Subject:
Title
Staff Direction: Disposal sites for muck being dredged from the Indian River Lagoon (Districts 1, 2 and 4)
End
Fiscal Impact:
To be determined by Board direction
Dept/Office:
Natural Resources, Save Our Indian River Lagoon Program
Requested Action:
Recommendation
Direct staff on the Board’s preferred approach for disposal of muck removed from the Indian River Lagoon.
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Summary Explanation and Background:
Removal of muck from the Indian River Lagoon significantly improves water quality and helps to achieve pollution reduction targets essential for restoring lagoon health. The positive impacts of muck dredging include trash and debris removal, improved water clarity, reduced nutrient pollution, fewer harmful algae blooms, increased dissolved oxygen levels and reduced risk of fish kills.
Large-scale muck removal is most cost-effectively accomplished via hydraulic dredging. Hydraulic dredging uses water and suction to lift and transport material through a pipeline to a dewatering site. Water and sediment are separated at the dewatering site and the water is returned to the lagoon. The dried sediment is then hauled to a disposal site. To date, dewatered muck has been used as a nutrient-rich, organic amendment for agricultural soils, however local interest from suitable agricultural lands is nearing satiety.
Disposal options are needed for the Eau Gallie Causeway muck removal project (District 4), Sykes Creek Phase II (District 2), and the Mims Rim Ditch north of the Jones Road boat ramp (District 1). Grand Canal disposal may also be needed depending on separate Board direction for that project. The best disposal option may differ from one project to the next. Disposal options include the following:
1. Approve a Memorandum of Agreement with St Johns River Water Management District to use their Sebastian River Dredge Material Containment Area for disposal of material dredged from the Eau Gallie Causeway area and the Grand Canal (including Indian Harbour Beach and Satellite Beach) that will be dewatered in Palm Bay
2. Landfill disposal at JED in Osceola County @ $35/ton plus hauling costs (44 miles from BV-52) or at the 192 landfill site @ $36.93/ton plus hauling costs (20 miles from BV-52)
3. Use existing County lands nearest the dewatering sites for each project (Attachments A, B and C list considerations for each option and suitably sized County owned lands to consider for each respective project)
4. Continue to require contractors bidding for muck dredging projects to secure disposal sites
5. Advertise a Request for Proposals for landowners willing to accept disposal of muck on their private property
6. Search for suitable land to purchase and manage for disposal
7. Other Board direction
If the Board approves a Memorandum of Agreement with St Johns River Water Management District to use their Sebastian River Dredge Material Containment Area, staff will request approval from the St Johns River Water Management District Governing Board at their next meeting on August 12th. If approved, dredging of the Eau Gallie Causeway area and the Grand Canal (including Indian Harbour Beach and Satellite Beach) could proceed immediately.
Sykes Creek Phase II is ready to go to bid, pending Board direction on disposal. Bid documents have been prepared with the contractor responsible for disposal. If the Board prefers staff to secure and permit a disposal site before issuing the invitation to bid on the dredging, this will delay the project by 3 to 9 months depending on the Board’s selected option. Using existing county land would only require permitting, while a separate procurement process for disposal or land acquisition would add 4 to 6 months more to the process. Disposal agreements or land acquisition agreements with private landowners, would come back to the Board for approval.
No delay is anticipated for securing disposal to extend muck removal north of the Jones Road Boat Ramp in Mims. Site acquisition can proceed concurrently with project design and permitting. The County could advertise a Request for Proposals to allow disposal on private lands and evaluate the responses. If no responses were acceptable, the County could pursue land purchase as a last resort.
Clerk to the Board Instructions: