Straight Talk with Jennifer Mitchell, Ph.D., Communications Coordinator, St. Johns River Water Management District

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St. Johns River Water Management District An Overview of the Indian River Lagoon Progress, Challenges and Opportunities

Jennifer Mitchell, Ph.D. Communications Coordinator St. Johns River Water Management District St. Johns River Water Management District Core Missions

Water supply Water quality

Flood protection Natural systems St. Johns River Water Management District Challenges and Goals Challenges • Recurring algal blooms • Extensive seagrass loss Goals

• Enhance scientific 90,000 ) s e r c a (

understanding t 60,000 n e t x e

• s Identify and implement s a r

g 30,000 a e solutions S

0 5 3 3 3 5 7 9 1 3 7 9 1 5 7 9 9 0 1 1 4 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 • Improve communications 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

4 St. Johns River Water Management District Enhanced Monitoring

• Real-time data – Six locations • Temperature, conductivity, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a EXO-2 Sonde Sensor array

5 St. Johns River Water Management District Nutrients from Muck Sediments

Banana • Widespread muck River sediments from stormwater runoff Atlantic Ocean I n d • i Past dredging: a n

R i v Eau Gallie − Turkey Creek n e r o t

River g e n k i

− Crane Creek a h L s a

− St. Sebastian River W Crane − Eau Gallie River Creek

Turkey Creek

6 St. Johns River Water Management District Construction Projects

Major construction Enhancement Center Oyster • Fellsmere Water Management reefs Area (FWMA) • Canal 1/Sawgrass Lake Living Wetland shorelines • Wetland rehabilitation and enhancement habitat enhancement

Smaller projects • Micco Water Management Area • Oyster reef rehabilitation • Mosquito Lagoon Marine Micco Enhancement WMA C-10 • Lagoon cost-share projects

Fellsmere

7 St. Johns River Water Management District Fellsmere Water Management Area • Significantly reduces Indian River Lagoon discharges from upper St. Johns River to lagoon 4 from C-54 Canal l-5 na Ca • Completed (including amenities) Northern reaches of FWMA S-96 SJWMA

SJWMA = St. Johns Water Management Area 8 St. Johns River Water Management District Canal 1/Sawgrass Lake Water Management Area • Second phase of C-1 Re-diversion Project • Re-diverts water back to historic St. Johns River basin

9 St. Johns River Water Management District Septic to Sewer Projects

• Reducing nutrient loading from septic tanks. • Rockledge • Merritt Island • West Melbourne • West Wabasso

10 St. Johns River Water Management District City of Titusville Draa Field Stormwater Park • TN load reduction to IRL: 920 lbs./yr estimated • TP load reduction to IRL: 200 lbs./yr estimated • Total construction cost: $1.5 million • District funding: $0.37 million

11 St. Johns River Water Management District What We Can All Do • Understand the issues ‒ Fertilizer ‒ Grass clippings ‒ Pet waste ‒ Storm drains

12 St. Johns River Water Management District What We Can All Do • Understand the issues ‒ Over-irrigation ‒ Run-off ‒ Nutrients

13 St. Johns River Water Management District What We Can All Do • Trainings for Community Association Managers ‒ Stormwater management ‒ Conservation easements ‒ Irrigation

14 St. Johns River Water Management District

15 St. Johns River Water Management District Thank You