Quote
Ron Littlepage: It will take more than purple prose and lofty rhetoric to save the St. Johns
By Ron Littlepage Fri, Oct 17, 2014 @ 12:09 pm
We are often effusive in our praise of the St. Johns River.
We call it Jacksonville's greatest natural resource, the centerpiece of our downtown, a driver of our economy, a creation of great beauty that can soothe the soul.
All of that is true.
But as often as we praise the St. Johns, we also mistreat it.
ABUSING ITS BEAUTY
Our continual dredging of the shipping channel has changed the river's ecology for miles and miles upstream.
We have treated the river like a sewer for both human and industrial waste.
And to this day we are the source of pesticides and fertilizers that flow into the river from our roadways and lawns.
Those algae blooms that turn the river into a sickening, poisonous mess?
They're on us.
Moving forward, the future of the St. Johns is even more unsettled.
Sea-level rise is going to pour more saltwater into the freshwater stretches of the river.
The St. Johns River Water Management District is barreling ahead with plans to withdraw hundreds of millions of gallons of water a day from the river to supply new growth in burgeoning Central Florida.
But it will be OK, the district says, pointing to a study it did that said sea-level rise will add more water to the river as will the increased storm water runoff that will come with more development.
In other words, clean water will be replaced with salty, polluted water.
In Jacksonville, instead of paying for needed projects that would reduce the damaging nutrients we are sending into the river, we are buying credits for work that others have already done.
Add to that JaxPort's insistence on deepening the shipping channel even more.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says that can be done without damaging the river's health — too much.
But how much is unknown. Some experts said the impact will be very little. Other experts say it will be a lot.
The certainty is there will be environmental damage.
NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT
It's not too late to save the St. Johns from a bleak future.
Removing the Rodman dam that blocks the Ocklawaha River, the St. Johns' largest tributary, would add more freshwater to the river.
We can clean up the mess that we send into the river.
We can elect leaders who recognize the folly of the water management district's withdrawals and who say that if more development needs more water, it will have to get it from sources like desalinization.
And we could tell JaxPort, which is owned by the citizens of Jacksonville, no to more dredging unless there are workable plans in place with money to pay for them that would mitigate the damaging impacts of the dredging.
I know the value of JaxPort to the city's economy.
I also know the value of a healthy river.
If I had to choose between the two, I would choose the river.
With what's facing the St. Johns River in the future, its death won't be from a thousand cuts.
It will be by sledgehammer blows.
Effusive praise for the river alone won't stop it.
ron.littlepage@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4284
Preceding Ron Littlepage,FTU Editor William Sweisgood produced steady column inches of River Support. Seems like ages ago if you think about it, or even if you don't.
Does it really matter?
Is it simply a mater of priorities?
A couple of weeks ago I spent time out and about a Duval River Tributary, Fishweir Creek with WJCT Environment & Health Reporter /Producer Peter Hayden.
Recently transplanted from a western arid state,Peter was shocked,amazed,incredulous that the Fishweir Creek Restoration effort had been subjected to so many years of fits, starts and delays.....including a recent spate of private dock building that has precluded certain restoration abilities,all under the supposed caring,watchful eye of COJ, Agency & Organization.Councilman Jim Love's office had to really scramble to respond to inquiry as to current Fishweir Creek joint City/Fed Restoration project status. (I gave Jim & Kevin a couple days head start 8) )
With microphone aimed towards me,Peter asked,"Why?". A searing,helpful question.I had not yet by then decided what message,outlook I would project to Peter.
My mind raced through images of endless editorial column inches,studies,meetings,Planners & Consultants,Organization,Board Members,Enviro Politics and even a Sociology text or three,"Service" and even a silly,giant award.
Clarity.
"It's simply about priorities"
'The little creeks,tributaries are a giant face of the river system.And even the biggest River tributary,The Oclkawaha River,once the scene of signature environmental message and cause,remains impaired,in limbo. Our very own Riverkeeper Board once dared not support Ocklawaha/Rodman restoration, for all their good reasons,priorities.
Good to see Ron's reference to the River's largest tributary.And can we sense Ron's acknowledgement of the need for action other than 'lofty rhetoric'? (Column Inches)
Gosh,one might even imagine the restoration of the Ocklawaha might be an issue in the Governor's races- supposed simlar candidates.
As in previous Governor's campaigns.
On second thought,maybe a few more column inches are in order. :)
The Riverkeepers position on the deepening of St. John's:
Quote
Opposing the Harbor Deepening
St. Johns Riverkeeper has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for more than two
years on the proposal to deepen the St. Johns in an effort to protect the river and to ensure the
community has the necessary facts and information to make a fully informed decision. On March 7,
2014, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) posted the Final Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) regarding the proposal to dredge the St. Johns River from 40 to 47 feet to accommodate larger
ships for the expansion of JAXPORT.
St. Johns Riverkeeper cannot support the proposed plan to dredge the St. Johns River due to the
following reasons:
The USACE analysis is flawed and incomplete, significantly underestimating the potential
threats to the health of the St. Johns River.
o Salinity will move farther upstream, adversely impacting hundreds of acres of wetlands
and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAVs) and further stressing numerous trees in
some sections of the river and its tributaries, such as Julington Creek and Ortega River.
o Critical habitat for fisheries and wildlife will be lost.
o USACE used two different salinity models for the main stem and tributary analyses.
Use of different models for the salinity intrusion model makes evaluation unreliable.
o USACE's river channel sedimentation model does not provide necessary information to
establish environmental effects for sedimentation.
The mitigation plan is woefully inadequate, failing to offset the damage that will be incurred
from dredging.
o Pre-project mitigation is limited with no net benefit to the river.
o Post-project mitigation is unlikely due to vague criteria, the lack of specific thresholds,
and the absence of a USACE commitment to corrective action.
The federal and local economic interest has not been demonstrated or verified, as required by
Federal Law.
o A multi-port analysis assessing competition among regional ports has not been
conducted.
o Local job projections have not been independently peer-reviewed or verified.
o Economic methods and assumptions are not adequately documented.
For the above reasons, St. Johns Riverkeeper opposes the proposed dredging and the continuation of
this project as it currently stands. Further review and a more comprehensive analysis are necessary
to adequately determine the economic viability of the proposed dredging and ensure the protection
of the St. Johns River. Based on the shortcomings of the studies that have been conducted to date
and the unanswered questions that remain, no decision should be made until the above issues and
concerns are addressed and fully resolved.
Quote from: stephendare on October 21, 2014, 11:12:06 AM
didn't you expend a lot of gravitas on your attacks on anyone who didn't believe that the opening of mellow mushroom would immediately result in mass vehicular homicides, crime and a sudden collapse of the real estate market?
What is the thing you are trying to convey here? Support the river? How? Whats the next step?
is it a real thing or is this just some crusade to shut down another group who isn't on the 'in' circle, the way the avondale nonsense was?
Some clarity would be helpful.
Well after all,WJCT Fishweir Creek was a focus on a RAP boundary ;)
And I can even manage to tie local alcohol establishment to River health history.........Hic!,I'll have another Jon Boat!!
I received some compliments from the WJCT Sedimentation piece that aired last Wednesday. I have not listened to it. I am sure Peter did a masterful job- I stayed out of the way and tight lipped as much as possible,deferring to historical records and some discussions of definitions,assumptions.
Ron Littlepage makes a good point regarding the role of prose,review of advocacy. Mention of Ocklawaha worthy of applause,a good start towards a finish. I do believe I discussed Ocklawaha with Peter.
I believe we could be entering a period of rejuvenation, truly a period of restoration and good possibilities for the River,which is after all, about ourselves. Our very own River Keeper organization has matured, tempered under fire and water. The Ocklawaha River's decades old signature organization which helped usher the modern Florida environmental movement, Florida Defenders Of The Environment, has similarly re-energized. Many groups are working in concert.Rather "Radical" shift. And this is no longer the Jacksonville that state conservationists once cautioned themselves over,no longer the driver based on Jacksonville's Roselle Street,the seat of the Barge Canal Authority.
Too often,the conservation message,advocacy is hijacked by the despoilers,who define the conservationists-a debilitating, garbled message that instills a sense of futility amongst the public and casts River Advocates as unreasonable, selfish and worse,extremist,exclusionary,an effect far overpowering Editorial pronouncements.
(Indeed as we see here by your response,this is simply human nature,well beyond sole River issue.)
Breweries sprouting up around Roselle Street,the site of the former Canal Authority,craft brews names reflecting the River is a great stride and I ain't kidding!
We are in a state of "Crafting" , create so to speak.
Speaking to the Fishwier Creek issue...... On at least two occasions over the years the plans to clean out the creek have been thwarted by those who live in the area. The plan to rebuild the original marsh island near the mouth of the creek with dredge spoil would protect docks and home owners from high water waves like the ones that damaged so much property when the last minor tropical storm hit the area. BUT it would also block the open water view. Since that complaint would sound like whining about the view, a more popular argument argument was found to oppose the project. It was said that dredging the creek would disturb the turtle population and upset the "natural ballence." Here is another example of hijacking the environmentalist movement to benefit a narrow, selfish point of view. There is no natural ballence in the creek. It is nothing more than a silted in drainage ditch that drains water from the area just west of Hwy 17. There used to be otters, bass, brim and shrimp 20 years ago. The truth is that the bio-diversity that did exist there has been lost over the years due to the build up of sediment that chokes the mouth of the creek. Manatees used to swim up the creek. The mud is so thick and has been for years that signs to maintain slow boat speeds to protect them are a joke. The creek is diverted by sediment islands that should be removed. The Army Corps would rather back away from angry property owners who wish to keep a view. There are plenty of other projects they need to do. Why would they want to fight. They don't have time for that.
It's much more transparent that what you profile Kitester- and that in itself is a clear message.The small creeks are a big face of River Advocacy.
Fishweir is in fact a 'top ten' Duval Tributary, a system that is composed within many square miles of the Westside- not simply a ditch flowing from US 17.The historical location of US 17 simply reflects the last narrowing of the creek shores right there,as it quickly widened to the east.
Some sediment impacts hail from Lane Avenue/ Home Depot construction- the City Of Jacksonville back then quick to secure Affidavit from contractors assuring no soil lost from the site.This per Carter Bryan/Waterways.During that event, a neighbor was told "Lady if you don't quit complaining we are just going to fill the creek in"
Glad I wasn't living around here then!
There are still vestiges.
In fact,after many years of fits and starts related to federal funding,the preferred alternative was in fact compromised to a spate of private dock building during the past couple of years,the emergence of the docks smack dab at the site of envisioned restoration of historical wetlands. This in part as a result of "Streamline" Federal/State permitting procedures that reduced threshold for impact notice level. While one of our very own has been at the head of DEP. Ron Littlepage once championed the relationship.
So with truly number 1 alternative dashed, the COE conjured up the "Island" concept.
Ultimately,the Restoration benefit will prevail.Even if it means tearing down some recently constructed docks?? ???)Or working around and within the docks?- COE position was 'no way'.
I need about $20,000 to hire the right folks to really figure it out.
I've heard the head honcho from JaxPort say that the "monitoring and mitigation" after the fact of dredging will be dependent on future funding from Congress. So, don't expect any "mitigation" if the dredging is the disaster that many fear.
Thank you Charles.
The Federal funding is via COE "Section 208".
A few years ago we were half way through a pivotal $50,000 study and the balance had to be returned 'for Iraq'.
My local Congressman is loathe to speak to an insider like myself bout the Creek,politics. (Although once,while we were side by side in Barber chairs, I garnered a few tidbits. It's simply a matter of Priority)
Fishweir is a joint City/Fed proposal- any semblance of existence totally absent from recent past City budget cycles- Fishweir Creek's own Council person was completely unaware of Creek status inquiry a couple of weeks ago. It was decided that any mention of Fishweir status at recent Fishweir neighborhood meeting would not occur-my inquiry just in time for WJCT Reporter inquiry to Jim Love.
COE project managers are in fact based in Jacksonville- their take is that it's in the City's hands. COE was moved to post current info.
( I will look up contact info and post here on MJ for those interested)
Approx $5,000,000 split a certain way between City,Feds. The $$$ has shifted downward- curious.Are we designing according to predetermined dollar amount, or to restoration scope requirement??
The COJ Storm Water Fee was another interesting avenue to review. City siting on Millions.Sedimentation creates acknowledged upstream flooding impacts. Ron Littlepage Fishweir editorial suggested a need for such then undefined "tax".
Why no use of COJ Storm Water funds? Legal? Water quality vs quantity? Or simply Priority?
Federal Assessment,Alternative is weighted heavily in Environmental "Unit" comparatives. A 900 + page document.
In fact,simply digging out, establishing traditional depth might lend plenty of social and environmental benefits.
I fully expect that Fishweir "restoration' could become an element in Port endeavors.
I recall a Waterways Commission review of another dredge proposal- review of bids. In fact,at that time,there was only one bid for that project. Discussion ensued about the City having it's own Dredge,Waterway Maintenance Division. Cheaper. Cheaper.
Looks like we are on another one of "those lists" for how terrible the water quality is here.
http://folioweekly.com/H2OH-NO-THE-RESULTS-ARE-IN-JACKSONVILLES-WATER-IS-PRETTY-BAD,11315
So let me see if I have this right........ The creek is seen as an important tributary but .........
1.The process of permitting dock construction was "streamlined" to benefit property owners desire for dock construction.
2. The new dock owners opposed the original dredging project.
3. The idea of a dredge spoil island was invented to placate the new dock owners.
4. The spoil island proposal has not been fully studied or funded so its dead in the water(so to speak).
5. So we are at an impass because dredging in and around docks is too expensive and removing these permitted docks would be a legal tangle and the alternative is not really an alternative.
6. Funding could be obtained from the water runoff "tax" if it was actually available.
It seems to me that the true priority here is not the proper restoration of the creek, but protection of new dock/property owners for docks that should never have been permitted. Lets get one thing straight. Fishwier Creek might have been an important tributary at on time......now it's just a drainage ditch full of mud.
" may have caused
irreversible damage to South Florida coral reefs."
Quote28 Oct 2014
Dredging of Ship Channel in Miami Damaging Coral Reef, State Says
A report from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection details damage to coastal aquatic life.
By Joey Francilus (Patch Staff) Updated August 20, 2014 at 3:47 pm 1
Dredging of Ship Channel in Miami Damaging Coral Reef, State Says
An ongoing project to deepen the channel linking PortMiami to the Atlantic may have caused irreversible damage to South Florida coral reefs.
The PortMiami Deep Dredge project is expected to deepen the Government Cut seaport channel from 42 to 52 feet below sea level, accommodating the widening and deepening of the Panama Canal for larger freight ships.
An impact assessment released by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Monday says silt from the dredging of the Government Cut may have contributed to stress on coral reefs off the southern tip of Miami Beach.
The assessment says weekly reports showed "continuous elevated stress" on naturally-occurring and artificial reefs just off the southern end of Miami Beach.
Along with the release of the study, the FDEP sent a warning letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, the agency overseeing the dredging, on Monday saying they may have violated of state environmental laws with the deposits of dredged silt found on the reefs.
In the letter, the FDEP says the federal agency possibly violated state statutes prohibiting damage to any state-owned "air, waters, or property, including animal, plant, or aquatic life," holding liable anyone who does so with the cost of said damage.
A local marine activist says changes to Biscayne Bay will be irreversible.
"Once we inflict enormous environmental damage on the bay, we can't go back," said Miami fishing captain Dan Kiplis, who is part of an environmental group against the dredge project, to the Miami New Times.
The study and letter come merely two days after the opening of the PortMiami tunnel, which provides direct highway access from mainland Miami to the port in Biscayne Bay.
The Deep Dredge project is scheduled for completion in 2015.
http://patch.com/florida/sarasota/dredging-ship-channel-miami-damaging-coral-reef-state-says
Quote from: kitester on October 28, 2014, 03:41:15 AM
Fishwier Creek might have been an important tributary at on time......now it's just a drainage ditch full of mud.
.....so let's just leave it that way!?
Fishweir ain't going away, may be destined for National recognition,'coverage'.
The whole episode might seem as if a Carl Hiaasen novel scenario. Good read!
Kitester your comments are ever so helpful for insight in to failed river advocacy elements,as suggested by Ron's editorial,the subject of the original post.
No doubt the private owners of the recently constructed docks "Care" for the River. And perhaps even $$support River "Advocacy"
**A public records information request regarding the four new docks was successfully secured- see DEP public records request profile site**
The health,restoration of area tributary waterways,as defined,all part and parcel of the larger "System" and in fact important stand alone components in their own right is directly tied to the well being of human community.The COE Fishweir Assesement clearly refers to community interest, wellbeing.
The "Little" waterways are the Big Face of the River. And the assumed "Little" waterways are typically much more vast,complex and influential than you profile here Kitester.
As beat up and impaired as Fishweir is,the creek system still exhibits profuse life,vitality. A certain "Key Indicator" threatened species appeared during certain study and assessment period. The profile of species present impressive,as is the 900 page COE assessment profiling repair need.
Massive trash loads flowing in at Roosevelt Blvd. not a part of the project-assumed COJ will address with structure nearby but not within Study Area. A whole new Priority :-[
Fishweir Creek is one of ten Duval County tributaries identified as impaired and deserving of restoration efforts.
It's an aged priority list....creek # 1 is/was McCoys and $500,000 was quickly spent.....related to the Super Bowl.
Next up here in this thread,"Failed Advocacy" narrative in a couple of days I may write about how the keynote speaker for COJ River Summit 1 Herb Hiller stormed out of River Summit 2 very near the beginning of #2 meeting proceedings to deliver fiery interview with WJCT. We both spoke with WJCT and the party pooping message disappeared from the airwaves by 5 PM,(we had learned to skip engagement with the FTU) yet the subject matter still festers as noted in the October 2014 Ron Littlepage piece here.
Quote from: sheclown on October 28, 2014, 06:10:09 AM
" may have caused irreversible damage to South Florida coral reefs."
COE Job #1 is to build project as directed by Congress. Public comment,ancillary matters such as mitigation etc. addressed but Job #1 is the driver.
An area COE lesson lies with the USACOE review of FDOT Brannon Chaffee (Beltway North Leg) permit application during the Delaney era. COE permit manager was overwhelmed,and looked to the Water Management District for guidance. Mayor Delaney's letter of support for project created noted relaxed agency position.Citizen Conservation Organization Florida Wildlife Federation monitored closely to assure appropriate mitigation to the extent possible,reasonable. (The best "Heavy Lifting" is rarely profiled in the Florida Times Union.... 8) )
***And USACE Colonel Joe Miller,who attended Brannon Chaffee ground breaking ceremony and in fact called me that morning to apologize......... curiously then became COJ Public Works Director....for a short period of time 8)***
The USACOE/WMD permit file was subject of an inordinate number of public review information requests.
Growth,
You said that 500k was spent on Mc Coy's Creek. And that was just because it was somehow related to the stadium and the Super Bowl? What did they spend the money on? Talking about how to clean up the creek? 500k just about buys the silly environmental studies that hold up real progress. Watch out for those "key indicator" "threatened species". Got any idea which ones "popped up"? I have no doubt that at one time Fishwier was very alive and vibrant. There are mullet there which do attract some birds. But if you paddle the creek you can see its choked with huge sediment islands. Water run off pipes indicate where the original bank should be. In some places water run off pipes are over 40 feet from where the edge of the creek is today. It would be great to see a restored natural creek there again, but the fact is that nothing can be done to turn back the clock. I wonder what it would really cost to just bring in a dredge crew and clean this sewer out? I bet just a very small fraction of what it costs to host a horrible profecional football team would do the trick.
Quote from: kitester on November 06, 2014, 07:38:57 PM
Growth,
You said that 500k was spent on Mc Coy's Creek. And that was just because it was somehow related to the stadium and the Super Bowl? What did they spend the money on? Talking about how to clean up the creek? 500k just about buys the silly environmental studies that hold up real progress. Watch out for those "key indicator" "threatened species". Got any idea which ones "popped up"? I have no doubt that at one time Fishwier was very alive and vibrant. There are mullet there which do attract some birds. But if you paddle the creek you can see its choked with huge sediment islands. Water run off pipes indicate where the original bank should be. In some places water run off pipes are over 40 feet from where the edge of the creek is today. It would be great to see a restored natural creek there again, but the fact is that nothing can be done to turn back the clock. I wonder what it would really cost to just bring in a dredge crew and clean this sewer out? I bet just a very small fraction of what it costs to host a horrible profecional football team would do the trick.
I am not suggesting that monies spent on McCoys,per identified Tributary Program,was necessarily efficacious.
If you researched a bit harder,you might even manage to challenge the entire premise of my post.
Dead Thread. As expected.
Will skip Herb Hiller Thriller here.
QuoteFishweir is in fact a 'top ten' Duval Tributary, a system that is composed within many square miles of the Westside- not simply a ditch flowing from US 17.The historical location of US 17 simply reflects the last narrowing of the creek shores right there,as it quickly widened to the east.
Some sediment impacts hail from Lane Avenue/ Home Depot construction- the City Of Jacksonville back then quick to secure Affidavit from contractors assuring no soil lost from the site.This per Carter Bryan/Waterways.During that event, a neighbor was told "Lady if you don't quit complaining we are just going to fill the creek in"
Glad I wasn't living around here then!
An interesting exercise is to go on the USGS National Hydrography Map viewer online and you can see the extent to which these creeks meander through the area. Like KG mentioned, Fishweir is not just flowing from US17- begins much deeper into the westside. Looking at the map really gives insight into the watersheds in the area and the reasons why they are in the state they are today.
Funny thing about life in the south, one gets used to watching the world go by. I notice it most in outdoor recreation, and locally here in the Jacksonville area. I made a comment during a hike once that I see more Bald Eagles in the parks than children. That's pitiful but hey - folks around here don't get out. I'm a live and let live type of guy and if someone wants to spend their life at the mall or in front of the tube, that's cool. My worry is the children aren't getting the exposure they deserve and the resources need these kids, they have the job of protecting/preserving them in the future.
I've come to accept my role in this generation as a failure. We suck! Not only are these children going to have shorter lives with less opportunities, but we're selling their natural birthright instead of protecting it for them. Not sure where we got off track but my hunch is too much marketing pressure. We've been trained well to want more and better which keeps us too busy to consider that we may have enough and enjoy our lives.
Back to the river, on a more optimistic note there is a success story and even a blueprint for us in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. http://www.cbf.org/how-we-save-the-bay/chesapeake-clean-water-blueprint (http://www.cbf.org/how-we-save-the-bay/chesapeake-clean-water-blueprint)
I spent many summers of my youth on and in the Chesapeake, some of the best memories I have. Over the years the conditions got so bad that I would bring crabs from here to Va when I went to visit family (sitting around and picking crabs is a tradition with us.) The water (bay) was in terrible shape with some of the same problems we have in ours. The restoration was more than some legislation and wishes though, there was an air of civic pride and personal involvement. That's going to be tough to do here.
I have to comment about the mention of priorities earlier. It hits me like a stick when I drive over the Matthews and see the new mega million dollar tvs at the stadium with the river in the background. Maybe we should move the bridge?
2000 views so far- not too shabby
Quote
Jacksonville Split Over Joining A Southern Port Dredging Frenzy
November 26, 2014 6:01 PM ET
fromWJCT
Peter Haden
Vince Cameron knows all the people buzzing around the Port of Jacksonville in their bright blaze vests. "My dad was a longshoreman for 44 years on these docks before he retired," he says. "I'm a child of this port."
In his hard hat and with a whistle around his neck, Cameron looks on as a weathered Horizon Lines freighter pulls in from Puerto Rico.
The ship is "a baby in the whole scheme of things," says Cameron, president of the local longshoreman's union. "It's a good ship ... but she's kinda slow and she uses diesel fuel. I mean, she drinks it like water."
Small ships like these are falling out of favor on some shipping routes. And when an expansion of the Panama Canal is finished, possibly next year, a new generation of colossal, superefficient container ships from Asia will be squeezing through, delivering goods directly to East Coast ports.
Those massive vessels, known as post-Panamax ships, require deeper harbors — and that has the ports of Jacksonville, Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., in a three-way competition to deepen their harbors.
But Jacksonville is split over whether to stay in the game. City officials are debating whether to go all in on a $700 million dredging project to accommodate the ships.
Down on the docks, the decision is clear.
"It's a do-or-die kinda thing for this port," Cameron says. "What'll happen is, you'll have ports that'll be in the Super Bowl of commerce, and ports that'll be niche ports.
"And once we have decided that we're not going to dig out the ditch, widen the channel, to accommodate the new vehicle which is gonna be bringing this cargo from Asia, then we're saying that we're not going to be part of the Super Bowl of commerce," he says.
If Jacksonville can't accommodate the big ships, Cameron fears they'll go to Savannah and Charleston. Millions of containers of Asian cargo and the jobs that go along with moving them could be at stake.
http://www.npr.org/2014/11/26/366615226/jacksonville-split-over-joining-a-southern-port-dredging-frenzy?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news
so, who's going? Sounds like the perfect opportunity to speak on this topic.
QuoteI wanted to let you know about an important event that I hope you and your CPAC members can attend .
A town hall forum on the deepening of the St Johns River to be held Monday, March 9th at the Adam Herbert University Center at UNF from 6-9 pm. Free and open to the public.
The forum will be modeled after a genuine town hall meeting. The format will be an "open mike" for members of the public attending to express their views and/or ask questions of those in attendance who represent different perspectives on the project. These representatives will not make formal presentations but will be available to respond to questions and concerns. We will have a moderator.
We intend to invite representatives from the Mayor's Port Task Force, the Jax Chamber, the Army Corps of Engineers, ILA, Jaxport and any other organizations/businesses that can contribute to an informed public on this important policy matter, along with representatives from the sponsoring organizations.
The town hall forum will be co-sponsored by The Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, UNF; The Ports Project, UNF; The Riverkeeper, and the Northeast Florida Center for Community Initiatives, UNF.
Please share this information with all that might be interested.
Thanks.
Best,
David Jaffee
Professor of Sociology
UNF
904-382-4885
My impersonation of Noone, here it goes...
"Open the river!!!!
Visit Jacksonville!"
That's all that I have.
Look on the Southside at Miller's Creek. Almost prefect mirror of Fishweir except that the waterside residents have been trying for the last thirty years to get the creek dredged again.
The original dredging ## years ago, eliminated the little islands that channeled the spring water and rain runoff into narrow channels that were kept clear by the flow. But!! "There are alligators and trash on the little islands! We have to make them go away!"
Mess with Mother Nature and you get a silted ditch. I lived on Miller's Creek for over twenty years and we made at least two attempts to get it dredged back to the original configuration with no results. There is a current effort and special taxing to try again. Good luck, folks!
QuoteControversial port consultant terminated by the city
Feb 27, 2015, 7:53am EST Updated: Feb 27, 2015, 9:40am EST
A controversial port consultant who self-published a book with racially offensive views has been terminated by the city.
A Savannah-area consultant who self-published a book with racially offensive views has been terminated by the city effective immediately, according to a release from the mayor's office.
Herbert M. Barber Jr. and his company, Xicon Inc., entered into a contract with the Port Task Force on Dec. 30, 2014, to perform an analysis of the economic impact surrounding deepening the port. The contract called for Barber to be compensated $60,000 for consultant work.
Shortly after, Barber's book, "Fall of a Nation," available on retailers like Amazon, came to light. Passages from the book condemned racial mixing and called President Barack Obama more anti-American than terrorists. In the book, Barber was also critical of single moms, among other groups.
See Also
Editorial: Racist port consultant is a huge distraction from dredging
Mayor Alvin Brown, in a statement to Folio Weekly, came against Barber's views.
"I strongly condemn the views expressed in the book. The author's commentary fails to reflect the values of our community and seriously undermines his credibility. We will be working with the Port Task Force members to ensure that these unfortunate comments do not cloud their important efforts," Brown said in the statement.
The city will be responsible for compensating Barber for the work he did perform – the amount the city will owe him is, however, unclear at this point.
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/blog/morning-edition/2015/02/controversial-port-consultant-terminated-by-the.html
Quote
Ron Littlepage: Taxpayers are getting soaked - again
By Ron Littlepage Fri, Mar 13, 2015 @ 1:46 pm
A proposed deal with JEA to bail out the city for failing to do its part to clean up the St. Johns River has been described as a business transaction.
Not surprisingly it's one in which the city — thus, the taxpayers — is getting the short end.
This dates back to 2008 when the city and other polluters agreed to reduce the amount of nutrients they were sending into the river.
A goal was established for each, and a deadline for achieving at least half of the required reductions was set for July 31 of this year.
By making improvements to its wastewater treatment plants, JEA has exceeded its goal.
The city hasn't even come close.
With an unhappy Department of Environmental Protection demanding the city live up to its part of the bargain, the city has worked out a deal to buy credits from JEA.
In other words, the city would pay JEA to get credit for the additional nutrients JEA has removed from the river beyond what it was required to do.
This is a bad deal for a lot — a lot — of reasons.
And we can start with the business transaction.
The city would pay JEA $2.1 million a year for eight years, which would take us to when the city would have to make 100 percent of the required reductions.
But the city isn't really buying the credits. It's renting them. At the end of eight years, those credits would return to JEA, but the city would still be responsible for making the reductions that would have met the 50 percent threshold plus the reductions required for the next 50 percent.
This is a classic case of kicking the can down the road.
But it gets worse.
JEA wants the $2.1 million annual payments to help defray the cost of the improvements it has made.
But who has already paid for those improvements? JEA's ratepayers.
Who will pay for the city's purchase of the credits? The taxpayers.
It's pretty clear who is getting soaked twice in this deal. And it's not JEA, which, by the way, is owned by those taxpayers.
Other cities in the river's lower basin have purchased credits to meet their goals, but generally no money changed hands since the utilities were departments within the government.
Should Jacksonville taxpayers get the shaft simply because JEA is run by an independent authority?
One also has to question the city of Jacksonville's negotiating skills.
There are no other buyers for JEA's credits. Was the city bidding against itself to get to the $2.1 million annual payment?
Beyond this questionable business transaction, which is now before the City Council, there's a bigger problem.
Kudos to JEA for doing more than was required, but the city has failed to aggressively phase out septic tanks that are polluting the river and to do a better job of treating storm water runoff.
Those are both expensive to accomplish, but the St. Johns will never be as healthy as it should be until the city lives up to its responsibilities.
Another problem with this deal is the JEA improvements impact the main stem of the river.
Much of the work the city needs to do will impact the river's tributaries — work that's not getting done now.
And, by the way, who are the polluters who have gotten the city into this bind?
We all are.
ron.littlepage@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4284
It seems like there are many things the city can do that are not overly expensive and that will help the river. One is simply to provide either free (like many cities do) or at lest very cheaply, a pump out service for boats. A pump out boat to service the liveaboards that never leave the dock will eliminate a decent amount of sewage from the river. And it is just not the liveaboards, but is it very inconvenient to get your boat's holding tank pumped out when there are too few pump out stations on the river. Making it convenient by having the pump out station go to them would help a lot. I know our boat usage is not as high as some other areas, but it does seem that if the city is struggling with meeting it's goals, every thing you can do will help. And it seems to me that a little bit of raw sewage does more harm than a larger amount of most other kinds of runoff.
Is it expensive to test and trace sewage in the runoff downtown? I know that the level of effluents Downtown, Brooklyn/ Riverside is much higher than around the Trout River, as an example (Based on the growth rates on the bottom of the boats). Seems like in Downtown it could be fairly easy to trace the buildings dumping raw sewage into the storm water drains rather then the actual sewage system.
I guess I am mostly wondering if this is a case of the city doing nothing at all rather than trying and falling short.
(http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/sheclown2/sail%20in%20the%20sun.jpg) (http://s1098.photobucket.com/user/sheclown2/media/sail%20in%20the%20sun.jpg.html)
so, COJ River Summit Number One....Herb Hiller is keynote speaker.
COJ River Summit Number Two......Herb Hiller in the audience-storms out of the room, in disgust. Delivers fiery message to WJCT,which aired only briefly.
Anyone know what was up with that? 8)
On another subject,Fishweir Creek:
I have come full circle,a Realization.
15 Years on the Creek,mounds of papers,files,studies.....
And all this time,amongst the pile of paperwork which seems as if a metaphor for "Sedimentation Layer".......a Paper Layer speaks volumes.The paper layer was deposited in 2007.
Historic Assessment and Remote Sensing Survey of the Big Fishweir Creek Section 206 Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration,Jacksonville,Duval County Florida August 2007
Right there, on the front cover: 1884 USCGS map. And within the report,1909 USCGS map, and a series of aerial photos depicting many decades of transformation.
In fact, Fishweir was, quite 'naturally', always shallow. The report notes the historical/'natural' shallow depths at the mouth of Fishweir Creek; two and a half feet.
The report clearly depicts historical condition and transformation. Earliest development occurred inland west of present day Herschel Street,the section east of Herschel and north of San Juan developed only later, due to prevalent marsh at the Northeasterly section. Present day Woodmere residents glare out on a mud bank that in fact represents historical natural condition,wetland and natural shoreline- their very home sites a result of wetland fill,bulk heading and dredging.
Certainly,and as proven by creek bottom Bore Sampling,the Creek has experienced spiked sedimentation inflow events in the past decades,and the shoal areas in front of the Loop may be shallower than the historical condition ( and it's composition has morphed towards hard sand since last named storm impact and 1980's era development sediment impacts move downstream) but the fact is the Creek always was plain 'shallow'.
Commander Apartment and particularly, the Commander parking lot sit on former bonafide wet lands,and in some sections,former open water. Same goes for the home site and current construction adjacent to the RAP District at the mouth of the Creek. The home site is just a wee bit out of the RAP boundary because the home site "point" was once bonafide wet land.
Joint Federal/COJ Creek Restoration preferred alternative has been dashed because during the past couple of years a series of new private docks have marched out in to the creek- these docks in fact traverse the very area that was conceived as marsh restoration/sediment dredge dump area.One might reasonably ask how such permitting for a slew of new docks would occur considering the ongoing Restoration Studies 8)- a combination of factors,further driven by 'streamlined' State permit process that lowered the involvement of the Federal USACOE review of certain permit applications.
So formal USACOE Marsh Restoration/Dredge Fill location Alternative was forced to bypass new dock area,( and don't even Think about looking towards the "Point" :) ) ,and arrived at the concept of created "Island" at the mouth of the creek. Questionable on many fronts and all sorts of key pubic opposition. (Although no doubt the homeowners who have recently built those ugly long docks arching out to the creek really "Care" about the River)
During the COJ 2015 Budget meetings Councilman Love and his assistant were completely unaware of,nor involved with anything regards funding the city's portion of Creek Restoration. Not In The System.
Very Well! We will likely have to simply live with what we have done,including recent degradation to visual scenery, scale back,or redirect Creek ambitions. Ambitious "Restoration" concepts probably best shelved. Perhaps some dredging.(We were not supposed to refer to the word "Dredge", in lieu of "Restoration". Skip it- "DREDGE Baby DREDGE! A wee bit.Better yet make efforts to reduce sedimentation inflows,and in fact,curiously,long ago Sedimentation 'trap' was constructed within the creek body at Hamilton and Roosevelt.
Live with a shallow waterway.Great small craft,canoe,kayak and paddle board country!! Remove unsightly, never to be used again boat docks and lifts.
Consider installation of Trash Catch at Roosevelt Blvd.....$$$$.....that proposal would probably glaze eyes just as "Comprehensive Fishweir Creek Restoration" has for decades.
During St Johns Village rezone attempt proceedings Dr .Wayne Wood stated that the property's highest and best use would be public park.
Now imagine that.
A few more new docks,a few more McMansions,a few more dilapidated boat houses,toss in some new cell towers and no doubt a few other shifts to the human Creek experience and we can easily skip enhanced River Access and Engagement efforts,even during the era of "Care" and Florida Times Union endless Editorial column inch flow.
That was easy!
-Onward!
A lot of boats can operate in 2.5 ft.
Quote from: Overstreet on June 02, 2015, 01:13:22 PM
A lot of boats can operate in 2.5 ft.
Better yet- .10
It's NOT Our River.
Anyone else feeling sorry for the Baltimore guys 2014-412?
New Docking RULES and PENALTIES 2014-305. The SEIZURE of your Watercraft. DIA didn't vote on their own legislation. Can't make this stuff up.
Palms Fish Camp
2015-360
2014-190 $17,000,000 Southbank Riverwalk and not ONE handicapped parking spot.
So much more. But it's not Our River.
I am Downtown and why you aren't.
Visit Jacksonville!
The annual algae is back again unfortunately...
http://www.news4jax.com/news/algae-blooms-visible-in-st-johns-river/33679850