TOWN OF JUPITER. David L. Brown, Director of Utilities

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1 DATE: October 18, 2016 TOWN OF JUPITER TO: THRU: FROM: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Jupiter Town Council Andy D. Lukasik, Town Manager David L. Brown, Director of Utilities SUBJECT: Resolution No , Comprehensive Protection of Regional Water Resources EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: At the July 19 th, 2016 Town Council Meeting lengthy discussion occurred regarding the ongoing algae bloom occurring in local waters and the resulting environmental impacts. In response, the Town Council requested that staff prepare a resolution for their consideration which addresses all South Florida ecosystem restoration projects needed to remediate the harm plus the necessity for greater accountability at all levels of government to achieve timely completion of the projects. At the August 16, 2016 Town Council Meeting the resolution was discussed and the item was continued while staff was asked to refine the wording based upon the input from Town Council. Attached for your consideration can be found revised Resolution No Lastly, during the August 16 th meeting ongoing septic to sewer initiatives were also discussed. Attached can be found an illustration entitled Sewer Status which reflects the remaining communities in the Loxahatchee River Watershed which are yet to be connected to the Loxahatchee River District s (LRD) regional sewer system. As you can be seen, properties still reliant on septic systems are becoming less prevalent. LRD currently has projects in planning or are under construction to serve Jupiter Inlet Colony, Turtle Creek, Whispering Trails and many other areas. Septic to sewer conversions have been included routinely in the annual state legislative funding request offered by the Loxahatchee River Preservation Initiative. However, it should be noted that this financial assistance has been thwarted the last two years through budget line item vetoes by the Governor. For a full listing of planned or ongoing sewering projects, please refer to LRD s website at RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends acceptance of Resolution No which sets forth the Town s desire for comprehensive protection of regional water resources and accountability at all levels of government for the timely completion of all projects intended to remediate environmental harm. Strategic Result: Green Spaces Attachments: 1. Resolution No Loxahatchee River Watershed Sewer Status Illustration Funding Source: Approved in Budget $ N/A Sources: Additional Funding Required $ N/A Sources:

2 RESOLUTION NO A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF JUPITER, FLORIDA, SETTING FORTH ITS DESIRE FOR COMPREHENSIVE PROTECTION OF REGIONAL WATER RESOURCES AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT FOR THE TIMELY COMPLETION OF ALL IDENTIFIED PROJECTS AS OUTLINED IN THE COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN AND WITHIN LOCAL WATER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVES INTENDED TO REMEDIATE ENVIRONMENTAL HARM. WHEREAS, the Town of Jupiter (Town) recognizes the importance of participation by residents and all levels of government to support efforts to improve water quality in the region, and WHEREAS, throughout the 20 th century, the construction of various water control structures and facilities within the watershed encompassing the Everglades has altered the natural hydrologic patterns of water in the region while the impacts of development and growth in coastal regions has led to added negative consequences to our local waters; and WHEREAS, this alteration of South Florida s natural systems has led to many harmful effects to our aquatic ecosystems which warrant immediate and long-term strategies to reverse the historical adverse impacts and minimize further impacts while preserving and protecting these resources for future generations to enjoy; and WHEREAS, the dire situations in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee River, the Everglades and Florida Bay are all symptoms of the larger need to fully restore South Florida s ecosystem through the construction of conveyance, treatment and storage of water as outlined in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), including water storage south of Lake Okeechobee and conveyance southward to Florida Bay; and

3 WHEREAS, locally the Town remains greatly concerned regarding the timeliness of completion of the Loxahatchee River Watershed Restoration and its inclusion of all the long-standing project goals including enhancement of local water supplies; and WHEREAS, some of the needed restoration projects have been deleted, postponed or delayed in the latest version of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Integrated Delivery Schedule which provides a timeline for implementation of CERP projects; and WHEREAS, the Federal Government through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates the Herbert Hoover Dike which surrounds Lake Okeechobee. For the past decade, the Corps has operated the dike system with lake elevations far below capacity due to its concerns of dike failure yet repairs have not been financially appropriated and the time table for completion remains undefined. To maintain lower lake stages, the Corps frequently authorizes the discharge of massive volumes of nutrient rich waters into local coastal estuaries. The discharges lower salinity levels and reduces water quality in the estuary causing algae blooms such as that recently experienced within the St. Lucie River. The consequential net effect has been widespread economic, environmental, and societal damage while all fear the potential human health impacts caused by the toxic waters. While the Town fully recognizes the importance of the Corps operational mission to protect human safety due to the potential of dike failure, the mission should concurrently consider the water quality impacts and the environmental harm which has caused widespread community concern and outrage throughout the region; and WHEREAS, the Town of Jupiter supports and recommends that the State of Florida, SFWMD, and the Federal Government more effectively collaborate in an expeditious and holistic fashion to complete the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration

4 Plan (CERP) including the Loxahatchee River Watershed Restoration, complete repairs to the Hoover Dike and the identification of additional storage and conveyance systems north and south of Lake Okeechobee which will reduce the continued harm to our natural systems; and WHEREAS, the Town recognizes that work remains at the local levels of government to also further remediate the harmful impacts that result from development. In doing so, the Town shall continue in efforts in support of implementation of best management and work with its local partners in funding and constructing additional water quality enhancement projects, including hydrologic restorations of natural areas and septic to sewer conversions, with the intent of preserving the Loxahatchee River, Indian River Lagoon and other local waters; and WHEREAS, the Loxahatchee River, Indian River Lagoon and our coastal waters and beaches are critical to our sub-regional economy through tourism, marine-related industries, real estate, commercial and recreational fisheries, and other economically essential industries; and WHEREAS, in 2014, Florida s voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 1, an amendment of the Florida Constitution, requiring the state to generate dollars that can be used to fix the problematic regional water management system; and NOW THEREFORE be it resolved by the Town Council of the Town of Jupiter, Florida: Section 1. The Town of Jupiter stands with other South Florida communities in urging both the state and federal governments to lessen the environmental damage through accelerated implementation of critical water management projects such as the Loxahatchee River Watershed Restoration with concurrent enhancement of local water supplies; the Herbert Hoover Dike repairs; full implementation of the Comprehensive

5 Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) including potential land acquisition strategies; and the development of more comprehensive Lake Okeechobee/Hoover Dike operational strategies with the intent of preventing water quality devastation such as the recent algae blooms/sea grass death in local estuaries. To this end, the Town of Jupiter requests that the US Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District collaboratively publish a strategy to establish needed financial appropriations in support of these specific projects and an updated Integrated Delivery Schedule for project milestones and project completions within 30 days of the date of this Resolution. Section 2. The Town of Jupiter urges the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite planning for the EAA reservoir, as outlined in CERP Component G, for the purpose of storage, treatment, and conveyance of freshwater to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay and relieving harmful discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers. The Town also supports planning, slated to begin later this year, to more holistically and efficiently evaluate water storage needs north and south of Lake Okeechobee. Section 3. The Town further supports prioritized funding for the acquisition of land south of Lake Okeechobee in the Everglades Agricultural Area to achieve the CERP project purposes of storage, treatment, and conveyance of freshwater south to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay and relieving harmful discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers. Section 4. The Town commits to further support of local water quality enhancement projects and requests that the State of Florida also provide its assistance and sponsorship of such infrastructure improvements including septic to sewer conversions.

6 Section 5. The Town of Jupiter requests that the State of Florida fully authorize the use Amendment 1 funding consistent with the land acquisition and water quality infrastructure purposes outlined in the constitutional amendment authorized by voters in Section 6. The Town Clerk shall furnish copies of this Resolution to: U.S. Senator Bill Nelson U.S. Senator Marco Rubio U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy, District 18 Florida Governor Rick Scott Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner Florida Senate President-elect Joe Negron Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli Florida House Speaker-elect Richard Corcoran State Senator Joseph Abruzzo, District 25 State Representative Mary Lynn Magar, District 82 U.S. Army Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District Commander Col. Jason Kirk U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell Chair, South Florida Water Management District Governing Board, Daniel O Keefe Executive Director, South Florida Water Management District Peter Antonacci Secretary, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Jon Steverson Section 7. This Resolution shall take effect upon its execution.

7 Sewer Status River Sewer Status c:=:m Miles MICICl'KiCl'.o Qr~01 5Dft'-10l'M!Cn<f~-Al""A~ Ind R Mcrs.on ftts m-s> twa kit~ deosl'y'i in..., OUl'l»W1 fcfm<:tilllf'lknnallonorcoo"t <nrciclo..v+o~~~cf fllj'f. No Sewer Available Sewer Available, Not Connected Proposed Study Area Boundary N A