Basin management action plan stakeholders provide updates to move forward
MELBOURNE Melbourne, Florida
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Florida Department of Environmental Protection hosted a public meeting Wednesday before roughly 100 attendees to discuss ongoing monitoring and implementation of the restoration plan for the Indian River Lagoon, continuing the commitment of the Department and stakeholders to look for solutions to restore this waterbody.
The Department adopted three restoration plans for the Indian River Lagoon in February, after determining pollutant load reduction targets based on sound science. Together, the adopted plans account for more than $300 million invested—or to be invested—in wastewater and stormwater infrastructure along with urban and agricultural best management practices. As the plans are implemented, additional projects will be developed.
Stakeholders in these areas already have completed or will complete hundreds of restoration projects over the next five years. The Department has directed more than $25 million towards the restoration of the Indian River Lagoon with more than $10 million invested since 2009. The St. Johns River and South Florida water management districts have made major investments in the health of the Indian River Lagoon, through research, monitoring and restoration projects.
“These meetings are a great opportunity to provide updates on progress being made to restore our waterways,” said Tom Frick, Program Administrator for the Water Quality Restoration Program within DEP’s Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration. “While more work remains, the Department and its stakeholders have made a tremendous commitment to restoring the Indian River Lagoon and these meetings are a valuable part of the continued refinement of our efforts.”
The technical meeting, held at Melbourne City Hall, included a report from Brevard County on water quality modelling, an update on seagrass monitoring and a discussion of ongoing research including the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Indian River Lagoon Initiative. The Department anticipates producing a one-year progress report in February.
The Indian River Lagoon System is a 156-mile-long estuary located on Florida’s east coast that directly and indirectly supports a large part of the region’s and the state’s economy. The Department has identified the Lagoon as a priority waterbody; formally adopted a series of pollutant reduction targets for nitrogen and phosphorus; established three restoration plans to implement the projects and activities necessary to bring the Lagoon back to health; and invested millions of dollars for restoration.
The targets for total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the restoration plan were established with the objective of restoring seagrasses to their historical depths. Shortly after finalizing the 2009 total maximum daily loads, — or pollution reduction targets — the Department initiated the stakeholder process for the three restoration plans to implement these established reductions.
