Staff Writer
Environmental symposium highlights St. Johns and its stewards
On Thursday, City Council President Jack Webb organized “The Health of the St. Johns River Community Conversation” with stakeholders to discuss algae blooms and fish kills.
The conversation continued Friday during the 2010 Environmental Symposium at the University of North Florida with the release of both the “State of the River” and “The River Accord” annual reports.
Researchers at both UNF and Jacksonville University compiled the 194-page “State of the River” report with the goal to provide a concise document to the community that details the current ecological status of the St. Johns River lower basin.
It is broken into four categories – water quality, aquatic life, fisheries and contaminants – with details on the trends of each over time, along with the status in 2009.
In addition, researchers also detailed the water quality of 20 tributaries of the St. Johns.
In terms of water quality, researchers found that many tributaries failed to meet standards for the designated uses due to excess fecal contamination. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection verified 62 such tributaries, with the bulk linked to human sources, commonly from septic systems and sewage problems, two issues Mayor John Peyton addressed in his budget address last week and again to the almost 200 symposium attendees.
On the positive side, the study shows a reduction of metal contaminants, excess silver and copper, among others, throughout the lower basin.
The study also found that nitrogen and phosphorus, two factors that have been linked to the recurring algae blooms, are fairly stable but “far exceed” Environmental Protection Agency standards, especially in tributaries, and should be reduced.
Condensed brochures featuring the results of the “State of the River” are being produced for the community and will be available before the River Summit in September. The full report can be found at www.sjrreport.com.
“They (UNF and JU researchers) do a great job of presenting this information to the community in a way that’s easy to understand,” said St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon. “All this information can be hard for people to understand sometimes, but it’s important they have it.”
In addition to the study, the third annual report for The River Accord, a 10-year, $700 million mission to restore the lower basin, was released.
It highlights the past and future efforts to impact the health of the St. Johns, addressing many of the issues found within the “State of the River” report along with efforts to improve river access.
Both releases were part of the all-day symposium, which brought together the community and regulatory agencies responsible for developing environmental policy. Throughout several breakout sessions, attendees could learn about environmental issues such as air quality standards, master stormwater plans, conservation efforts and more.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring everyone together to the table and emphasize education,” said Vince Siebold of the City’s Environmental Quality Division. “This is what we want to do. It’s grown each year.”
Peyton presented a keynote lunch address, discussing several efforts in his recently released budget to address septic tanks and new technologies. He also accepted an individual award for his environmental stewardship throughout his terms in addition to receiving “Gold Certification” recognition for the city for its environmental policies and efforts.
Jacksonville received one of the highest scores in the state, said Rob Vieira of the Green Building Council.
“To achieve this is a lot of work,” said Vieira.
It wasn’t the only award presented during the symposium, though, as a driving force behind getting the certification also was recognized. Retiring in September after 23 years, Christi Veleta, Environmental Protection Board program administrator, was presented with an inaugural award.
“We’re going to miss her and all her contributions,” said Robert Schuster, EPB board chair.
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