Southwest Florida Environmental Initiatives Conference PRACTICUM BACKGROUND
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Agency For Bay Management Presents: Southwest Florida Environmental Initiatives Conference PRACTICUM BACKGROUND Johnson Engineering, Inc. •Almost 60 Years Experience – Founded In 1946. •One of The Largest Engineering Firms In Southwest Florida •Provides Engineering, Survey, Planning, Landscape Architecture And Environmental Services •Over 210 Employees PRACTICUM BACKGROUND Agency for Bay Management (ABM) •Created by Settlement Agreement for Florida Gulf Coast University •Assesses Overall Land Use and Natural Systems, Environmental Protection and Mitigation tools in the Estero bay Watershed Concerned Citizen Goals • Communicate environmental programs to public • Bridge gaps between policy and real world • Identify project for funding Who should present issues? •Environmental Protection Agency – Water Quality •Florida Department Of Environmental Protection – Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) •South Florida Water Management District – Lake Okeechobee, Babcock, etc. •Conservancy Of Southwest Florida – Rule Challenges. •U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers – Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), Watershed Approach •Lee County – Best Management Practices (BMP), Master Mitigation Plan Who to sponsor? •Consultants •Non-profit Agencies •Attorneys •Developers How to invite attendees? •E-mail •Mail •Post Event set-Up •Moderator •Fee •Location •Food •Entertainment Final Line Up •FDEP – Karen Bickford •U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers – Chuck Scheppell •Lee County – Roland Ottolini •SFWMD – Jacque Rippe •Estero Bay Nutrient Management Partnership – Janet Strutzel •Conservancy – Gary Davis •Indian River Lagoon – Paul Millar Invitation US Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District WATERSHED APPROACH OVERVIEW July 2004 Colored areas are the 28 “areas” Outlined in black are the 52 USGS HUCs Watershed Approach • Take an overall view of watershed – Water quality needs – Aquatic habitat needs • Shape the environment, not the project • Less focus on on-site, in-kind • Interagency coordination, use of ADID’s, local planning efforts, etc Watershed Approaches • SAMPs and ADIDs – Bird Drive Basin, Hole in the Dounut – Meadowlands experience • Regional EIS, Southwest Florida EIS – Identify issues, help in planning • Regional studies, or information gathering • Permit by permit evaluation (need framework) • Jacksonville District using all approaches Water Management Update Southwest Florida Environmental Initiatives Conference Jacque Rippe, P.E., Director Lower West Coast Service Center September 24, 2004 LOWER WEST COAST SERVICE AREA •Lee •Collier •Hendry •Glades •Charlotte Hot Topics • Lake Okeechobee Releases • Legislative Local Initiative • Babcock Ranch • Everglades Restoration • Tributary Restoration • Impaired Waters • Real-Time Water Quality Information • Regulatory News The Initiatives • Caloosahatchee River Restoration: $3,000,000 • Naples Bay Restoration: $2,090,00 • Estero Bay Restoration: $850,000 • Charlotte Harbor Initiative: $1,000,000 • Big Cypress Basin Restoration: $500,000 • C-139 Basin Initiative: $500,000 • Lake Trafford Restoration: $2,000,000 Okeechobee HIGHLANDS DE SOTO Brighton Indian Reserve Fisheating Creek CHARLOTTE Lake Conservation Easement Okeechobee Punta Gorda Babcock / Webb Babcock Ranch GLADES Charlotte Harbor 75 Preserve HENDRY Cape Fort 41 Myers Coral LEE Bonita Gulf of Mexico Springs COLLIER Potential Partners • NRCS/WRP • U.S. Department of the Interior – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – National Park Service • Florida Department of Environmental Protection • South Florida Water Management District • Charlotte County • Lee County • Babcock Preservation Partnership - a public / private effort FDEP South District TMDL Program Karen Bickford, Environmental Manager Florida Department of Environmental Protection Watershed Management and Restoration 239-332-6975 [email protected] TMDLs in a Nutshell What’s a TMDL? A value determined using Florida’sImpaired Waters Rule (F.A.C. 62303) methodology to be the maximumamount of pollutant loading that can be discharged to a healthy water body. City of Cocoa; Valuing Stormwater as a Resource Everett J. Wegerif, P.E. Deputy Director of Utilities City of Cocoa, Florida ______________________________________ Roger F. Dykes, Jr. Watershed Hydrologist City of Cocoa, Florida Think Outside the Box-- – Many agencies now consider stormwater a waste product to be removed quickly and disposed of in the most efficient manner – BUT - Stormwater can be a tremendous source of fresh water City of Cocoa’s Experience • Stormwater can be a valuable resource as a supplemental reclaimed water source • Stormwater must be available when it is needed • Improved storage techniques to make more water available during dry periods • Non-potable water distribution systems are needed to conserve other sources Lee County Division of Natural Resources Roland Ottolini Division Director Lee County Division of Natural Resources SECTIONS: • Marine Services • Water Resources • Environmental Ten Mile Filter Marsh Project Current Projected The Lee Master Mitigation Plan 4 Goals • A Sustainable Program for Mitigating Impacts of Needed Public Works Projects. • A Comprehensive Program for Restoring, Maintaining, and Preserving Valued Natural Systems. • A Model Framework for Public/Public and Public/Private Partnerships. • A “Pre-endorsed List” for Private Conservation or Development Proposals. Southwest Florida water quality issues Presented to Agency for Bay Management’s Southwest Florida Environmental Initiatives Conference September 24, 2004 Gary A. Davis, Director Environmental Policy Conservancy of Southwest Florida Major Coastal Watershed Issues In Southwest Florida • Water Quality – Stormwater Runoff--Nutrient Pollution • Existing urban areas • New development • Agriculture – Pesticide Pollution – Wetlands Loss/Flowway Loss • Water Quantity – Drainage Projects – Lake Okeechobee Operation Major Water Initiatives in Southwest Florida • Water Quality – SWF EIS/ACOE 404 Permits – SWF Feasibility Study – TMDL Program – SFWMD Stormwater/ERP Permits – Estero Bay Nutrient Management Partnership • Water Quantity – CERP; SWF Feasibility Study – MFL and Water Reservations – WSE Schedule for Lake Okeechobee Background: “Harper Methodology” Used for Corps Permits • Version 1 (March 2003) • Meeting April 30, 2003--Harper Methodology “accepted” by EPA, Corps, SFWMD, DEP • Final Version (Sept. 2003) -- several changes • Applicants for SFWMD ERPs submit calculations where > 5 acres wetlands fill • SFWMD Fort Myers staff review and include conclusion about post- versus pre-development loadings in staff report for ERP • Corps accepts water quality certification, EPA does not question Conservancy SFWMD Rule Challenge • Basis Of Review Rule Challenge – Filed November 2004 – Administrative Challenge to Section 5 of the SFWMD Basis of Review for Environmental Resource Permits • District’s stormwater permit rules fail to address dissolved nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) – The BOR creates a presumption that discharges from stormwater ponds of certain size meet water quality standards – That presumption is based on design criteria to remove 80% solids and do not address dissolved nutrients Water Quality Initiative • In February 2004 parties decided to place the case on hold and negotiate a settlement with the goal of developing a new SFWMD stormwater permitting rule • The Conservancy and the District, along with interested parties, are in negotiations to settle the rule challenge. – The group has met five times since February 3, 2004 – The negotiations are ongoing Conclusions • SFWMD Basis of Review needs to be amended to address nutrient pollution from new development projects in Southwest Florida • Work should continue on retrofitting existing sources • We support additional BMPs and new presumptive criteria in SFWMD rules, if demonstrated to achieve no increase in pollutant discharge • Harper methodology should be repudiated by EPA and Corps as methodology for assuring water quality in 404 permitting Conclusions • Federal, state, and local agencies should work cooperatively with Conservancy, SFWMD, development community to develop additional BMPs to improve water quality in SW Florida • Follow recommendations of SWFL EIS and avoid large- scale wetlands impacts to prevent cumulative impacts • Restore wetlands to restore water quality EBNMP: A Cooperative Approach • Non-regulatory, voluntary participation • Consortium members pledge to exercise their best efforts to collectively meet nitrogen management goals • Regulatory agency partners agree to exercise reasonable flexibility within the framework of their rules in the processing of permit applications for projects included in the Action Plan Problem or Opportunity • The State of Florida will develop TMDLs for the watershed by 2007 • TMDL requires stakeholders to develop a Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP), under FDEP guidance • After TMDL, stakeholders are compelled by law to implement specific activities as opposed to voluntary action prior to the TMDL Setting Goals for Developing Nutrient Management Strategies National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council • Set quantitative resource management goals (such as sea grass coverage) • Determine environmental requirements needed to meet the restoration goal • Define and implement the strategies needed to achieve the load management goal Ongoing Nutrient Management Projects in Estero Bay Watershed SFWMD/Lee County – land acquisition WERC/SFWMD/Lee County – Ten Mile Canal filter marsh SWFWC/Lee County/SFWMD – stormwater