Conservation Element (PDF)
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CPA-2002-1-1 CITY OF OCOEE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CONSERVATION ELEMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF CONTENTS......................................................................................................... 5-i LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................................................5-ii I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 5-1 A. Purpose............................................................................................................ 5-1 B. Environmental Setting ....................................................................................... 5-2 C. Current Condition.............................................................................................. 5-2 II. DATA SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS ............................................................................. 5-3 A. Air Quality ........................................................................................................ 5-3 B. Surface Water Bodies ........................................................................................ 5-6 C. Groundwater Quality ....................................................................................... 5-11 D. Floodplains ..................................................................................................... 5-12 E. Soils, Geology, and Topography ....................................................................... 5-13 F. Potentially Threatened or Endangered Flora...................................................... 5-15 G. Potentially Threatened or Endangered Fauna and Invertebrate .......................... 5-15 H. Ecological Communities ................................................................................... 5-22 I. Natural Reservations ........................................................................................ 5-23 J. Water Use ....................................................................................................... 5-23 K. Hazardous Waste ............................................................................................ 5-25 L. Commercially Valuable Minerals........................................................................ 5-26 III. THE PLAN ............................................................................................................ 5-26 A. Air Quality ...................................................................................................... 5-26 B. Surface Water Bodies ...................................................................................... 5-27 C. Floodplains ..................................................................................................... 5-27 D. Soils............................................................................................................... 5-27 E. Flora and Fauna Protection .............................................................................. 5-27 F. Water Conservation ......................................................................................... 5-29 G. Hazardous Waste Management........................................................................ 5-29 IV. GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND POLICIES..................................................................... 5-31 5- i CPA-2002-1-1 CITY OF OCOEE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CONSERVATION ELEMENT LIST OF TABLES Page 1. State and Federal Ambient Air Quality Standards...................................................... 5-4 2. National Ambient Air Quality Standards.................................................................... 5-5 3. Major Lakes in the Ocoee Area................................................................................ 5-7 4. Nonpoint Pollution Sources ..................................................................................... 5-8 5. Surface Symptoms ................................................................................................. 5-9 6. Pollutants ............................................................................................................ 5-10 7. Soil Map Units in Orange County, Florida ............................................................... 5-14 8. Endangered, Threatened, Commercially Exploited and Species of Special Concern.................................................................................... 5-16 9. Potable Water Demand in Ocoee, 2000 ................................................................. 5-24 10. Projected Potable Water Demand in Ocoee, 2000-2020 .......................................... 5-25 5- ii CONSERVATION ELEMENT CPA-2002-1-1 I. INTRODUCTION In 1975, the Florida Legislature enacted the Local Government Comprehensive Planning Act, Chapter 163, Part II, Florida Statutes. This Act required all units of local government to prepare a comprehensive plan by 1980. Pursuant to this mandate, the City of Ocoee adopted a comprehensive plan for the City. In 1985, the Legislature passed the Local Government Comprehensive Planning and Land Development Regulation Act, which substantially increased the requirements for the preparation of local government comprehensive plans. This law, commonly referred to as the "Growth Management Act", requires that all plans meet certain minimum criteria, as set forth in Chapter 9J-5, Florida Administrative Code (FAC), and that a Capital Improvements Element be prepared to determine the costs and revenues associated with implementing the plan. The Comprehensive Plan for the City of Ocoee includes eight parts called Elements. The Elements are as follows: 1. Future Land Use 2. Transportation 3. Housing 4. Sanitary Sewer, Solid Waste, Drainage, Potable Water, Natural Groundwater Aquifer Recharge (hereafter referred to as the Infrastructure Element) 5. Conservation 6. Recreation and Open Space 7. Intergovernmental Coordination 8. Capital Improvements The population projections used in this Element are those developed in conjunction with the Department of Community Affairs in their report Population Estimation and Projection Techniques, the University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) report Florida's Estimates of Population 1987, the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000 Censuses, and the City of Ocoee Master Transportation Plan, 1998. A. Purpose The purpose of this Conservation Element is to promote and enhance the conservation, use and protection of the natural resources of the City. This Element meets the minimum criteria for review of local government comprehensive plans as specified in Chapter 9J-5.014, FAC. 5- 1 CONSERVATION ELEMENT CPA-2002-1-1 In addition, the element establishes a plan and policy direction concerning conservation of natural resources and will provide a basis for decision-making by city officials. As growth occurs in and around the City of Ocoee, the need for protection and management of the City's natural resources will increase. The City's natural resources are identified and analyzed in this element. A description of these resources and their significance to the City, as well as the region is also included. Policies to maintain and enhance these resources as well as shape growth patterns of the City are included in the Goals, Objectives, and Policies section of this element. B. Environmental Setting The City of Ocoee lies within three major drainage basins, the Wekiva River, the Cypress Creek and the Lake Apopka. The City is within an area identified as the Mt. Dora Ridge, characterized by undulating hills with well-drained sandy soils, dotted with frequent lake depressions and solution sinks that usually contain water. The mild climate in the area is favorable for field crop and citrus production. The summers are long, hot, and humid. Winters are mild with infrequent cold fronts dropping temperatures to below freezing. The mean annual temperature is approximately 75.25 degrees. Rainfall is approximately 48.7 inches per year. Two landscape associations, or ecological communities, are present in and around the City: (1) pine flatwoods/hammocks/hardwood swamps, and (2) sandhills/isolated or flowing water wetlands. C. Current Condition The population of Ocoee for 2000 is estimated to be approximately 24,391. The 1970 population was 3,937, the 1980 population was 7,803, and the 1990 population was 14,850. The City's recent growth can be attributed to its role as a bedroom community for the Orlando SMSA, central location, easy access to the Florida Turnpike, East-West Expressway, SR 50 and the recently completed Western Beltway. In addition, the City is coming under increasing development pressures due to its aesthetic appeal. Due to its natural amenities, residential and commercial activities are increasing at a rapid rate. Due to the recent completion of the Western Beltway, the completion of Clarke Road (major 4-lane north/south road), and the recent extension of County water and sewer along Clarcona-Ocoee Road, growth is expected to continue to climb at an enormous rate. It is expected that most of the future development activity anticipated by the year 2020 will occur in the southern, northwestern, and eastern areas of the City. Currently, the only water pollution problems in the area exist in the surface waters. Most of the pollution found in the lakes is due to agricultural and urban runoff. At this time, the quality of the water recharging the Floridan Aquifer is not seen as a potential problem. 5- 2 CONSERVATION ELEMENT CPA-2002-1-1