State senators to visit Ocala to talk about water issues
Comprehensive water policy proposals will be considered in 2010 session.
By Fred Hiers
Staff writer
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Florida lawmakers on the powerful Senate Select Committee on Inland Waters will make Ocala their first stop next week as part of a statewide tour and public meetings to discuss water issues.
The Ocala meeting, organized in part by Sen. Charlie Dean (R-Inverness), will give residents an opportunity to tell the legislators about water issues currently debated in Marion County, such as springs protection and keeping Central Florida from siphoning water from the upper Ocklawaha River.
The series of public meetings are being scheduled as the committee is slated during the 2010 legislative session to consider comprehensive water policy proposals. The policies could include issues such as new local sources first legislation, overhauling water management district authority and setting water quality standards.
During the senate's last session, select committee chairman Lee Constantine proposed springs protection and watershed restoration legislation. The bill did not pass the senate, but the select committee is expected to build on the failed proposal next year and again propose similar legislation. The bill set standards for nutrient levels that pollute springs and set time lines for their restoration.
Dean, who requested three public meetings in his district, said it is imperative that members of the public come to the meetings and tell lawmakers they want local water sources, including the springs, protected from outside use.
"When the public comes before our committee ... I think the lasting impression on lawmakers is the importance of these issues from the people back home," Dean said. "We need to be participants ... having them know that these are some of our primary concerns."
Dean said now is a good time to hold water meetings because the recession and Florida's housing slowdown gives lawmakers additional time to consider smarter water policies.
Constantine's office said the purpose of the meetings is to listen to constituents, rather than for lawmakers to set the tone and direction of the meetings.
More meetings will be scheduled during the next few months, but none have yet been formalized, according to Constantine's staff.
"The select committee of Florida's inland waters is going to be coming to Ocala to hear from the people of Marion County," Constantine said in a prepared statement. "The focus is to listen to the concerns of the people."
His staff said they did not want to elaborate on water use proposals the select committee might bring up during next year's session.
Marion County is home to Silver Springs, one of the largest artesian spring formations in the world, producing nearly 550 million gallons of water daily.
Silver Springs forms the headwaters of the Silver River, the largest tributary to the Ocklawaha River, which empties into the St. Johns River. Polluting nutrient levels have been rising in those waters for the past few decades due to fertilizer and septic use in the area.
Marion County Commissioner Stan McClain said a common fear is that the select committee next year proposes too many changes to current Florida law requiring that communities first exhaust their own water resources before crossing county borders for more.
"That's why it's important to continue to solidify our position" to keep local sources first legislation in place, he said.
Marion County also needs to continue putting pressure on Tallahassee lawmakers to stop targeting the Ocklawaha River as a water source for Central Florida, he said.
"That's one of the things the select committee ... will look at," he said.
"But anytime people have the opportunity to attend these public meetings, it's imperative for them to go," McClain said. "And I think Sen. Dean has done the right thing by asking them to come here."
Contact Fred Hiers at 867-4157 or fred.hiers@starbanner.com.
Copyright © 2009 Ocala.com — All rights reserved. Restricted use only.
http://www.ocala.com/article/20091210/ARTICLES/912101006/1001/NEWS01?Title=State-senators-to-visit-Ocala-to-talk-about-water-issuesS
Friday, December 11, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Water withdrawal study gets more time
River study extended to mid-2011
Jacksonville Business Journal
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
---------------------------------
The St. Johns River Water Management District will extend its study of the potential environmental impacts of withdrawing water from the river by seven months to mid-2011.
The extended timeline will allow the district to involve outside experts in more peer review and scientific model enhancements. The district’s partnership with the National Research Council has allowed it to collect more data, enhance modeling and receive more peer review as it studies the impact of withdrawing up to 262 million gallons of water a day from the river.
“It’s critical that we are flexible with this study as it evolves to ensure that we end up with a comprehensive assessment based on sound science,” said Tom Bartol, the district’s project manager for the study and director of the Division of Water Supply Management.
The core findings of the study are expected to be unveiled to the public in fall 2010.
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/12/07/daily13.html
Jacksonville Business Journal
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
---------------------------------
The St. Johns River Water Management District will extend its study of the potential environmental impacts of withdrawing water from the river by seven months to mid-2011.
The extended timeline will allow the district to involve outside experts in more peer review and scientific model enhancements. The district’s partnership with the National Research Council has allowed it to collect more data, enhance modeling and receive more peer review as it studies the impact of withdrawing up to 262 million gallons of water a day from the river.
“It’s critical that we are flexible with this study as it evolves to ensure that we end up with a comprehensive assessment based on sound science,” said Tom Bartol, the district’s project manager for the study and director of the Division of Water Supply Management.
The core findings of the study are expected to be unveiled to the public in fall 2010.
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/12/07/daily13.html
Upcoming Event
Kenneth E. Sassaman, Professor of Florida Archaeology in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida, will present a lecture titled "Outsmarting Rising Water for 8000 Years: An Archaeology of Ancient Cultures of the St. Johns River Valley," at 7pm this Thursday in the Center for Marine Studies at the Whitney Lab, 9505 Oceanshore Blvd., on the border of Flagler and St. Johns counties.
For more information visit: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Neighbors/NewsTribune/flaNT05120909.htm
For more information visit: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Neighbors/NewsTribune/flaNT05120909.htm
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
SJRWMD hires group to patrol counties looking for violators of their new water restrictions
http://www.ocala.com/article/20091207/ARTICLES/912071002/1001/NEWS01?Title=Water-district-hires-private-enforcers
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Judge rejects objections to Fla. pollution deal
By BILL KACZOR (AP)
November 16, 2009
--------------------
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The federal government will attempt to set Florida's water pollution standards — the first time it'll try that for any state — under an agreement approved Monday.
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle rejected objections from state and local government agencies as well as agriculture and business interests. They had argued the agreement would result in hastily drawn, unscientific rules and that complying with them would be too costly as taxpayers and businesses cope with the recession.
In approving the consent decree between five environmental groups and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Hinkle noted that it allows for delays in the rule-making process to make sure regulations are proper. He said other objections are premature and must wait until after the proposed regulations have been drafted.
"This consent decree does not require an invalid regulation," Hinkle said at the end of a two-hour hearing. "This is a reasonable compromise."
The environmental groups had sued EPA, arguing it had a duty to step in under the federal Clean Water Act. They argued the Florida Department of Environmental Protection hadn't complied with a 1998 EPA decision that states should set numerical limits for nutrients in farm and urban runoff.
That pollution has been blamed for causing algae blooms in Florida's inland and coastal waters. The environmentalists' lawyers showed Hinkle poster-size photos of waterways clogged with lime-green scum.
"It's so serious that it's harmful for people to have human contact, dangerous for your pets to drink, shuts down drinking water plants," environmental lawyer David Guest said after the hearing. "It's a threat to the tourism industry. It's a threat to waterfront property values."
Guest represents the Florida Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida and St. Johns Riverkeeper.
The agreement is seen as a precedent that could serve as a model for other states. It won't be final until Hinkle issues a written order. He said he couldn't promise when he'll do that except that he'd try to be quick.
Lawyers for the objectors, including Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, said their clients have not yet decided whether to appeal.
Bronson isn't the only politician critical of the agreement. Attorney General Bill McCollum last week wrote Florida Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole a letter that said Florida shouldn't have been singled out. McCollum asked him for a status report on the dispute at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.
The judge said he also planned to consolidate three separate lawsuits challenging a Jan. 14 EPA decision that Florida needs the numerical standards.
The state now has descriptive standards that determine when waters are polluted, but Guest said numerical standards would provide an early warning.
The decree says EPA must propose rules for lakes, rivers and other freshwater bodies by Jan. 14, 2010, and issue a notice of final rule-making by Oct. 15, 2010. It must do so for coastal and estuarine waters by the same dates in 2011.
Those deadlines are too soon, said Terry Cole, a lawyer for several agriculture and pulp and paper trade groups as well as the Florida Stormwater Association, made up of local and regional government agencies.
Cole argued the state should be allowed to set its own standards but would need more time because the scientific issues are complex.
Hinkle, though, pointed out Florida already has had 11 years to do that.
"How long do we need?" he asked.
Cole said he didn't have an answer.
The state could pre-empt the EPA regulations by adopting its own standards first.
EPA lawyer Martha Collins Mann disputed arguments that her agency would adopt a one-size-fits-all standard. She said the agency's proposed rules would take into account differences between various water bodies.
Associated Press Writer David Heller in Tallahassee contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hZ9CM82u11X8yfzx3_ArugVrwJ2AD9C0RGRO0
November 16, 2009
--------------------
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The federal government will attempt to set Florida's water pollution standards — the first time it'll try that for any state — under an agreement approved Monday.
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle rejected objections from state and local government agencies as well as agriculture and business interests. They had argued the agreement would result in hastily drawn, unscientific rules and that complying with them would be too costly as taxpayers and businesses cope with the recession.
In approving the consent decree between five environmental groups and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Hinkle noted that it allows for delays in the rule-making process to make sure regulations are proper. He said other objections are premature and must wait until after the proposed regulations have been drafted.
"This consent decree does not require an invalid regulation," Hinkle said at the end of a two-hour hearing. "This is a reasonable compromise."
The environmental groups had sued EPA, arguing it had a duty to step in under the federal Clean Water Act. They argued the Florida Department of Environmental Protection hadn't complied with a 1998 EPA decision that states should set numerical limits for nutrients in farm and urban runoff.
That pollution has been blamed for causing algae blooms in Florida's inland and coastal waters. The environmentalists' lawyers showed Hinkle poster-size photos of waterways clogged with lime-green scum.
"It's so serious that it's harmful for people to have human contact, dangerous for your pets to drink, shuts down drinking water plants," environmental lawyer David Guest said after the hearing. "It's a threat to the tourism industry. It's a threat to waterfront property values."
Guest represents the Florida Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida and St. Johns Riverkeeper.
The agreement is seen as a precedent that could serve as a model for other states. It won't be final until Hinkle issues a written order. He said he couldn't promise when he'll do that except that he'd try to be quick.
Lawyers for the objectors, including Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, said their clients have not yet decided whether to appeal.
Bronson isn't the only politician critical of the agreement. Attorney General Bill McCollum last week wrote Florida Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole a letter that said Florida shouldn't have been singled out. McCollum asked him for a status report on the dispute at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.
The judge said he also planned to consolidate three separate lawsuits challenging a Jan. 14 EPA decision that Florida needs the numerical standards.
The state now has descriptive standards that determine when waters are polluted, but Guest said numerical standards would provide an early warning.
The decree says EPA must propose rules for lakes, rivers and other freshwater bodies by Jan. 14, 2010, and issue a notice of final rule-making by Oct. 15, 2010. It must do so for coastal and estuarine waters by the same dates in 2011.
Those deadlines are too soon, said Terry Cole, a lawyer for several agriculture and pulp and paper trade groups as well as the Florida Stormwater Association, made up of local and regional government agencies.
Cole argued the state should be allowed to set its own standards but would need more time because the scientific issues are complex.
Hinkle, though, pointed out Florida already has had 11 years to do that.
"How long do we need?" he asked.
Cole said he didn't have an answer.
The state could pre-empt the EPA regulations by adopting its own standards first.
EPA lawyer Martha Collins Mann disputed arguments that her agency would adopt a one-size-fits-all standard. She said the agency's proposed rules would take into account differences between various water bodies.
Associated Press Writer David Heller in Tallahassee contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hZ9CM82u11X8yfzx3_ArugVrwJ2AD9C0RGRO0
Friday, November 13, 2009
River permits restricted; plan to save manatees
No new river permits any time soon
11/13/2009
by Mike Sharkey
for Financial News & Daily Record
------------------------------------
It’s very likely the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Commission won’t issue any new permits pertaining to the St. Johns River until at least July due to the number of manatee deaths in local waters over the 12 rolling months.
That decision is, in part, thanks to Duval County’s Manatee Protection Plan.
So far this year there have been 12 manatee deaths in local waters. The threshold is five in a 12-month period, an element of the protection plan. More than five is considered “unacceptable” and triggers a report to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission. At Thursday’s Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting, Waterways member Steve Nichols said he attended an Oct. 30 meeting at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife office with about 30 others who have a vested interest in the river and manatee protection. Nichols said the manatee deaths and permitting were a major topic of discussion.
“The county has been on notice. There will be no new permits for recreation or port-related,” he said. “The US Fish & Wildlife Commission relies on local and state jurisdiction. There have been 16 deaths in the last 19 months and they see no way to allow new permits. The State says if there are five deaths in 12 months, then the plan is not effective.
“We are virtually shut down for permits on the river. That’s a fact.”
Nichols suggested the City create a new Manatee Protection Plan and submit it to the FWC for consideration. Lisa Rinaman of the mayor’s office said an internal meeting has been scheduled for Dec. 15 and the City would like to present a draft of its new plan to the FWC in January.
Rinaman, and others, say one of the biggest issues surrounding manatee protection in local waters is enforcement of the rules of the water, especially speeding in manatee zones. She said this was discussed during the Oct. 30 meeting.
“Our JSO officers have the same resource issues as others and it’s good that came to light,” she said.
Waterways member Ed Grey also attended the Oct. 30 meeting with Nichols. Grey said the lack of enforcement resources is a major obstacle to enforcing speed limits — and thus the safety of the docile manatees — in local waterways.
“Florida Fish & Wildlife has five officers in the area and they also have to patrol the woods for hunters. They are lucky to have three on the water,” he said, adding the Marine Division of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is in the same situation. “They issue very few speeding tickets in the manatee zone. There’s an inability to detect the speed and measure it from another vessel. The charges do not hold up in court.”
Grey said often JSO’s Marine Division will stop a boater they suspect of speeding and use it as an opportunity to inspect the boat for the proper licenses, registrations and safety devices and give the pilot a “stern lecture on speeding in the manatee zone,” said Grey.
If FWC approves the City’s draft in January, it’s still about a six-month approval process.
Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon also talked to the Commission about the status of the St. Johns River. Armingeon said the health of the river has never been more important and added unless the amount of nutrients being dumped into the river on a daily basis isn’t seriously addressed soon, the local water supply may be affected.
“By the year 2030, we could face a daily deficit of 150 million gallons a day,” he said. “In January, we may be given the same marching orders as Central Florida: you need to find an alternate source of water.
“Water conservation is the first step we as a state have to take to reduce water usage. But, water conservation is not listed as an alternative water supply. The idea of North Florida supplying South Florida with water has resurfaced.”
According to Armingeon, about 120 million to 130 million gallons of wastewater flow into the St. Johns River in Northeast Florida every day. He said JEA is the largest discharger of nitrogen followed by Georgia Pacific. Stormwater runoff is also a problem.
“The storm drains Downtown discharge into the river at the Northbank with no treatment,” he said, adding the problem must be addressed individually as well as from a government standpoint. And, he said, it’ll be expensive. “To meet these standards (set forth by the state) we are going to have to spend money. It’s a fact.”
msharkey@baileypub.com
356-2466
Link to article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=529569
11/13/2009
by Mike Sharkey
for Financial News & Daily Record
------------------------------------
It’s very likely the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Commission won’t issue any new permits pertaining to the St. Johns River until at least July due to the number of manatee deaths in local waters over the 12 rolling months.
That decision is, in part, thanks to Duval County’s Manatee Protection Plan.
So far this year there have been 12 manatee deaths in local waters. The threshold is five in a 12-month period, an element of the protection plan. More than five is considered “unacceptable” and triggers a report to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission. At Thursday’s Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting, Waterways member Steve Nichols said he attended an Oct. 30 meeting at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife office with about 30 others who have a vested interest in the river and manatee protection. Nichols said the manatee deaths and permitting were a major topic of discussion.
“The county has been on notice. There will be no new permits for recreation or port-related,” he said. “The US Fish & Wildlife Commission relies on local and state jurisdiction. There have been 16 deaths in the last 19 months and they see no way to allow new permits. The State says if there are five deaths in 12 months, then the plan is not effective.
“We are virtually shut down for permits on the river. That’s a fact.”
Nichols suggested the City create a new Manatee Protection Plan and submit it to the FWC for consideration. Lisa Rinaman of the mayor’s office said an internal meeting has been scheduled for Dec. 15 and the City would like to present a draft of its new plan to the FWC in January.
Rinaman, and others, say one of the biggest issues surrounding manatee protection in local waters is enforcement of the rules of the water, especially speeding in manatee zones. She said this was discussed during the Oct. 30 meeting.
“Our JSO officers have the same resource issues as others and it’s good that came to light,” she said.
Waterways member Ed Grey also attended the Oct. 30 meeting with Nichols. Grey said the lack of enforcement resources is a major obstacle to enforcing speed limits — and thus the safety of the docile manatees — in local waterways.
“Florida Fish & Wildlife has five officers in the area and they also have to patrol the woods for hunters. They are lucky to have three on the water,” he said, adding the Marine Division of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is in the same situation. “They issue very few speeding tickets in the manatee zone. There’s an inability to detect the speed and measure it from another vessel. The charges do not hold up in court.”
Grey said often JSO’s Marine Division will stop a boater they suspect of speeding and use it as an opportunity to inspect the boat for the proper licenses, registrations and safety devices and give the pilot a “stern lecture on speeding in the manatee zone,” said Grey.
If FWC approves the City’s draft in January, it’s still about a six-month approval process.
Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon also talked to the Commission about the status of the St. Johns River. Armingeon said the health of the river has never been more important and added unless the amount of nutrients being dumped into the river on a daily basis isn’t seriously addressed soon, the local water supply may be affected.
“By the year 2030, we could face a daily deficit of 150 million gallons a day,” he said. “In January, we may be given the same marching orders as Central Florida: you need to find an alternate source of water.
“Water conservation is the first step we as a state have to take to reduce water usage. But, water conservation is not listed as an alternative water supply. The idea of North Florida supplying South Florida with water has resurfaced.”
According to Armingeon, about 120 million to 130 million gallons of wastewater flow into the St. Johns River in Northeast Florida every day. He said JEA is the largest discharger of nitrogen followed by Georgia Pacific. Stormwater runoff is also a problem.
“The storm drains Downtown discharge into the river at the Northbank with no treatment,” he said, adding the problem must be addressed individually as well as from a government standpoint. And, he said, it’ll be expensive. “To meet these standards (set forth by the state) we are going to have to spend money. It’s a fact.”
msharkey@baileypub.com
356-2466
Link to article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=529569
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