by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Exactly two years ago, Mayor John Peyton and dozens of other elected officials, area business leaders and representatives from various governmental and civic environmental agencies gathered on a pier on the Southbank to introduce the most ambitious plan ever created to help restore the health of the St. Johns River.
At the time, Peyton and others referred to the river as “sick” many times over. In stifling heat – Peyton said people were “sweating bullets” – the 10-year, $700 million River Accord was announced. The Accord involves a partnership between the City, JEA and several state environmental agencies all with the same goal: addressing the immediate needs of the river and assuring its long term health.
Wednesday afternoon, many of the same people gathered to mark the second anniversary of the Accord, this time in the cool confines of the Times-Union Center. Peyton said the Accord marked a “historic time” in the city’s history and called the Accord a “significant investment in the river.” He talked about several changes that will greatly impact the St. Johns, including ensuring safer recreation, a healthier river and a more aesthetically pleasing river – one with clean water and without a dangerous algae bloom directly attributable to high nitrogen levels thanks primarily to pollution.
“The City and its partners took a giant step with the River Accord two years ago and because of our collective work, decades of concern about the river are turning into the promise of real progress,” said Peyton.
At the one-fifth point in the initiative, some with day-in-day-out jobs related to the river talked about the progress of the Accord and how it may unfold the next eight years.
“I can’t attest that it’s happening fast,” said Waterways Coordinator Jim Suber. “But, the last two years have brought a lot more awareness. The knowledge of the value of the river has increased. Before, people didn’t realize how important the river was. As a campaign of awareness, it has been extremely successful.”
Jacksonville University’s Dr. Quinton White said the progress has been slow, steady.
“It will take a while to get going,” said White, dean of the school’s Marine Science Center, adding that the initial years are more about planning than implementation. “The state of the river is a good indicator of where it’s going. We need to understand where we were, improve and see where we are.”
State Sen. Stephen Wise – who along with State Sen. Jim King pushed the State Legislature for funding – said the right people are working on the Accord and he plans to push for even more funding.
“I think the people involved are experts and we are doing the best we can at this point,” said Wise. “I will push for as much money as possible from a legislative delegation standpoint. These are tough times, but I think the (Duval) Delegation will all work hard on this.”
356-2466