Manual Exhibits and Supporting Documents
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LLoonngg RRaannggee PPrrooggrraamm PPllaann Fiscal Years:: 2012-2013 through 2016-2017 Florida Department of Environmental Protection AGENCY MISSION: “MORE PROTECTION…LESS PROCESS” “The Department of Environmental Protection is committed to protecting Florida’s environment and natural resources to serve the current and future needs of the state and its visitors. Common sense management and conservation decisions are guided toward more protection and less process.” 2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES / AGENCY SERVICE OUTCOMES AND PERFORMANCE PROJECTION TABLES The Department of Environmental Protection has established a series of goals that chart the future direction of the agency in accomplishing its mission. For each goal, the Department has identified appropriate objectives (which provide specific, measurable, intermediate ends that mark progress toward achieving the associated goal) and outcomes (indicators of the actual impact or public benefit of a service). Each goal, objective and outcome identified below is listed in priority order, as determined by the Department. An explanation of projection methodology and influencing factors is included for each outcome. GOAL #1 – PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY OBJECTIVE 1A – Environmental Assessment and Restoration Program: Increase the protection, conservation, and restoration of Florida's water resources to meet existing and future public supply and natural systems needs. OUTCOME: Percent of surface waters with healthy nutrient levels (based on chlorophyll-a). (See Objectives 2B, 3D) Baseline Year: FY 2012- FY 2013- FY 2014- FY 2015- FY 2016- 2006-2007 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 71% 73% 73% 73% 73% 73% The Department evaluated and found the following percentage of surface waters had healthy nutrient levels: • 2006/2007 – 71% • 2008/2009 – 73% • 2009/2010 – 71% • 2010/2011 – 66% Excessive nutrient levels and impaired biological conditions are the most significant problems affecting surface waters in Florida. Currently the Department uses a narrative standard to determine when a water body is polluted by nutrients, which is triggered when nutrient concentrations cause an imbalance of natural populations of flora or fauna or the discharge of nutrients causes violations of other water quality standards. The proposed adoption of numeric nutrient criteria (NNC), an entirely different approach to determining nutrient impacts, will require a reassessment of this measure and the expected outcomes reflecting performance. However, legal challenges already have been filed against EPA questioning the basis for EPA’s actions. In the meantime, the Department has initiated its own NNC rulemaking efforts and has held public meetings discussing draft rule language. The outcome cannot be accurately projected until the legal conflicts are resolved. Water quality trends during the last 20 years show improvements in nutrients and chlorophyll-a in estuaries and streams and slight degradation in lakes. However, the percentage of waters determined to have healthy levels of nutrients will change with the adoption of criteria, and it is too early to predict with confidence how the results of performance measure will change. On the other hand, the implementation of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) will reduce nutrient loadings and can, over time, offset the expected decrease in the number of surface waters with healthy nutrient levels. 3 OUTCOME: Percent of surface waters with healthy biological conditions. (See Objectives 2B, 3D) Baseline Year: FY 2012- FY 2013- FY 2014- FY 2015- FY 2016- 2006-2007 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 62% 74% 74% 74% 74% 74% Projection Methodology and Influencing Factors The Department evaluated and found the following percentage of surface waters had healthy biological conditions: • 2009/2010 – 49% • 2010/2011 – 89% Because of the focus on collecting biological information to confirm nutrient impairment in streams as a result of the ongoing numeric nutrient criteria rulemaking, there is a degree of uncertainty regarding future projections for this outcome. It is thought that the 89 percent reported for fiscal year 2010-2011 may decline because current data is weighted towards reference sites that were sampled in support of nutrient and dissolved oxygen criteria development, whereas future stream monitoring will be focused on sampling waters with high nutrient concentrations. To allow for this uncertainty a somewhat lower percent is projected for the above period. The percent of surface waters with healthy biological conditions is evaluated using a Lake Vegetation Index, Stream Condition Index and other scientific procedures. Although the identification of surface waters with healthy nutrient levels may decrease, stream biological health does not always correlate with nutrient concentrations in streams. Therefore, there will likely be general improvements in measurable biological outcomes with the completion of the TMDL/BMAP projects. The significant increase in the percentage of healthy biological conditions over the last year is largely driven by a change in the assessment methodology that is more consistent with how the program determines impaired waters. In previous years, waters on the planning list for potential biological impairment were included in the percentage of waters that were deemed unhealthy. For the last fiscal year, the percent reflects only waters with sufficient biological data to verify that the water was in fact impaired. The predicted outcomes will need to be revisited once more data are collected this next fiscal year in order to best estimate what the long term trend will be under this new methodology. OUTCOME: Percent of groundwater quality monitoring network wells that meet water quality standards. (See Objectives 2B, 3D) Baseline Year: FY 2012- FY 2013- FY 2014- FY 2015- FY 2016- 2006-2007 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% 85% Projection Methodology and Influencing Factors The Department evaluated and found the following percentage of ground water wells met water quality standards: • 2009/2010 – 85% • 2010/2011 – 82% The percentages of ground water wells that meet water quality standards are based on comprehensive statewide sampling for seven common analytes: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, fluoride, lead, 4 nitrate+nitrite, and sodium. The data is acquired through the three-tiered monitoring network referenced above. Of the seven analytes examined, sodium is responsible for far more water wells failing ground water/drinking water standards than any other and appears to be increasing since 1994. This may be due to drought and withdrawals and the subsequent intrusion of mineralized and/or saline waters into aquifers. Improvements may be difficult to achieve in light of over-pumping and sea level rise. The exceedance rates for other analytes were either stable or decreasing. This is a long term performance standard that is unlikely to change rapidly. OBJECTIVE 1B – Water Resource Management Program: Increase the protection, conservation, and restoration of Florida's water resources to meet existing and future public supply and natural systems needs. OUTCOME: Percent of phosphate mined lands that have been reclaimed and released from reclamation obligations. Baseline Year: FY 2012- FY 2013- FY 2014- FY 2015- FY 2016- 2004 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 31% 35% 35% 35% 35% 35% Projection Methodology and Influencing Factors The percent of phosphate mined lands that have been reclaimed and released from reclamation obligations is a function of the rate of new mining which is offset by the reclamation, Department inspection, and the ultimate release of these lands once it has been determined that the reclamation requirements have been successfully completed. Given the expected slow increasing rate of phosphate mining in new areas and ongoing reclamation efforts, this performance outcome is expected to remain fairly comparable in the foreseeable future given the rate of new mining and offsetting reclamation work, as long as Department staff are able to maintain the current level of reclamation inspections and releases. OUTCOME: Percent of public water systems with no significant health-based drinking water quality problems. Baseline Year: FY 2012- FY 2013- FY 2014- FY 2015- FY 2016- 2002 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 93.5% 93.5% 93.5% 93.5% 93.5% 93.5% Projection Methodology and Influencing Factors The Drinking Water Program has been meeting this goal annually for a number of years and should continue to do so even in light of the four new federal rules that will be adopted between 2010 and 2014. New federal rules always pose a significant compliance challenge as drinking water systems adjust to the new monitoring and reporting requirements. Compliance is based on water quality standards for bacteria and disinfection byproducts, among others, and is calculated as the number of water quality violations divided by the number of active systems in a given year. OBJECTIVE 1C – Water Resource Management Program: Implement comprehensive water resource management regulatory program. OUTCOME: Percentage of facilities/sites in compliance. Baseline Year: FY 2012- FY 2013- FY 2014- FY 2015- FY 2016- 2004 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 85% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% Projection Methodology and Influencing Factors Compliance rates are a weighted average of the Domestic wastewater, Industrial wastewater and Drinking Water programs based on the relative number of inspections completed in a given year. There is no 5 foreseeable reason that compliance rates would