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JACKSONVILLE – Today Florida Governor Charlie Crist joined Florida Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Mike Sole, City of Jacksonville
Mayor John Peyton, St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) Executive
Director Kirby Green, JEA Chief Executive Officer Jim Dickenson and a host of
community leaders to applaud the work of the Lower St. Johns River Total Maximum
Daily Load Executive Committee in developing a plan to restore and protect the
St. Johns River. Congressman Ander Crenshaw and State Representative Aaron Bean
also attended today’s event.
“Together, this group of stakeholders has dedicated itself to a clear set of
specific actions to substantially improve water quality in the St. Johns River,”
said Governor Crist. “I applaud their hard work, vision and commitment to the
protection of the river as well as its role in the local economy.”
The restoration plan, formally named the Lower St. Johns Basin Management
Action Plan (BMAP), was developed under the coordination of DEP in partnership
with local industries, cities, counties, the SJRWMD, environmental groups and
many other stakeholders. It is a comprehensive roadmap for restoring and
protecting water quality in the St. Johns River.
“Restoring, protecting and preserving the river is a long journey, one that
is on-going. We now have a plan for restoration and we have the commitment from
our partners and the community to make that plan a reality,” said Secretary
Sole. “Today, we celebrate this milestone achievement.”
Implementation of the Action Plan will benefit the segment of the St. Johns
River that flows between the mouth of the Ocklawaha River, its largest
tributary, and the Atlantic Ocean, encompassing a 2,750-square-mile drainage
area. The portion of the St. Johns River that is covered in the plan is 101
miles long and has a water surface area of approximately 115 square miles.
“Protecting the health of the St. Johns River is one of my top priorities and
water quality issues, conservation and access measures continue to be focus of
this government,” said Mayor John Peyton. “Because of collective work like that
demonstrated by the Lower St. Johns River TMDL Executive Committee, the decades
of concern are turning into the promise of real progress. I applaud the
collaboration our Governor, our partners and this diverse group of stakeholders
for their dedication and am encouraged by this important step toward realizing a
healthier future for this great natural treasure.”
The St. Johns River has long been the center of the ecology for the region,
as well as the center of the economy. It is home to one of the largest ports in
the state; supplies a significant portion the region's source of shrimp, blue
crab and catfish; provides recreational opportunities to residents and visitors
alike; and is home to hundreds of businesses that dot the shoreline. The river
is used for commerce, food, protection, power and transportation.
In 2008, the DEP adopted water quality restoration targets, called Total
Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), to establish reduction targets for nutrient
(phosphorus and nitrogen) loadings to impaired waterbodies. The TMDLs helped
stakeholders evaluate and identify local actions to control nutrient discharges.
The action plan now sets forth these improvements in detail, including a
schedule for their implementation and the identification of potential resources
to accomplish them. The Lower St. Johns River BMAP is the fourth to be developed
under DEP’s comprehensive approach to identify polluted waterways and build
partnerships with local, regional and state interests to clean them. The
progress of this plan will be carefully monitored by DEP to ensure the plan's
implementation and that the river's health is restored and protected.
Among the programs and projects identified in the BMAP are wastewater
treatment plant upgrades, redirecting wastewater discharges to beneficial reuse
for irrigation and other purposes, stormwater retrofits, urban structural and
nonstructural BMPs to reduce loading from stormwater runoff, agricultural BMPs
and environmental education. These actions represent a commitment to invest more
than $625 million in measures that will improve the conditions of the river such
that it meets applicable water quality standards, decreases algal blooms and
enhances the growth of native aquatic vegetation. This will result in a net
reduction of over 5.5 million pounds of total nitrogen in the fresh and marine
portions of the river, and more than 200,000 pounds of total phosphorous in the
freshwater portion of the river.
To view the St. Johns restoration plan visit
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/northeast/stjohns/TMDL/Final-Draft-BMAP.pdf.
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2012 State of Florida