Florida Department of Environmental Protection. St. Johns County has been awarded a$796,007 grant for a regional stormwater treatment facility to benefit water quality in the Lower St. Johns River Watershed. The facility will capture agricultural runoff and help reduce pollutants flowing to Deep Creek and the Lower St. Johns River. This will help achieve reductions required in the restoration plan for the Lower St. Johns River. Please contact the DEP press office at 850.245.2112 or DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us if you would like additional information regarding the grant. Give me a call if you would like local quote from SJC.
GRANT FUNDING TO ASSIST DEP AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS RESTORE FLORIDA WATERBODIES
~Nine projects to benefit Indian River Lagoon, Wakulla Springs, among others~
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has selected nine projects that will benefit from an expected $6.14 million in federal grant money to assist governments with the protection and restoration of Florida’s waterbodies. The money will be used to implement projects and best management practices that reduce runoff and work to restore Florida’s impaired waters.
These grants, funded through the United States Environmental Protection Agency,help fund important projects that specifically address nonpoint source pollution. Nonpoint source pollution comes from oil, pet waste, pesticide, herbicide, fertilizer, sediment and other contaminants that end up on the ground naturally or from human activity. Rainwater picks up these contaminants as it washes over yards, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, roads and fields and deposits them into surface waters.
“The State of Florida addresses stormwater head on through the Department’s stormwater and water quality restoration programs,” said Drew Bartlett, DEP Deputy Secretary for Water Policy and Ecosystem Restoration. “This funding allows the Department to provide local governments additional targeted financial assistance for these needed projects.”
Florida is a national leader in tackling the challenging problem of nonpoint source pollution. As one of the first states in the nation to implement a stormwater management program starting in the 1970s, it is also one of the first states in nation to directly address agricultural and urban nonpoint source in its restoration program.
Grant funds are designated for nine watersheds that are considered a high priority for restoration. Specifically, the projects selected will continue the Department’s partnership with local efforts to restore the Indian River Lagoon, St. Lucie Estuary, Pensacola Bay, Wakulla Springs, and lakes in the Ocklawaha and Winter Haven chain of lakes. The funds will be used to implement structures such as stormwater ponds and to implement best management practices in beaches and coastal areas to reduce amount of nitrogen and phosphorus going into the waterbodies.
Information on the projects can be found here.
“These funds create the opportunity to partner with local stakeholders to directly affect water quality in Florida,” said Bartlett. “The competitive funding opportunity allows communities to identify projects that are locally important to make their waterbodies better.”
In addition to the federal funds, more than $8.4 million will be contributed by the communities themselves, far exceeding the 40 percent match required by the EPA. The investment demonstrates local communities’ desire to improve water quality in Florida. This grant funding is also used for education and other types of environmental outreach programs.
About the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is the state’s principal environmental agency, created to protect, conserve and manage Florida’s environment and natural resources. The Department enforces federal and state environmental laws, protects Florida’s air and water quality, cleans up pollution, regulates solid waste management, promotes pollution prevention and acquires environmentally-sensitive lands for preservation. The agency also maintains a statewide system of parks, trails and aquatic preserves. To view the Department’s website log on to www.dep.state.fl.us.
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLDEP/bulletins/998f92