CBIRS Request 280

Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #280

Indian River Lagoon Initiative, FY 2006-2007

Requester:

Kirby Green

Organization:

St. Johns River Water Management District

Project Title:

Indian River Lagoon Initiative, FY 2006-2007

Date Submitted

12/22/2005 11:40:23 AM

Sponsors:

Needelman

Statewide Interest:

This project addresses improving water quality as it relates to the biological productivity and diversity of the lagoon. The lagoon provides 50% of the east coast Florida fish catch and 30-40% of Florida's clam harvest. In addition, the lagoon is designated a priority water body under the 1987 Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Act and is a designated estuary of national significance under the Section 320 of the federal Clean Water Act.

Recipient:

St. Johns River Water Management District

Contact:

Mike Slayton

PO Box 1429

Contact Phone:

(321) 508-0801

Palatka 32178-1429

Contact email:

mslayton@sjrwmd.com

Counties:

Brevard, Indian River, Volusia

Gov't Entity:

Yes

Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit):

Project Description:

The Indian River Lagoon Initiative is an ongoing project to restore, protect, and enhance the lagoon and its tributaries. Funding through this initiative will help to restore and enhance the lagoon. Examples of subprojects that could be funded through this request follow. This list is in alphabetical order and is not a complete listing. ? Assessment of Environmental Health Related to Water Clarity, Seagrass Recovery, Pollution Load Reduction Goals (PLRGs), and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) ? C-1 Rediversion-Turkey Creek Basin ? Cooperative Surface Water Program-St. Sebastian River Water Control District ? Cooperative Surface Water Program-Wheeler Stormwater Park ? Crane Creek Sediment Removal ? Eau Gallie River and Elbow Creek Muck Removal (Phase 1) ? Fellsmere Water Management Area ? Indian River Farms West-Main Canal Stormwater Treatment Facility ? Local Government Cooperative Stormwater Programs-Priority Basins ? Rehabilitation of Coastal Wetland Habitat ? St. Sebastian River Muck Removal

Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster?

Measurable Outcome Anticipated:

Less freshwater runoff to the lagoon; number of reconnected mosquito impoundments; number of cubic yards of muck removed from the waterways; stormwater treatment/management and surface water treatment facilities; improved water quality in the lagoon and tributaries (e.g., less nutrients, improved dissolved oxygen levels); acres of sea grass; number of completed and implemented local and regional surface water management plans and projects addressing PLRGs and TMDLs

Amount requested from the State for this project this year:

$17,900,000

Total cost of the project:

$17,900,000

Request has been made to fund:

Construction

What type of match exists for this project?

Local, Federal

Cash Amount

$19,000,000

Was this project previously funded by the state?

Yes

Fiscal Year:

2005-2006

Amount:

$4,000,000

Is future-year funding likely to be requested?

Yes

Amount:

$10,000,000

To Fund:

Construction

Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?

Yes

Agency

Environmental Protection, Department Of

Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?

Yes

Is there a documented need for this project?

Yes

Documentation:

National Estuary Program's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, SWIM Plan, and District W

Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?

Yes

Hearing Body:

Indian River Legislative Delegation

Hearing Meeting Date:

11/30/2005

Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida?

Yes

Has the project been submitted to the Department of Environmental Protection?

Yes

DEP identifying number:

SWR2002 2080

Is this project eligible under section 403.885(5) F.S.?

Yes

Is your project addressed in a state, regional or local plan (such as a SWIM plan, Comprehensive Plan, local master plan, etc.)?

Yes

Name the plan and cite the pages on which the project is described:

Indian River Lagoon Initiative, FY 2006-2007, approved December 13, 2005, pages 3-10 Indian River Lagoon SWIM Plan, 2002, all pages Indian River Lagoon Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, 1996, all pages District Water Management Plan, 2005, pages 49-51

If you are requesting funding for a stormwater or surface water restoration project:

Which Water Management District has the jurisdiction of your project?

St. Johns River Water Management District

Have you provided at least 50% match?

Yes

Match Amount:

19000000

Match Source:

ad valorem and federal and local funding

Will this project reduce pollutant loadings to a water management district designated 'priority' surface water body?

Yes

Name of water body:

Indian River Lagoon and its tributaries

Describe how it will reduce loadings, identify anticipated load reductions for total suspended solids, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and other contaminants, and specify the practices that will be used to reduce loadings:

The C-1 Rediversion subproject and its planned reductions in C-1 storm discharges are targeted to reduce total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and other contaminants by 50% or more into Turkey Creek and the lagoon. Over 90% of the annual volume of freshwater and 68-80% of the annual loadings of nutrients (N and P) and TSS that are discharged through Turkey Creek are contributed by the C-1 canal. These unnaturally large volumes of freshwater and pollutant loads impact salinity and water quality and, in turn, the sea grasses within a 10- to 20-square-mile area of the adjacent lagoon. Under the current C-1 rediversion design, C-1 discharges that are greater than 452 million gallons/day (700 cubic feet per second) which usually occur at least once each year, would occur no more frequently than once every 5 years. All of the muck removal subprojects will benefit water quality and clarity through reduction in TSS and sediment loading to the lagoon and sediment flux rates of nutrients; enhance habitat quality and faunal use, leading to more biological diversity; and stabilize river bottom salinity by enhancing the salinity wedge. Achieving and maintaining dredge depths of >6 feet will dampen wind- and propeller-induced resuspension of sediments and trap TSS loads within deeper holes (sumps) created by dredging, thereby preventing the transport of TSS into the lagoon. By removing the ~2.3 million cubic yards of muck material in the St. Sebastian River, the amount of N (ammonia) and inorganic phosphorus fluxed to the overlaying waters will be reduced by an estimated 4.5 metric tons/km2/yr of ammonia and 1.7 metric tons/km2/yr of phosphorus. These amounts are equivalent to or in excess of that discharged annually by a major wastewater treatment plant. Cooperative local government stormwater programs in the central lagoon and regional surface water programs in conjunction with the water control districts within Indian River County are being designed and implemented to meet provisional "allowable" loading targets based upon approximate loading rates from 1943. Within the Melbourne Crane Creek subbasin, which generates the highest areal loading rates (lb/ac/yr) of any subbasin in the lagoon system, a 50% reduction of TN to 4.4 lb/ac/yr and TP to 0.6 lb/ac/yr, and a target of <50 lb/ac/yr TSS is proposed by Brevard County.

If you are requesting funding for a wastewater project:

Does your project qualify for funding from DEP's 'Small Community Wastewater Treatment Grant Program' under section 403.1838 F.S.?

Other wastewater projects:

Have you received previous legislative funding for this project?

Is the project under construction?

Have you provided at least a 25% local match?