Subject:
Title
PUBLIC HEARING; RE: Temporary Use Agreement (TUA) for Brevard County to Continue Temporary Dewatering Activities on a County-owned Parcel for the Grand Canal Muck Removal Project (unincorporated D4).
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Fiscal Impact:
None.
Dept/Office:
Natural Resources Management Department (NRM), Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) Program
Requested Action:
Recommendation
It is requested that the Board of County Commissioners authorize the Chair to execute the TUA (Attachment A) to allow NRM to continue to utilize 6.38 acres of the 18.83-acre, County-owned, PUD-zoned, vacant parcel for temporary dewatering activities for the Grand Canal Muck Removal Project (unincorporated area), for a period of up to four (4) years from the current TUA expiration date of July 9, 2024. The dewatering site and project overview are shown on Attachment B.
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Summary Explanation and Background:
The Grand Canal Muck Removal Project was one of five Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Restoration Initiative muck dredging project locations to receive State legislative appropriations for muck removal in 2014 2017. This initiative began two years prior to establishment of the SOIRL program. In the absence of continuing Legislative Appropriations, the Grand Canal project was added to the SOIRL Project Plan in 2018. The project is fully permitted and has recently received additional state funds: 1) State Legislative Appropriation - LPA0475 for $9,000,000.00, approved by the Board on November 14, 2023, and 2) State IRL Water Quality Grant No. LG003 for $10,053,228.00 (in contracting). Local match required for these state funds are provided by SOIRL funds that continue to be included in the SOIRL Project Plan, most recently approved by the Board on February 20, 2024.
Upon completion, the Grand Canal Muck Removal Project is estimated to remove a total of about 605,000 cubic yards (CY) of muck from the unincorporated portion of the Grand Canal system that extends from the Pineda Causeway to the northern end of Sampson Island. The subject site is located just south and adjacent to Pineda Causeway. Muck is dredged and transported via a pipeline to the subject site facility where temporary activities include dewatering of dredged material, processing dredged material utilizing heavy equipment, and loading dried material into haul trucks for off-site disposal. To date, the project has used the facility to process about 325,000 CY of muck.
Upon project completion, it is estimated that combined removal of the muck solids and treatment of the interstitial water will remove about 2,751,878 pounds (lbs) of nitrogen and 598,147 lbs of phosphorus from the IRL system. Removal of this muck will reduce nitrogen and phosphorus released into the water annually as muck decays by approximately 26,481 lbs/yr, and 1,765 lbs/yr, respectfully.
Construction activities began on the site in August 2019 under a TUA approved by the Board of County Commissioners on September 18, 2018. On July 9, 2020, the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners approved use of the site under the current TUA (Attachment C) that expires on July 9, 2024. Due to unanticipated project delays, it is estimated that dredging activities will be complete toward the end of the dredge season in 2027. With the requested approval of this four (4) year TUA, the site will be authorized for continued use for this project through July 9, 2028. The additional time requested beyond the projected dredging completion date is to provide additional time for unanticipated encounters as explained below, and to allow time to remove all temporary equipment/supplies and restore the site with native vegetation.
Several unanticipated encounters have extended the project completion date, including: changes to interstitial water treatment methodology during project startup and subsequent FDEP permit modifications; actual dredged muck volumes approximately 30% greater than original estimations; effects of the COVID pandemic on material availability, equipment and trucking industries; hurricane and severe weather delays; unplanned dredge mobilizations to avoid unexpected encounters with clay and rock; and extra time needed to properly handle material to meet State clean-up target levels. These encounters consequently generated additional FDEP mandated closures of in-water work for the manatee season from December 1 to March 15. Each manatee closure adds 105 days to the project schedule.
Use of this parcel for the dredge material dewatering site was thoroughly evaluated and selected by Brevard County and the engineering consulting firm as the most cost effective, non-intrusive site for dredge material management in this beachside area. Since the site is completely permitted and already developed as a dredge material management area, the site continues to provide the most cost-effective location to complete the unincorporated project. The site design avoids impacts to wetlands and maintains a natural buffer of existing vegetation between the work area and the canal. An 8-foot-high chain link fence is maintained around the perimeter of the site for additional residential screening. Upon completion of dredging the unincorporated area, the facility will undergo site restoration including returning the site to its pre-construction grades, planting native vegetation, and hydro-seeding the work area (Attachment D).
A public meeting with the South Patrick Resident’s Association (SPRA) was held on April 25, 2024, to discuss the project and plans for completion (Attachment E). Public comments were received, and resident’s concerns regarding the project were heard.
Clerk to the Board Instructions:
Return a certified hard copy and an electronic copy of Assignment of Agreement to the Natural Resources Management Department and Jeanne.allen@brevardfl.gov, respectfully.