Subject:
Title
Public Hearing Re: Extension of 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
It is requested that the Board of County Commissioners conduct a public hearing on the extension of the 180-day moratorium on any new applications of biosolids to lands within Brevard County.
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Summary Explanation and Background:
On October 8, 2019, in regular session, the Brevard County Commission approved Ordinance 19-20, 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.
On March 24, 2020, in regular session, the Board of County Commissioners voted in favor of holding a public hearing for the extension of the temporary biosolids moratorium. Ordinance 20-05, the 180-day extension of the temporary biosolids moratorium was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on April 7, 2020, in regular session.
Biosolids legislation in Senator Mayfield's Clean Waterways Act (Senate Bill 712) was approved by the Legislature on March 12, 2020, and approved by Governor DeSantis on June 30, 2020. This legislation allows for the extension of county biosolids moratoria adopted prior to November 1, 2019. The Department of Environmental Protection is proceeding with rule revision and staff are closely monitoring the progress for revisions that consider the latest research in phosphorus pollution.
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 hum...
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