Subject:
Title
Temporary moratorium on new applications of biosolids to lands within Brevard County.
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Fiscal Impact:
FY 20/21: Advertising Costs
Dept/Office:
Natural Resources Management
Requested Action:
Recommendation
Recommend approval to the Board of County Commissioners for extension of the current biosolids moratorium for another 180-days.
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Summary Explanation and Background:
On March 24, 2020, in regular session, the Board of County Commissioners considered new sample data, and provided legislative intent and permission to advertise an extension of the current biosolids moratorium for another 180-days.
On October 8, 2019, in regular session, the Brevard County Commission approved a 180-day moratorium on any new permits that would expand the application of biosolids to lands in Brevard County. The Board directed staff to sample potential causes or contributing factors of lake pollution and report back to the Board in six months for re-evaluation.
The moratorium is in response to a blue-green cyanobacteria, Dolichospermum circinale, bloom in Lake Washington in the summer of 2019, which generated questions about the safety of a primary drinking water supply for Brevard County. Toxin levels measured during the 2019 bloom were low and did not indicate human health concerns. Based on available data at that time, likely contributors were nutrients from the land application of biosolids and/or commercial fertilizer on agricultural lands upstream and west of the lake, state water management projects upstream of the lake, or commercial/industrial and residential development and septic systems east of the lake.
County staff collaborated with the University of Florida, United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, Brevard Soil and Water Conservation District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and St. Johns River Water Management District to develop a sampling plan. A multi-agency team collaborated to coll...
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