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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003 06 09 Regular I Regulations related to Boat Docks Workshop COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM I Consent Informational Public Hearing Regular X June 9, 2003 Meeting ~ Mgr. / Authorization /;1/ Dept. REQUEST: The Community Development Department requests the City Commission schedule a workshop to discuss the need for changes to the Code of Ordinances related to boat docks. PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is for the Commission to set a date for a workshop to discuss new regulations related to boat docks. APPLICABLE LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY: The provisions of 163.3167(11 )F.S. which states: Each local government is encouraged to articulate a vision of the future physical appearance and qualities of its community as a component of its local comprehensive plan. The vision should be developed through a collaborative planning process with meaningful public participation and shall be adopted by the governing body of the jurisdiction. CONSIDERATIONS: On October 14, 2002, the City Commission voted to have Breedlove, Dennis, and Associates gather information, conduct a workshop, and draft a boat dock ordinance, pursuant to their proposal of March 19,2002. 1 June 9,2003 REGULAR AGENDA ITEM I Page 2 RECOMMENDATION: Staff suggests that the City Commission schedule a workshop to consider recommendations related to codes governing boat docks. COMMISSION ACTION: 2 -------~- Date: 060903 The following newspaper articles were handed out to the City Commission by Commissioner Miller during discussion under Regular Agenda Item "I" on 6/9/03. PHOTOS BY STEVEN D. BARNES FOR THE ORLANDO SENTINEL \ , Limits placed on pollutants could rescue dozens oErivers, lakes Troubled waters. Thick mat~_Qt Y~-9.e.tatjpn (top) line the shore of Lake Jesup at the Seminole County Environmental Studies Center. Fertilizers carried into the lake by stormwater runoff encourage rapid growth of aquatic weeds. On the shores of Lake Monroe (above), anglers pursue a popular recrea.tional pastime. By STEVEN D. BARNES SENTINEL CORRESPONDENT Rapidly ~()~S!t!~s, pOTqLf~I1pWg PLa~~_es and lri~glj~~P9ltU!!qILc.9!1!r.()ffi have despoiled l1undreds of Florida water- ways. But how much is too much? ijow..much polll!t!oTl ~~ii)1>j~igf~~t~lCl!>:~9J:l>.bef()~ it!l~ r1<}~~Lful}~~""t.tte ~~~.!lfltur~j}j- tenueu. , ~TheFtorida Department of Environmen- tal Protection is trying to answer those questions as part of a sweeping program to safeguard one of the state's most precious natural resources. . For the past 18 months, the agency has been systematically evaluating Florida's waterways to determine which should be listed ~ "im..paired" - a first step in a multi- year process iIiat could trigger big changes in the way farms, businesses and govern- ment handle the pollutants that find their way into local waters. . The process uses scientific methods to PLEASE SEE WATERWAYS, K4 PUBLIC MEETING What: The state Depart- ment of Environmental Protection will have a meeting this week to dis- cuss a recently released list of polluted waterways in the area that could gain more protection under the Total Maximum Daily Load program. Where: The Sanford Wom- en's Club, 309 S. Oak Ave., Sanford. When: 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday. More information: To view the draft list of "im- paired" waters in Central Florida, go to the Florida Department of Environ- mental Protection's Web site at www.dep.state.fLus/ water/tmdl/index.htm. j".. L SE SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 2003 Polluters will be required to take. corrective action WATERWAYS FROM Kl in a body of water before it is no longer considered fit for its current use. The standards are based on calculations that take into ac- count the effects of pollution on people and wildlife. Jan Mandrup-Poulsen, envi- ronmental administrator of wa- tershed assessment for the DEP, said the limits are pur- posely set below the critical mark. "The EP A criteria are very conservative," he said. "Every- thing that we do, we try to put in a margin of safety." Waters i~the~e....a.te gr.2..':!PSCfitrtO fiYe.classes. rang;, ing from the drinking-water ~B:9JPllU~t!OO'ah(nIal'jg1{- ti<m."witti illQstittC~l}tr'!l FlQri- cfjfal!!n~.Hnil~ th~J'isl~L~K ~d swmm~ateg~. Lake Monroe falls into that group, though it is being stud- ied separately as a possible source of drinking water. Mandrup-Poulsen said the agency looks only at current uses in the designation proc- ess, but said there is little dif- ference in the standards set for drinking-water supplies and those for fishing and swim- ming areas. Once the TMDL levels are established next year, local governments and others who have an interest must develop plans to reduce pollutants go- ing into those wateIWays to' bring them into compliance. set limits on a range of pollut- ants and to establish bench- marks for dissolved oxygen levels. On Monday, the agency re- leased a draft list of Central Florida waters it thinks are so polluted that they may be unfit, or on the ver~of b~_!!.nfit, ~~. ~~iI.!g"..fisl1!!1g..p.L.oili~r uses. =~=~The"release of the list sets the stage for actions that could significantly improve water quality, but it also could in- crease costs to businesses, homeowners and local govern- ments. Included on the list are nam~~~L~~rioi1~s Wltn pollution, S'Jch as Lake Je- ~UB:Buralso1iste(raresections oLthe-Wekiva River, which many people think of as nearly pristine. In all, dozens of wateIWays in the middle St. Johns River basin - which stretches from the Econlockhatchee ~ver north to the Ocklawaha River - earned the dubious distinc- tion. DEP basin coordinator Mary Paulic said the agency is implementing the plan in con- junction with the U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency, which is required under the 1972 Clean Water Act to care for the nation's water resourc- es. A lawsuit by the environ- mental group Earth Justice in Polluters assigned 'share' the late 1990s forced the EPA That is to be accomplished to become more aggressive in through a process called allo- estgg,l.k;hing...timelinesJOI:A;.Qf- cation, in which major pollut- re~!pgo~.illldJhe~~tg ers will be assigned a "share" of DEPJsJak!ngJhe lead il'!.tb~f- the contaminants allowed to fO&tobriIliBorid~waters.into= enter the water and be required ~mplian~e.said~ to bring their contribution On W~~I!t'lsg~Y,,~Q1~. IlEP down to those levels. will mw~uQlic J'!1~etr!igJv Mandrup-Poulsen said the Sa~t9__educate~n:sid..~]. DEP will use incentives to en- aoout the proce~~ The forum, courage participation, but it fu~aKe-PIace at the Sanford currently has no regulatory au- Women's Club, will be the only thority to enforce TMDL allo- local public meeting before the cations outside the agency's list is finalized and sent to the regular permitting processes. EP A for adoption in November. He said the agency will help local governments and other groups to obtain funding need- ed to upgrade facilities or im- plement other fixes. The DEP also will work with a patchwork of local, state and national agencies to enforce specific parts of the agree- ments through existing regula- tions. If those methods don't ac- complish the goals, the DEP must go back to the Florida Legislature to gain enforce- ment authority. So far, he said, the process is working. "Progress has been good, we've seen a lot of coopera- Comments invited Participants will have the opportunity to review maps and technical information about wateIWays in the middle St. Johns River basin and find out what changes the plan may produce. Residents may submit information to the agency if they feel a local wateIWay should - or shouldn't - be on the roster. Once the list is finalized, the DEP will establish total maxi- mum daily loads, or TMDLs, that spell out how much of a given pollutant can be present tion," he said, referring to other areas in the state that are ahead of Central Florida in the proc- ess. "I've been working in wa- ter quality for 20 years, and this is the one thing that has people most excited." Those most likely to be af- fected by the allocation process are farms and businesses that directly impact nearby water- ways, and local cities, especial- ly those with poor stormwater- treatment systems. Runoff from highways, yards, golf courses and other facilities is often funneled di- rectly into lakes, rivers and streams, especially in areas that grew rapidly before re- quirements for retention ponds and other safeguards went into effect. That runoff, which carnes fe!t!t~es; ~!?F9@L- ~~~t~[J~f~%jJ~~~ti~}w:~r te[l>~sl'_clt~s. !#l<~ Jescug and the tittle Wekiva- and Econlock- hatchee rivers. Fixes could be costly Mandrup-Poulsen said po- tential fixes, such as retrofit- ting stomlwater systems and removing failing septic tanks, could be expensive. But a vari- ety of grants are available to offset the costs, and the alloca- tion process is designed to al- low responsible parties sub- stantial leeway in producing cost-effective ways of reaching their goals, he said. For instance, the process al- lows "pollution trading," which would permit a city to choose between renovating a waste- water-treatment facility or up- grading or removing septic systems, as long as the net re- sult meets the target goals. Litigation and legislative wrangling by environmental- ists and opponents of tougher regulations have buffeted the process. Despite the contentious na- ture of the program, Mandrup- Poulsen said the scientific ap- proach makes it easier for all sides to come to the table. "In the past, it was just this sort of blind attempt to see what needs to be done. This whole program is. science- based," he said. "Eyerybody wants to do the right thing, but they need the right science to figur:e out what needs to be done." For additional information, visit the U.s. Environmental Protection Agency at epa.gov/ owowfTMDL. Steven D. Barnes can be reac~ed at news_9uy@hotmail.com or 407.323. 2602.