could_start_finish_before_may

Dr. Karl Havens to speak at upcoming SJRA board meeting

2010-02-08T10:42:00.001-05:00

Florida cities need to get ready for rising seas, researcher says
Climate change puts a new spin on an annual beach-science meeting.

By Steve Patterson
on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010
for Jacksonville.com

INDIALANTIC - Florida cities can protect themselves now from hurricane damage by getting ready for sea levels to rise someday, a coastal expert told beach engineers meeting Friday.

Planning for higher water levels will make coastal towns less vulnerable to storm surges, even if long-term forecasts about climate changes and rising seas prove to be wrong, said Karl Havens, director of the Florida Sea Grant program, a partnership between the federal government and Florida's university system.

"So much of what we're doing with communities overlaps," said Havens, whose program finances coastal research and advises local governments on coastal issues.

He spoke at the National Conference on Beach Preservation Technology, a yearly meeting for engineers and others involved in controlling beach erosion.

Sea levels have historically increased slowly. But many scientists' predictions of climate change caused by man-made pollution include significant increases in ocean levels.

Many communities have been uncertain how, if at all, to respond. That has been complicated by uncertainty within the predictions themselves and by the vocal criticism of skeptics.

The St. Johns River Alliance, an organization that includes Jacksonville and other governments along the St. Johns River, has scheduled Havens to speak to its leaders about possible choices.

In an interview after the conference, Havens said he believed there were some politically easy steps that could help parts of Northeast Florida.

He singled out as an example the use of "living shorelines" to control erosion on riverbanks, which would be expected to increase as water levels rose. Rather than building bulkheads, in many areas Florida Sea Grant recommends adding oyster shells and cultivating riverbank grasses that help stabilize undeveloped shorelines.

Living shorelines are meant to absorb waves, while Havens said bulkheads simply shift the force of the water over to the nearest unprotected property.

A study published last year by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sea-level researcher seemed to suggest many Florida communities would try to protect developed areas if sea levels rose significantly. In doing so, however, they would shift onto taxpayers rising costs of maintaining roads and sewers that weren't built for the higher water level.

Preserving existing wetlands and undeveloped coastal areas is often cited as another simple way communities can minimize the effects of higher water.

Havens said there's a wide gap in how Florida's communities have addressed sea-level issues, with Miami-Dade County and a few others actively planning while others seem overwhelmed.

In some cases, nature has forced the issue. One presentation at Friday's conference was made by an engineer who designed a beach parking lot on pilings in Walton County in the Panhandle - after storms wiped out traditional parking lots at that site three times.

Sea Grant programs along the Gulf Coast have pooled money with Florida's program to jointly train their employees how to address the subject with local officials, he said.

steve.patterson@jacksonville.com (904) 359-4263
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-02-06/story/florida_cities_need_to_get_ready_for_rising_seas_researcher_says

License Plate Update

2010-02-03T13:48:00.003-05:00

The St. Johns River Alliance has been working with the Florida House and Senate to get a St. Johns River license plate bill passed. Today was another step in the right direction when the House Economic Development & Affairs Policy Council unanimously approved the bill. The bill has now passed through two House committees and has been released to the House Calendar. No word yet on the Senate side, but things are looking better this year. Proceeds received from the license plate sales could help the SJRA work on river education, outreach and conservation.

Water supply reactions mixed

2010-02-01T13:11:00.001-05:00

Local residents offer opinion following Thursday meeting

By TONY BRITT
tbritt@lakecityreporter.com
Sunday, January 31, 2010

GAINESVILLE — A Thursday night meeting to address declining water levels in the Floridan Aquifer and a water supply plan to address the change is receiving mixed reviews from area residents.

The meeting, which was held at the Alachua County Health Department, was designed to give the public information about the planning process that is being utilized to formulate a water supply plan. The Upper Santa Fe River Basin is experiencing decreasing flow levels and some officials and residents believe there maybe a connection between the two problems.

The meeting, which was hosted by the Suwannee River Water and the St. Johns River Water Management districts, was held Thursday night to allow more interaction from the general public in the water supply planning process.

“In the Upper Santa Fe River Basin, we’re still in the subgroup process and looking at the modeling, conservation, alternative water supplies and all of those components are being developed right now,” said Suwannee River Water Management District senior hydrogeologist Carlos Herd.

The due date for the water supply plan is Dec. 12.

Water management district officials are evaluating whether water from the Floridan Aquifer is now going to counties east of the Columbia County area and basing their plans on projected water usage for the next 20 years.

“That would happen if all the projected demands were taken from groundwater in 2030,” Herd said of the water shift. “We’re trying to figure out when that would start happening, and if it’s happening now, we don’t have the tools that we can say that’s happening now. We have seen some declines in flows in our rivers in the Upper Santa Fe, but we’re still evaluating that data also.”

Four Rivers Audubon member and Lake City resident Frank Sedmera attended the meeting and said he was pleased to get the information that officials provided.

“I think they did as good of a job as could have been done with civilians who are not scientists who really don’t understand much about the technical part of this,” he said. “They did a wonderful job of trying to and in many cases succeeding, in getting people to better understand what we’re depending on to try to predict the future. It’s very difficult to predict the future with that many variables.”

Save Our Suwannee secretary and spokesperson Annette Long said she still has concerns about the studies.

“The concepts they presented were very complex and presented in a really short time,” she said. “I’m afraid that from the tenor of the people from the St. Johns Water Management District, that they are on the track to want to issue more permits. It sounds like there is going to be a lot of pressure from the utilities in the big cities and it’s all about money. I’m afraid it’s going to be an uphill battle and fear that if we want to protect our part of the Suwannee and Santa Fe water sheds that are starting to move toward Jacksonville already, we’re going to have to be the ones that do it. We’ll have to do without in our area and maybe move water from other parts of the Suwannee District to that part of the district. That’s my worst fear.”

http://www.lakecityreporter.com/articles/2010/01/31/news/doc4b64ef8587578607710459.txt

Water supply may run low earlier than thought

2010-02-01T13:04:00.002-05:00

Water management district officials say Marion no longer expected to have sufficient groundwater to meet the demand in 2030

By Fred Hiers
Saturday, January 30, 2010

Marion County's luck in having enough groundwater to not need alternative sources is expected to soon run dry.

St. Johns River Water Management District officials said during a Thursday planning meeting that most of the area, which has been designated as having enough groundwater to meet 2030 population demands, probably won't be on that list any longer when the water agency finishes its water supply report and recommendations this year.

That means counties like Marion and Alachua will have to make plans as to where they will get the water they will need some future day, other than tapping into more groundwater sources.

"To them, it's going to make a big difference," St. Johns River Water Management District project manager David Hornsby said, when discussing how utilities will have to change strategies.

For the past seven years, the water agency tagged seven counties in its district - which included Marion - as "potentially" not being able to meet 2030 water demands using groundwater without doing unacceptable harm to water resources and related environment.

The alternative designation, which is more severe, is to be in a priority water resource caution area. That means the area's proposed water sources would for certain not meet water demand needs without doing harm.

About half the water district's counties currently fall in that category.

Once a utility area has the harsher designation, the water agency determines the maximum amount of groundwater it would be allowed to siphon and the date it is expected to be reached.

From then on, the water agency decides how much water the utility is required to get from alternative sources, such as lakes, rivers, desalination or conservation.

Marion County's lesser designation meant it has been able to avoid having to start drawing up plans for the water agency as to how it might one day have to get water after groundwater was limited.

Although population projections for Florida are down since the beginning of the recession, Hornsby said water agency staffers will almost certainly this summer recommend to their board that the seven counties be bumped into the more stringent category. The final report and recommendations will be submitted in December.

nnn

About 50 people were at the meeting on Thursday in Gainesville, which was hosted by the St. Johns River Management District and the Suwannee River Water Management District.

The meeting was one of many required by Florida law in determining the state's water assessment needs, and more will be held in coming months.

The water assessments are re-established every five years.

The issue of alternative water sources has been one of contention between Florida water agencies and environmentalists.

The St. Johns River Water Management District is already studying how much water utilities can draw from the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers, something environmentalists oppose.

While requiring counties to start making plans for alternative water sources will require much more planning, many utilities say they saw the shift coming.

"These things are planned for years in advance," said Gainesville Regional Utilities spokesman Dan Jesse. "(GRU) is familiar with the trends. We plan for things like this all the time."

City of Ocala Utilities is also preparing for the groundwater tap to one day limit the city's draw. City officials have already told St. Johns they are interested in the Ocklawaha River as a potential water source if the water agency allows utilities to tap into the river.

Some people attending Thursday's meeting said they were concerned the water agencies weren't doing enough to protect Florida's waters, especially springs and rivers.

Kathy Cantwell of Gainesville said water agencies were too eager to designate surface waters as alternative water supplies.

"If you're taking surface water, isn't it going to impact the groundwater?" she said during the meeting's question and answer period. "We're all connected, so I don't know why it's an alternative."

Gainesville resident Bob Palmer complained that water agency measurements for ground and surface waters don't reflect that those levels have been decreasing for decades. He said healthy levels should be determined using water levels dating back many more decades before Florida's huge development.

But Hornsby said surface water won't be the only alternative source to be considered. Instead, water reclamation will be on the forefront, Hornsby said, and utilities will be urged to do all they could to reuse what water they have.

"We're going to ride that horse as hard as we can." Hornsby said.

Contact Fred Hiers at 352-867-4157 or fred.hiers@starbanner.com.

http://www.ocala.com/article/20100130/ARTICLES/1301016/1402/NEWS?p=all&tc=pgall

A cold January creates fatal situation for state's manatees

2010-01-27T13:31:00.002-05:00

Manatee death toll from cold tops 100

By DINAH VOYLES PULVER
for the West Volusia News-Journal Online
on January 27, 2010

A record number of endangered Florida manatees died as a result of the 11 days of frigid cold in early January.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported Tuesday that more than 100 dead manatees have been recovered so far this year and the number continues to mount daily.

At least 77 adult manatee deaths were attributed to cold-stress syndrome, a condition caused by prolonged exposure to cold water. That number breaks the record 56 cold-related deaths set in 2009.

Meanwhile, commission biologists also suspect the cold caused the deaths of several newborn manatees.

One adult manatee was found dead in the Intracoastal Waterway in Flagler Beach and a newborn was found dead in the St. Johns River near Orange City, according to commission records.

The freezing cold temperatures caused water temperatures to plummet statewide, which had a dramatic impact on much of Florida's wildlife, forcing the rescue of thousands of green sea turtles, killing hundreds more and killing thousands of fish.

The wildlife commission asks anyone who spots a dead or distressed manatee to call its wildlife alert hot line at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/WestVolusia/wvlWEST07ENV012710.htm

Jaxport CEO: St. Johns River won’t be deep enough in 2014

2010-01-27T11:31:00.002-05:00

Jaxport CEO: St. Johns River won’t be deep enough in 2014

By, Mark Szakonyi
for bizjournals.com
on January 25, 2010

Jacksonville Port Authority CEO Rick Ferrin said the St. Johns River won’t be deep enough to handle fully loaded post-Panamax ships when the expanded Panama Canal opens in 2014.

Ferrin said the soonest he expects the river channel to be deep enough to handle the fully loaded larger ships will be 2016. Post-Panamax ships will have to be loaded light enough so they don’t run aground of the river bottom, which is between 40 feet and 41 feet deep.

Shipping companies are aware that, although the port will have post-Panamax-ready terminals, it could take until 2017 before its channel is deep enough to handle packed ships, he said.

Although other shipping customers may develop supply chains into fully post-Panamax-ready competing ports, Ferrin said Jacksonville will still be able to attract business.

The Port of Jacksonville has the strength of being a landlord port, where private tenants, not the authority, run terminal operations. Plus, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. and Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd and shipping alliance members will make it an attractive port of call, Ferrin said.

He expects the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release the result of a study on deepening the river in February 2011. He hopes the project will be authorized in 2012, with funding appropriations made in 2013 or 2014.

Copyright 2010 bizjournals.com

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=ACBJ&date=20100125&id=11055149

For those wishing to speak on the EPA's proposed Florida water quality standards...

2010-01-25T13:13:00.005-05:00

Proposed Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes and Flowing Waters

Overview
EPA has proposed numeric nutrient water quality standards for lakes and flowing waters, including canals, within the State of Florida and has proposed regulations to establish a framework for Florida to develop “restoration standards” for impaired waters. EPA issued this proposed rule pursuant to a determination that EPA made on January 14, 2009, under section 303(c)(4)(B) of the Clean Water Act. The determination states that numeric nutrient water quality standards for lakes and flowing waters and for estuaries and coastal waters are necessary for the State of Florida to meet the requirements of Clean Water Act section 303(c). EPA signed the proposed rule addressing lakes and flowing waters on January 14, 2010, per the terms of a consent decree. This proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register shortly.

If you have questions about the proposed rule contact Danielle Salvaterra at 202-564-1649.

Stakeholder Input on Proposed Rulemaking
EPA is holding three public hearings in Florida during the public comment period for the proposed rule. The public comment period will begin on the day the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, and will last for 60 days. The public hearings will afford an opportunity for the public to provide comments on EPA’s proposed rule. Brief oral comments and written comments will be accepted at the hearings. Due to the large number of expected commenters, EPA expects to limit each oral comment to five minutes or less in order to give everyone an opportunity to speak. You do not have to be present at the hearings in order to provide written comments on the proposed rule (the proposed rule will contain information on how you can submit written comments). The dates and locations of the hearings are as follows:

* February 16, 2010: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Capitol East, 1355 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, FL 32301
* February 17, 2010: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal, 7800 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32819
* February 18, 2010: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Palm Beach Airport, 1301 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33405

Participation in Public Hearings
EPA encourages you to pre-register for this hearing. Registration is strongly encouraged, as we expect a large number of participants. Everyone who attends will have the opportunity to speak, however those who have registered will be able to speak first. EPA expects to limit each oral comment to five minutes or less. You do not need to register to attend and/or speak at the hearings. In addition, you do not have to be present at the hearings to provide written comments on the proposed rule (the proposed rule contains information on how you can submit written comments).

If you have questions about the public hearings contact Sharon Frey (frey.sharon@epa.gov) at 202-566-1480.

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/rules/florida/

New federal standard looms as Florida water interests meet in Lake Mary - OrlandoSentinel.com

2010-01-25T13:05:00.003-05:00

New federal standard looms as Florida water interests meet in Lake Mary - OrlandoSentinel.com

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One perspective on the SJR...

2010-01-25T12:24:00.002-05:00

Nature Scenes with Lynn Bowen: St. Johns River offers beauty, recreation and commerce
News image

(Visit the site link at the bottom for a great photo)

By Lynn Bowen
West Volusia Beacon
Jan 24, 2010

The St. Johns River is such a beautiful place to enjoy nature! This is when a photo is worth a thousand words — for words alone cannot convey the beauty of the meandering waterway, the spiritual concepts, and the wonderful feeling of just being there.

The ebb and flow of my thoughts sometimes splash figuratively when I hike or go boating. Why is the water mysteriously dark? Gee, how did this place look when the Indians lived here? Are there any alligators basking in the sun now? How many fish has that hawk caught today?

As for the dark water, Google explained that leaves falling in the water are like tea being brewed, which explains the brown tannic acid making the water murky. History tells us that much of the river remains the same as a century ago.

Wildlife isn't too puzzling if you're observant, but I try to just soak up the view to store in my memory and relax. Fish, alligators, turtles, frogs, snails, birds, otters, dolphins, manatees and all sorts of other wildlife depend on the St. Johns River for shelter, food, and pleasure. In the sunshine, the ripples and swirls sashay slowly along the watery path. Marshy, soggy land by the river is paradise to many birds, mammals and reptiles. Lily pads and other vegetation on the surface add to its wonderful scenery.
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Getting factual rather than sentimental as I tend to do, this river's claims to fame are that it is one of the few rivers anywhere that flow north and it is the longest river in Florida. The 310 miles of twists, turns and bends provide lots of recreational opportunities, such as fishing, boating, sightseeing, and, sometimes, swimming, although one must beware of alligators. Commercial opportunities abound as parks, camps and tour boats draw tourists and residents. Fish are caught and sold to restaurants and grocery stores; resorts and marinas dot the landscape; and all earn money for the owners.

The St. Johns River is primarily fed by rains, but some of the water comes from the Floridan Aquifer, which is a natural underground reservoir. Through the years, much has been altered for agricultural and residential purposes. Much pollution and human interference resulted, but we can hope that this will improve as ecologically minded folk make decisions now and in the future.

May we all enjoy and treasure our natural surroundings that bless Florida.

— Bowen lives in DeLand. Send e-mail to abowen27@cfl.rr.com.

http://www.beacononlinenews.com/news/daily/2349

Castaway Island Ribbon-Cutting

2010-01-21T10:12:00.006-05:00

Captions: Top, Interested on looker. 2. The new boardwalk. 3. Preservation Project North Florida board members Warren Anderson and Alexa Graf. Board member Susie Wiles also attended. 4. View from the boardwalk observation platform. 5.From left to right: Mayor Peyton, Nathan Rezeau, chief of waterfront management and programming, Recreation and Community Services deputy director Kelley Boree,and RCS division director Roslyn Phillips. 6. Mayor Peyton opens the ceremonies at Castaway Island.

Mayor Peyton officially opened the boardwalk and observation platforms at Castway Island Wednesday. The newest project follows the dredging of the canoe and kayak trail completing the planned improvements at Castaway, one of Jacksonville's showcase preserves.

The 900-ft. boardwalk traverses the park's big island, once slated to be a subdivision with eight homes. The preserve, an old trailer park, was purchased in 2000 by the City with the assistance of the Florida Communities Trust. The restoration of the canoe/kayak trail was partially funded with the assistance of the Florida Inland Navigation District. The Trust for Public Land handled the acquisition. The preserve is nestled in a densely suburban area known as San Pablo and is the only public access on the western bank of Pablo Creek, a tributary of the St. Johns River. Pablo Creek is also part of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Manatees: Cold is good for state count but bad for sea cows' health - OrlandoSentinel.com

2010-01-15T13:10:00.002-05:00

Manatees: Cold is good for state count but bad for sea cows' health - OrlandoSentinel.com

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Agencies monitoring dredging project

2010-01-15T13:07:00.000-05:00

by Mike Sharkey
for Financial News & Daily Record
on 01/15/2010

At some point in the relatively near future, the Army Corps of Engineers will begin its deepening of a 15-mile stretch of the St. Johns River from the mouth to Dames Point. Portions of that stretch are anywhere from 38 feet to 41 feet. However, the project will assure the 41-foot depth is consistent.

The project will allow ships who qualify as “post-Panamax” to deliver cargo to Jacksonville’s port. The Panama Canal is currently undergoing a widening and deepening project that will allow enormous cargo ships from Asia to pass through instead of sailing around South America.

The highly-anticipated dredging project here is expected to help generate thousands of jobs and infuse millions of dollars into the local economy. It also has local environmentalists gripping.

Surprisingly, the St. Johns Riverkeeper and the Jacksonville Port Authority are closer to being on the same page than you might think. Both recognize the role the port plays in the local economy and both are cognizant of each other’s wishes as the project moves towards starting.

“When the Panama Canal opens, it will really change the way trade moves through Jacksonville,” said Dave Kaufman, senior director of planning and properties for the Port Authority.

Kaufman, speaking at Thursday’s Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting, said both the MOL terminal and the planned Hanjin terminal would have economic impacts of $300 million and generate about 5,000 jobs each.

“That’s a large increase in economic activity for this region,” he said. “In order to accommodate larger ships, we need to deepen that portion of the river. We are also charged with looking out for the interests of the community, not just economically, but environmentally.”

According to one study done by the St. Johns River Water Management District, the deepening project will affect the salinity — and therefore the ecosystem — of the St. Johns for many miles upstream. Kaufman and Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon both contend that reports aren’t done and the true affects of the dredging aren’t known yet. Armingeon said the salinity report won’t be done for another year and it’ll take another year for all of the affected entities to review it and offer up their opinions.

“We don’t really have a position other than following the process that is underway,” said Armingeon, who agreed with Kaufman’s assessment that the growth of the port is good for the local economy. “When the decision ultimately comes, we will be part of it. We do have concerns that the dredging and deepening could cause the salinity line to move upstream.

“We are a ways away from having the data to analyze. The process is underway and we all have to monitor it. This is not a decision that will be made tomorrow or in April.

“We have met with Port officials for a couple of years and expressed our concerns. They have been open and answered all of our questions. We support Jaxport and certainly recognize its importance to the community. What’s best for the river is best for the community. This is a decision that, ultimately, as a community we will come together and make.”

Also at the Waterways Commission meeting, Lisa Rinaman of the mayor’s office said the City is currently updating its manatee protection plan. She said the City has been working with several local and state agencies on the basics of the plan. Next week, the City will put out a request for proposal to coordinate and write the plan. Responses to the RFP are due Feb. 12 and Rinaman said she expects the City to award a contract in early March.

“We hope to have it done by mid-summer,” she said, adding the Waterways Commission will get to review the plan and give its approval. “Then we will go through the formal process of City Council approval.”

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=530057

It's Manatee Season in Blue Spring

2010-01-08T11:27:00.002-05:00

Hundreds of manatees head to warmth of Blue Spring

By Dinah Voyles Pulver
for West Volusia News Journal Online
on January 7, 2010

ORANGE CITY -- The arrival of cold weather each year means a reunion with old acquaintances and a welcome to new ones for Wayne Hartley as he greets manatees arriving at Blue Spring to seek refuge from the chilly waters of the St. Johns River.

This week Hartley, a ranger at Blue Spring State Park, has much to celebrate.

A record 305 of the endangered marine mammals have appeared in the park this season, Hartley said. That includes a single-day record of 245 manatees a week ago. The total number is more than 2 1/2 times than 10 years ago, when Hartley reported a season high of 112.

On Wednesday morning, the water temperature in the St. Johns River was 50 degrees, Hartley said, much colder than the relatively balmy 72- or 73-degree ground water flowing from the spring.

Manatees of all sizes clustered together along the banks of the spring run, while the two dozen swimming in the spring boil were the most active, rolling over and over.

"It must be like a spa," observed Patsy Weaver, who visits the spring each winter with her husband to see the manatees. The Lynchburg, Va., residents spend the winter in DeLand and said they love to take visitors to the spring. They said they'd never seen as many manatees as they saw Wednesday.

"They look like they're enjoying the warmth of that spring," Dwight Weaver said.

The Weavers were among dozens of visitors peering over the water from boardwalks, cooing in delight each time a manatee's whiskered nose broke the water's surface.

At the end of the run, where it flows into the St. Johns, Hartley sat in a canoe about 10 a.m., debating whether to attempt a count in the windy, freezing conditions.

The count ritual is nearly as old as the park itself. The yearly counts began during the winter of 1974-75, when 24 manatees visited the run. For decades, the task has fallen to Hartley, who documents the manatees in photos and diagrams, identifying them by propeller scars and other body features.

One recent visitor was a manatee named Merlin, Hartley said, one of 11 manatees in the spring run when the late Jacques Cousteau filmed a documentary called "The Forgotten Mermaids" in 1971.

Another one of the original 11, Brutus, has been seen in Silver Glen Springs, Hartley said. Silver Glen is on the west side of Lake George, farther north on the St. Johns River.

An observer monitoring the manatees in Silver Glen Springs, Salt Spring and DeLeon Springs has taken photos of both the old manatees this winter.

There was a time when manatees only made pit stops at Silver Glen, Hartley said, "but now they're starting to hang out there."

He said that group includes young manatees that haven't been seen at Blue Spring,

On Monday night, a marine mammal rescue crew released a manatee in Blue Spring that had been picked up in Jacksonville earlier in the day.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/WestVolusia/wvlWEST01ENV010710.htm

Senate Committee to discuss water issues in Ocala

2009-12-11T12:02:00.004-05:00

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

Water withdrawal study gets more time

2009-12-09T12:22:00.001-05:00

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

Upcoming Event

2009-12-09T12:18:00.002-05:00

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

Groveland will not pursue Niagara appeal -- OrlandoSentinel.com

2009-12-09T12:08:00.001-05:00

Groveland will not pursue Niagara appeal -- OrlandoSentinel.com

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Jacksonville drops fight over Seminole County river withdrawal permit | Jacksonville.com

2009-12-09T10:05:00.001-05:00

Jacksonville drops fight over Seminole County river withdrawal permit | Jacksonville.com

SJRWMD hires group to patrol counties looking for violators of their new water restrictions

2009-12-08T14:25:00.002-05:00

http://www.ocala.com/article/20091207/ARTICLES/912071002/1001/NEWS01?Title=Water-district-hires-private-enforcers

St. Johns Water Management District looking into reports of wetland clearing at UNF GolfPlex | Jacksonville.com

2009-12-08T14:20:00.001-05:00

St. Johns Water Management District looking into reports of wetland clearing at UNF GolfPlex | Jacksonville.com

Judge rejects objections to Fla. pollution deal

2009-11-17T12:36:00.001-05:00

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

River permits restricted; plan to save manatees

2009-11-13T13:04:00.001-05:00

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

Error results in funding shortfall for Jacksonville port dredging project | Jacksonville.com

2009-11-13T13:03:00.000-05:00

Error results in funding shortfall for Jacksonville port dredging project | Jacksonville.com

St. Johns River tag is a final tribute to Jim King | Jacksonville.com

2009-11-12T09:42:00.000-05:00

St. Johns River tag is a final tribute to Jim King | Jacksonville.com

Lawmakers push license plate bill as tribute to King | Jacksonville.com

2009-11-11T12:53:00.000-05:00

Lawmakers push license plate bill as tribute to King | Jacksonville.com

2009-11-10T13:43:00.001-05:00

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

The license plate makes it through the 1st committee

2009-11-06T10:16:00.000-05:00

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

Editorial on HB 53 and Senator King

2009-11-05T10:50:00.000-05:00

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

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

2009-10-31T13:09:00.001-04:00

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

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Rising seas could soak taxpayers, study says | Jacksonville.com

2009-10-29T11:46:00.000-04:00

Rising seas could soak taxpayers, study says | Jacksonville.com

To go with the last post...

2009-10-27T12:47:00.001-04:00

http://www.publictrustlaw.org/index.php/Timucuan-Art-Contest.html

New findings of the Mocama group that lived along the SJR

2009-10-27T12:22:00.001-04:00

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."

With the time change comes new watering restrictions

2009-10-23T12:19:00.000-04:00

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
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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.

Dredging project cost increases

2009-10-21T14:20:00.000-04:00

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
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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.

Algae Update

2009-10-18T13:28:00.000-04:00

Sporting Clay: 'Green monster' still choking river

By, Bob Buehn
For the Florida Times-Union/ Jacksonville.com
on Saturday, October 17, 2009
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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

New ideas for a greener future along the river

2009-10-15T13:34:00.002-04:00

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
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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

Alternative Strategies for West Volusia

2009-10-10T09:48:00.001-04:00

Water: West Volusia gets time to make a plan

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

U.S. House approves funding needed to deepen the SJR

2009-10-01T11:10:00.001-04:00

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

News article on the future of Florida's rivers and springs

2009-09-28T12:01:00.001-04:00

Will Jacksonville's water woes spread across North Florida?

Experts say excess demand might sap the water that now bubbles out of springs in rural North Florida.

By, Steve Patterson
For Jacksonville.com
on Saturday, September 26, 2009
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Generations of tourists in North Florida visited White Springs and the "spring house" where clear sulfur water bubbled from the ground.

That ended decades ago. Wells drilled around the speck of a town on the Suwannee River pumped so much ground water that the spring stopped flowing.

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 Jacksonville.

"White Springs kind of leads you into the whole water supply issue in North Florida," said Carlos Herd, water supply project manager for the Suwannee River Water Management District. "Right now, it doesn't look real good.

"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 Jacksonville and its suburbs will add to the demand put on levels of the Floridan Aquifer in places like Bradford, Union and Alachua counties.

Their main question is how that will affect plants and wildlife around the Santa Fe River, which starts near Keystone Heights and winds past several counties to join the Suwannee.

Early forecasts suggested that by 2030, Jacksonville-area demand could suck down aquifer levels anywhere from one to three feet near the Santa Fe's upper reaches, which get water from both rainfall and springs.

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 Florida's sudden falloff in growth could make the earlier predictions too dire, the subject has some outdoor enthusiasts worried.

"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 Santa Fe, hurting the ecosystem can also mean harming a lifestyle built on hiking and paddling dark waterways that draw day-trippers from around the state.

If water agencies decide the Santa Fe can't handle more demands on the aquifer, the St. Johns and Suwannee districts will have to work out some plan to keep that from happening, said Al Canepa, assistant director of resource management at the St. Johns district.

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 Jacksonville.

At Worthington Springs in Union County, for example, the flow from a tiny spring ringed by an old concrete pool slowed to a trickle years ago.

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 Florida is we don't do a very good job with conservation," he said. "Floridians use more per capita than most of the nation. There's really no good reason for that."

If people learned to conserve water better, he said, "we could get to the point where Jacksonville could increase its population and still use less water than it does now."

steve.patterson@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4263

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-09-26/story/will_jacksonvilles_water_woes_spread_across_north_florida

Lake County

2008-06-02T14:46:00.000-04:00

Great Boating, Fishing and Kayaking are Second Nature

With more than 1,000 lakes and rivers, there’s no surprise how Lake County got its name.
This Central Florida county is not only home to hundreds of waterways, but the quality of freshwater fishing and boating amenities are some of the best in the region.

From Hickory Point Recreational Facility, a park that features 12 boat ramps with access to the eight-lake Harris Chain, to the tranquil and picturesque water trails, which offers canoeists and kayakers plenty of outdoor adventures, Lake County is the closest thing in the state to a freshwater boater’s paradise.

Largemouth bass and crappie are found in almost every body of water in the area. In fact, nationally televised fishing tournaments come to Lake County each year. With hundreds of lakes brimming with prize catches, anglers sometimes face a tough decision about where to cast a line.

Along with listing the dozens of marinas and boat ramps located in Lake County, this online guide was designed to inform residents and tourists about the many boating and fishing opportunities in the area.

From the St. Johns River in the north to the Clermont Chain in the south, Lake County is an ideal location for a boating vacation getaway.

For boating opportunities in Lake County, click here.