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TALLAHASSEE -- Florida today marked another
milestone in the campaign for cleaner water. Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Colleen M.
Castille signed a final order identifying the fourth of
five groups of waterbodies targeted for restoration.
Waters identified for clean up include rivers, estuaries
and lakes in the Pensacola Bay, Nassau-St. Marys,
Withlacoochee, Kissimmee, Fisheating Creek, and
Southeast Coast/Biscayne Bay Basins.
“Florida is cleaning up its waterways,” said Secretary
Castille. “The State’s science-based method to identify
impaired waters systematically targets impaired waters
and then develops a roadmap for restoration, water
quality improvements and healthier natural resources.”
Under the federal Clean Water Act, each state must
identify impaired rivers, lakes and estuaries for clean
up. Science-based pollution limits, called Total Maximum
Daily Loads (TMDLs), are then developed for each
impaired waterway. A TMDL is the maximum amount of a
specific pollutant a waterbody can absorb and still meet
its designated uses, such as fishing, swimming,
shellfish harvesting or as a source of drinking water.
Florida adopted a nationally recognized program to
govern TMDL development and implementation.
To target impaired waterways for clean up, the
Department divided the state into 29 watersheds. Each
year the State assesses groups of waters to determine
which are impaired and require restoration and which
need further study. Once designated, DEP designs plans
to evaluate, restore and monitor degraded waterbodies
throughout the state.
After collecting extensive scientific data, the State
established a fourth group of rivers and lakes for
restoration, identifying 113 additional waterbodies as
impaired. This fourth verified list of impaired waters
underwent extensive public review and will now be
submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) for approval. The State has subsequently adopted
more than 100 TMDLs and proposed an additional 64 TMDLs
for impaired waterways in the Group 1, 2, and 3 Basins,
including the Ocklawaha River chain and Lake Okeechobee.
The State is working with federal and local governments,
water management districts, public and private
utilities, industry, agriculture and environmental
groups to develop, adopt and implement basin management
action plans, the blueprint for restoration, which
promote improved farming practices, increased wastewater
and stormwater treatment, and better land use planning
to reduce pollution.
Together with the TMDL program, the Department of
Environmental Protection is improving water quality
through long-standing environmental regulations,
technical assistance, and an annual investment of
hundreds of millions of dollars to build water
infrastructure, acquire conservation lands and restore
waterways.
The Group Four impaired waters list is available at
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/tmdl/index.htm.
Group Four Impaired Waters
Questions and Answers
What is DEP doing?
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is in
the fourth of a five-year cycle to identify the state’s
impaired waterways and design plans for their
restoration. Department Secretary Colleen M. Castille
signed a final order targeting 113 impaired waters for
clean up in the Pensacola Bay, Nassau-St. Marys,
Withlacoochee, Kissimmee, Fisheating Creek, and
Southeast Coast/Biscayne Bay Basins.
What is an impaired water? An impaired water is a river,
lake or stream that, because of pollution levels, is not
meeting water quality standards for its designated use,
such as fishing, swimming, shellfish harvesting or as a
source of drinking water. Why is there a list of
verified impaired waters?
The Clean Water Act and the
1999 Florida Watershed Restoration Act require the
Department of Environmental Protection to identify
impaired waters and prioritize them for restoration.
Science-based pollution limits, called Total Maximum
Daily Loads (TMDLs), are then developed to promote the
clean up of each impaired waterway.
What is a TMDL?
A TMDL establishes the maximum amount of a specific
pollutant the waterbody can absorb and still meet its
designated uses. TMDLs provide important water quality
targets so that any waters impaired by the cumulative
impacts of regulated and unregulated sources of
pollution can be restored.
How is Florida’s verified
list of impaired waters different than the 1998 list?
Florida’s verified list is more scientifically sound
than the list prepared in 1998. The previous methodology
used to identify and list impaired waters relied on
incomplete and unreliable data, and in some cases,
relied on opinion surveys when no data were available.
Florida’s comprehensive methodology now ensures that the
data used to make clean up decisions are scientifically
verified, valid and current. The Department’s rotating
basin approach divides the state into 29 watersheds.
Each year, the Department evaluates waterways from six
watersheds to determine which are impaired and require
restoration and which need further study. This five-year
evaluation process ensures that those waterways most in
need of restoration are addressed first, and that, over
time, all waterways will be addressed.
Are waterways
removed from the impaired waters list?
A waterbody is
removed from the 1998 list when there is enough
scientific data to confirm that it is meeting its
designated use or if there was a flaw in the initial
listing. In the Group 4 basins, 146 waterbodies were
removed from the 1998 list because data indicate they
are meeting water quality standards. Those waters on the
1998 list with insufficient data or information to
determine their current status remain on the impaired
waters list.
What role did the public play? The
Department solicited public input on the draft Group 4
impaired waters list at 7 public meetings in June, July,
and November of 2005. All meetings were noticed in local
newspapers and e-mails were sent to interested parties.
More than 150 people attended the meetings, many of whom
provided written comments on the draft lists. In
response to public comments, the lists were updated and
made available for public review in October of 2005.
Is
there additional opportunity for public comment on the
final Group 4 list?
The Department’s final order starts
a 21-day period during which interested parties may
petition the decision to list or not list a waterbody as
impaired.
What happens next? After 21 days, the
Department will submit the Group 4 list to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval. Once
EPA has approved the list, the Department will develop
and implement TMDLs for the impaired waters. How does
this process restore Florida’s water?
Identifying
impaired waters is only the first step. Once a TMDL is
developed and adopted, the Department works with local
stakeholders to develop a comprehensive restoration plan
for the waterbody. Cleaning up impaired waters requires
the participation and actions of local governments,
businesses and citizens.
What is the status of those
waterways on the Group 1, 2 and 3 lists?
The first group
of impaired waters was adopted on August 28, 2002. The
Department has developed more than165 TMDLs for Group 1,
2 and 3 waterbodies. The Department is currently working
with local citizens, businesses and government agencies
to develop Basin Management Action Plans that outline
specific actions to reduce pollutants, achieve the TMDL
and restore the affected waterbodies.
Protecting
Florida's Water Resources - Myth vs. Reality
| Myth |
Reality |
| “DEP is ignoring 237 waterways identified in 1998 as impaired.” |
DEP collected extensive scientific data for the 2006 Group Four
impaired waters list. Recent data indicates that, within the fourth
group, 113 failed to fully meet water quality standards and require
restoration. The data also indicate that 146 waterways are attaining
water quality standards and, therefore, should be removed from the
1998 impaired waters list. The State will continue to assess
waterways to ensure they are meeting water quality standards. |
| “DEP is weakening water quality standards.” |
The Department is implementing a comprehensive, five-year
strategy to identify waters that are impaired and prioritize them
for clean up.
Any changes to water quality standards must be reviewed and
approved by the U.S. EPA. Florida’s comprehensive water quality
programs are protecting and restoring surface waters according to
the federal Clean Water Act. Florida is recognized as having one of
the most comprehensive monitoring networks in the nation for
identifying emerging water quality problems.
|
| “DEP’s methodology for identifying impaired waters is
arbitrary.” |
DEP’s methodology is based on sound, verifiable scientific data
and analysis. DEP’s listing approach was endorsed by the National
Academy of Sciences, supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and upheld by Florida’s First District Court of Appeals. DEP
continues to refine its methodology with improvements in science and
new information. |
| “DEP’s approach slows the clean up of impaired waters.” |
DEP’s approach augments existing regulatory programs and
restoration activities and accelerates clean up of impaired waters.
Identifying impaired waters is only the first step. Once a Total
Maximum Daily Load is developed, a comprehensive watershed approach
using sound science and the involvement of a broad range of local
stakeholders is undertaken to reduce pollution and restore the
waterway. Cleaning up impaired waters will work only with the active
participation of local governments, businesses and citizens. |
| “DEP’s Impaired Waters Rule raises the bar so high that few
waters will ever be classified as ‘impaired’ and will not then be
restored.” |
DEP’s rule requires valid, reliable water quality data to
establish impairment. If the data is not available, DEP works with
local stakeholders to secure needed scientific documentation.
The Impaired Waters Rule has led to the identification of many
waters for restoration that were not targeted using the previous
methodology. |
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2012 State of Florida