by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon couldn’t believe what he was seeing as he drove home from Tuesday’s City Council meeting. As he drove through the Gate Parkway area in near-monsoon conditions, Armingeon couldn’t believe how many commercial and residential irrigation systems were operating at full force.
An irrigation bill passed by Council Tuesday should put an end to that. Wednesday, Mayor John Peyton officially signed that bill — and another that regulates fertilizer use — into law from the back yard of Mike and Pam Muldoon, who live in the Lakeshore neighborhood.
“Many city leaders, mayors and City Councils have been talking about this,” said Peyton. “I think we are making progress.”
Peyton said the algae bloom in the St. Johns River two years may have been the catalyst for the recent regulation. Fueled by excessive nutrient levels, many areas of the river were covered in a fluorescent green scum that threatened plant and animal life.
Combined, the two ordinances are designed to immediately improve the health of the river. Toss in the 10-year, $700 million River Accord and the City of Jacksonville seems to be doing its part to assure the future health of what many consider the city’s top asset.
The irrigation ordinance is modeled after one passed by the St. Johns River Water Management District. It permits lawn watering based on an odd or even address and prohibits watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. altogether. There are exceptions, but the ordinance may be enforced by the City’s Environmental Compliance Department, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office or any other state law enforcement officer.
The fertilizer ordinance requires residents, commercial applicators and retail garden centers to use best practices when applying fertilizers.
“Of all the things we are doing, I am more proud of this,” said Peyton.
Armingeon called the bills “historic legislation” and said they were a good start to both restoring the health of the river and conserving potable water. Right now, about 50 percent of the potable water in Jacksonville is used for irrigation.
“This is a good commitment the community is making,” said Armingeon. “If we start doing things differently, we can protect the beautiful St. Johns River.”
Armingeon said the corporate community can help as well. In an effort to eliminate what he saw Tuesday evening, businesses with large green areas watered by automatic irrigation systems can switch to hydro-sensitive systems. Those systems measure the water content of the soil and automatically determine if irrigation is needed or not.
“To me, the biggest bang is the large areas and Gate Parkway is a perfect example,” he said. “There were hundreds of gallons of water going onto commercial and residential lawns and it was pouring down rain.
“We need to become more aware. We have got to get away from the idea the river is a disposal.”
Peyton called the Council “courageous” for passing both bills as well as the stormwater fee it passed earlier this year.
“That is smart, progressive thinking to protect the City’s most valued asset,” he said.
Council member Michael Corrigan, whose Dist. 14 is at the edge of the Muldoon property, said protecting the St. Johns River should be important to everyone in Jacksonville.
“Each citizen is affected by the health of the river,” he said. “Without a healthy river, we don’t have a healthy community.”
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