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Clam Bay Landscape Water Management Subcommittee Minutes 10/26/2011 CLAM BAY AND LANDSCAPE WATER MANAGEMENT SUBCOMMITTEES JOINT SESSION MINUTES WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 26,2011 LET IT BE REMEMBERED that the Clam Bay and Landscape Water Management Subcommittees of the Pelican Bay Services Division Board met in Joint Session on Wednesday,October 26 at 1:00 p.m.at the Community Center at Pelican Bay located at 8960 Hammock Oak Drive,Naples,Florida 34108. The following members were present: Clam Bay Subcommittee Landscape Water Management Subcommittee Dave Trecker,Chairman elected 10/26/11 Tom Cravens,Chairman Tom Cravens Geoffrey S.Gibson O �n Susan O'Brien Dave Trecker V Mary Anne Womble tJ Pelican Bay Services Division Staff W.Neil Dorrill,Administrator Mary McCaughtry,Operations Analy. Kyle Lukasz,Operations Manager Lisa Resnick,Recording Secretary Also Present Tim Hall,Senior Ecologist&Principal,Turrell,Hall&Associates,Inc. _ Jim Hoppensteadt,President,Pelican Bay Foundation Fiala j Michael Levy,Pelican Bay Services Division Board Hiller REVISED AGENDA 1. Roll Call a G 2. Elect Clam Bay Subcommittee Chairman 3. Surface Water Sampling& Monitoring Protocol Presentation by Tim Hall, Senior Ecologist&Principal, Turrell, Hall&Associates, Inc. 4. Question&Answer Session 5. Clam Bay Nutrient Standards Presentation by Dave Trecker, Clam Bay Subcommittee Chairman 6. Public Comments Misc.Corres: 7. Adjournment Date: 311-b1 I -2- ROLL CALL All Subcommittees members were present. Item ' AGENDA AMENDED Doles to: Chairman Cravens amended the agenda to add Dr. Trecker's"Clam Bay Nutrient Standards"presentation to follow Mr.Hall's presentation. ELECT CLAM BAY SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMAN Chairman Cravens nominated, Ms. O'Brien seconded, and voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Trecker as Chairman of the Clam Bay Subcommittee. SURFACE WATER SAMPLING&MONITORING PROTOCOL PRESENTATION BY TIM HALL Mr.Tim Hall made a presentation about Clam Bay surface water sampling,monitoring protocol,and related work in Pelican Bay that his firm Turrell, Hall and Associates, Inc. is involved. He presented an overview map identifying water quality sampling points. The "Class II Sampling Locations" (yellow) and "Class III Sampling Locations" (red) indicate where the Turrell Hall firm has been analyzing samples since 1998 as required by the Clam Bay Restoration and Management Plan and current mangrove maintenance permit. However, samples have been collected from these sites since 1980 as part of the 1978 South Florida Water Management District(SFWMD)surface water management permit. As part of 1 Clam Bay and Landscape Water Management Subcommittees Joint Session October 26,2011 the Atkins study to develop Clam Bay site-specific criteria, the County is monitoring nine (9) sites identified as "Collier County Sampling Locations(purple). The SFWMD surface water management permit is a construction and operations permit that authorizes projects. The construction phase lasts until a project is complete and then the permit converts to an operational phase that is valid in perpetuity. Currently, the surface water management permit is in the operational phase and covers tangible parts of the stormwater management system,or the swale located on the west side of the berm. Water quality monitoring is being done to ensure that the Division's current mangrove maintenance permit activities are not adversely affecting water quality. For the mangrove maintenance permit,trained Division employees collect samples on a monthly basis from locations in Upper, Inner and Outer Clam Bay that are identified on the sampling points map as "Class II Sampling Locations"(yellow)and"Class III Sampling Locations"(red).The samples are sent to the County's lab to test primary parameters including dissolved oxygen(DO)to measure how much life the water can support;nitrate(NO3)and orthophosphate (OPO4) to indicate fertilizer runoff; and total dissolved solids (TDS) to indicate salinity. Additional parameters are tested including conductivity; nitrite; chlorophyll-A; phaeophytin; total phosphorus; and total Kjeldahl nitrogen.Results are returned to the Division then sent to Turrell Hall for compiling,quarterly analysis,and preparation of an annual report that is submitted to the appropriate agencies. In general, benthic observations and data analysis demonstrates that the system is working. Division employees also collect samples from locations east of the berm because there are community issues related to stormwater distribution. Turrell Hall will use this data to develop a nutrient management plan for the Pelican Bay Foundation. The Landscape Water Management Subcommittee intends to participate in the project. QUESTION&ANSWER SESSION Ms.Marcia Cravens asked what the standard water quality monitoring protocol was during the 1998 ten-year permit, adding that Florida Department of Environmental Protection(FDEP)will not accept the data for that reason that sampling did not follow Quality Assurance/Quality Control(QA/QC)guidelines. Mr.Hall said that in 2010,his firm developed a QA/QC water quality monitoring protocol for the Division. Mr. Lukasz explained that the 1998 permit did not require standard QA/QC guidelines because none existed. The Division began following Mr.Hall's water quality monitoring and collection protocol in 2010. Mr.Hall said that most labs do not have a standard collection requirement,but do require a Chain of Custody form be submitted with the sample that discloses information pertaining to the sampling protocol. Dr. Ted Raia said Clam Bay is small in circumference and therefore less voluminous,producing more concentrated samples than larger water bodies and Mr.Hall agreed. Dr.Raia asked how Chlorophyll-A is measured because the water is rich in tannins and appears brown in color.Mr. Hall said it is a chemical test.Chairman Trecker said a chromatographic test would negate color masking problems. Ms.Mary Johnson asked which sites and permit is Turrell Hall monitoring,where the sites are being used by Atkins to develop site-specific criteria,and whether these sites are also being used to maintain stormwater outfall. Mr. Hall said that his firm is monitoring sites for the Division's mangrove maintenance permit as indicated on the water quality sampling points map as"Class II Sampling Locations"(yellow)and"Class III Sampling Locations"(red).The County is collecting samples for the Atkins study to develop site-specific criteria from nine sites indicated on the water quality sampling points map as"Collier County Sampling Locations(purple). Mr.Dorrill said none of the sites are used to measure stormwater outfall for the Surface Water Management permit. 2 Clam Bay and Landscape Water Management Subcommittees Joint Session October 26,2011 Chairman Cravens requested that Mr.Dorrill distribute the Surface Water Management permit. Mr.Dorrill responded that the permit file is available. Ms. O'Brien asked whether recent water quality monitoring data is appropriate for the FDEP Storage and Retrieval database,STORET. Mr.Hall said yes,the data is appropriate for STORET. Ms.Annice Gregerson asked Mr.Hall to clarify why historical water quality data was rejected by STORET. Mr.Hall explained that is was never a requirement of a permit or collection program to submit water quality data to STORET. In terms of being classified as reliable data, because it could not be verified that the data collection process followed QA/QC protocols as defined by the Florida Administrative Code,the data could not be used in STORET to make any regulatory decisions. However the data could still be used for review and comparison purposes. Currently, Division employees are trained to follow QA/QC water quality monitoring and collection protocol, and the data collection process is verifiable. Ms. Cravens said the 1978 Surface Water Management permit required water quality monitoring and the data was submitted to FDEP.Long-term historical data can be used to establish ambient water quality instead of a reference site,so the QA/QC water quality monitoring protocol used for the 1998 permit should be submitted to FDEP. Dr.Raia asked for clarification of how often equipment was calibrated. Mr. Hall said current QA/QC standard is to calibrate equipment after a certain number of samples, so if that was exceeded,it does not mean that the calibration was wrong,it just was not done to QA/QC standard. Ms.Cravens alleged the Atkins datasets include sites from Moorings Bay and Ms.Johnson disagreed. Mr. Hall said the County is collecting samples for the Atkins study to develop site-specific criteria from nine sites indicated on the water quality sampling points map as"Collier County Sampling Locations(purple). Mr.Dorrill asked if there was any correlation between levels of fecal coliform in Clam Bay and forty-year old septic systems in Seagate or Pine Ridge,or pet waste thrown into storm systems,and what it costs to test. Mr.Hall said the County was monitoring Pelican Bay beach for fecal coliform,but because readings never reached levels high enough to close the beach,the County plans to discontinue testing.He is not aware of any septic or sewer system monitoring done in Seagate to measure containment capacity,but in his opinion there is not enough there to cause a system- wide problem because the larger water body would dilute it very quickly. Fecal coliform testing is done in a series, so it is more expensive than a single test. Mr. Hall concluded that he has been working in the systems for a very long time and has a personal interest in it. The community does a very good job protecting the system and it is healthy, with seagrasses, fish, and manatees. In his opinion,the best defense is to continue the monitoring protocol in place. NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLAN OVERVIEW Turrell Hall is developing a nutrient management plan for the Pelican Bay Foundation. Currently, the firm is mapping the flow of surface water through the community and testing for nutrient levels at strategic locations to find the causes of noticeable increases or decreases in order to develop guidelines to manage landscaping and water quality within the community. Mr. Hoppensteadt pointed out the Services Division is responsible for the stormwater management system and suggested that the Landscaping Water Management Subcommittee work with Mr. Hall to develop an upland management plan. He explained that there are stormwater system elements on private property and that the County has the authority to 3 c Clam Bay and Landscape Water Management Subcommittees Joint Session October 26,2011 inspect and enforce violations. The Foundation has the authority to enforce rules and regulations related to covenants. For example, a goal of the upland management plan is to establish measurable criteria for fertilizer standards and if a property owner was found to be in violation then the Foundation would have the authority to inspect and enforce the standard. CLAM BAY NUTRIENT STANDARDS PRESENTATION Chairman Trecker explained the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and FDEP are establishing numeric nutrient limits on dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus for freshwater and saltwater bodies, including estuaries and coastal waters. Dr. David Tomasko, Atkins, Inc., a County consultant, analyzed water quality monitoring data at the nine sites identified earlier on the water quality sampling points map as "Collier County Sampling Locations (purple) and proposed nutrient standards for Clam Bay. FDEP agrees with Dr. Tomasko's approach to set standards for nutrients within the boundaries of current values to maintain a healthy system. The proposal sets the standard as a "swath" measured by conductivity (salinity) versus total nitrogen and total phosphorus. Water quality testing would continue at the same nine locations on a monthly basis. If a certain percentile of values falls outside of the "swath" it could indicate a problem requiring additional testing. If Clam Bay was declared impaired,the EPA proposal would grant up to fifteen(15)years for remediation. Mr. Hall's upland management plan would provide an early warning system to address potential problems. Using FDEP input, the EPA plans to set standards by November 2012. This timing is tentative and could be affected by political events. Chairman Trecker suggested the Clam Bay Subcommittee make a recommendation to the full Services Division Board to either take action by urging the FDEP to delay,support Dr.Tomasko's proposal,or do nothing. The Subcommittees discussed their options and consensus was to do nothing. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mary Johnson said technical analysis should be done by qualified reviewers and all stakeholders included and in her opinion,during this process the Conservancy was not well represented. Dr.Raia agreed and said knowledgeable people in Pelican Bay were excluded from the process. Ms. Cravens said Dr. Tomasko's report is problematic because it includes reference sites and does not consider historical water quality data. She suggested the Board urge FDEP to delay. Ms.O'Brien said that moving forward this Board should be more involved in the process. Mr.Hoppensteadt responded that few people have the technical knowledge to comment on the proposal. Ms.Linda Roth said that the revised technical note is too stringent. Mr.David Roellig is skeptical of Dr.Tomasko's proposal. There were no more public comments and the discussion concluded. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Cravens made a motion, second by Chairman Trecker to adjourn. The Subcommittees members voted unanimous) in avor of the motion and the meetin was adjourned at 3:33 .m. Tom Cr ns,Chairm Landscape Water ana em Subcommittee Dave Trecke C airman,Clam Bay Subcommittee Minutes by Lisa Resnick 11/16/2011 9:37:24 AM 4 , Y T r CLAM BAY AND LANDSCAPE WATER MANAGEMENT SUBCOMMITTEES JOINT SESSION MINUTES WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 26,2011 LET IT BE REMEMBERED that the Clam Bay and Landscape Water Management Subcommittees of the Pelican Bay Services Division Board met in Joint Session on Wednesday,October 26 at 1:00 p.m. at the Community Center at Pelican Bay located at 8960 Hammock Oak Drive,Naples,Florida 34108. The following members were present: Clam Bay Subcommittee Landscape Water Management Subcommittee Dave Trecker,Chairman elected 10/26/11 Tom Cravens,Chairman Tom Cravens Geoffrey S.Gibson Susan O'Brien Dave Trecker Mary Anne Womble Pelican Bay Services Division Staff W.Neil Dorrill,Administrator Mary McCaughtry,Operations Analyst Kyle Lukasz,Operations Manager Lisa Resnick,Recording Secretary Also Present Tim Hall,Senior Ecologist&Principal,Turrell,Hall&Associates,Inc. Jim Hoppensteadt,President,Pelican Bay Foundation Michael Levy,Pelican Bay Services Division Board REVISED AGENDA 1. Roll Call 2. Elect Clam Bay Subcommittee Chairman 3. Surface Water Sampling&Monitoring Protocol Presentation by Tim Hall, Senior Ecologist&Principal, Turrell, Hall&Associates, Inc. 4. Question&Answer Session 5. Clam Bay Nutrient Standards Presentation by Dave Trecker, Clam Bay Subcommittee Chairman 6. Public Comments 7. Adjournment ROLL CALL All Subcommittees members were present. AGENDA AMENDED Chairman Cravens amended the agenda to add Dr. Trecker's"Clam Bay Nutrient Standards"pre - n Mr.Hall's presentation. ELECT CLAM BAY SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMAN Chairman Cravens nominated, Ms. O'Brien seconded, and voted unanimously to appoint D _-r as Chairman of the Clam Bay Subcommittee. SURFACE WATER SAMPLING&MONITORING PROTOCOL PRESENTATIO Mr.Tim Hall made a presentation about Clam Bay surface water sampli ..f =>..nito _ co,and related work in Pelican Bay that his firm Turrell, Hall and Associates, Inc. is involved. H Aii.- an o > map identifying water quality sampling points. The "Class II Sampling Locations" (yellow) a �.�; g Locations" (red) indicate where the Turrell Hall firm has been analyzing samples since •'. . s , by the Clam Bay Restoration and Management Plan and current mangrove maintenance permit -s teen collected from these sites since 1980 as part of the 1978 South Florida Water Management Di `a- I I rface water management permit. As part of 1 Clam Bay and Landscape Water Management Subcommittees Joint Session October 26,2011 the Atkins study to develop Clam Bay site-specific criteria, the County is monitoring nine (9) sites identified as "Collier County Sampling Locations(purple). The SFWMD surface water management permit is a construction and operations permit that authorizes projects. The construction phase lasts until a project is complete and then the permit converts to an operational phase that is valid in perpetuity. Currently, the surface water management permit is in the operational phase and covers tangible parts of the stormwater management system,or the swale located on the west side of the berm. Water quality monitoring is being done to ensure that the Division's current mangrove maintenance permit activities are not adversely affecting water quality. For the mangrove maintenance permit,trained Division employees collect samples on a monthly basis from locations in Upper, Inner and Outer Clam Bay that are identified on the sampling points map as "Class II Sampling Locations"(yellow)and"Class III Sampling Locations"(red).The samples are sent to the County's lab to test primary parameters including dissolved oxygen(DO)to measure how much life the water can support;nitrate(NO3)and orthophosphate (OPO4) to indicate fertilizer runoff; and total dissolved solids (TDS) to indicate salinity. Additional parameters are tested including conductivity; nitrite; chlorophyll-A; phaeophytin; total phosphorus; and total Kjeldahl nitrogen.Results are returned to the Division then sent to Turrell Hall for compiling,quarterly analysis,and preparation of an annual report that is submitted to the appropriate agencies. In general, benthic observations and data analysis demonstrates that the system is working. Division employees also collect samples from locations east of the berm because there are community issues related to stormwater distribution. Turrell Hall will use this data to develop a nutrient management plan for the Pelican Bay Foundation. The Landscape Water Management Subcommittee intends to participate in the project. QUESTION&ANSWER SESSION Ms.Marcia Cravens asked what the standard water quality monitoring protocol was during the 1998 ten-year permit, adding that Florida Department of Environmental Protection(FDEP)will not accept the data for that reason that sampling did not follow Quality Assurance/Quality Control(QA/QC)guidelines. Mr.Hall said that in 2010,his firm developed a QA/QC water quality monitoring protocol for the Division. Mr. Lukasz explained that the 1998 permit did not require standard QA/QC guidelines because none existed. The Division began following Mr.Hall's water quality monitoring and collection protocol in 2010. Mr.Hall said that most labs do not have a standard collection requirement, but do require a Chain of form be submitted with the sample that discloses information pertaining to the sampling protocol. Dr.Ted Raia said Clam Bay is small in circumference and therefore less voluminous,produc i s re concen samples than larger water bodies and Mr.Hall agreed. Dr.Raia asked how Chlorophyll-A is measured because the water is rich in tannins and appe x g n in color.Mr. Hall said it is a chemical test.Chairman Trecker said a chromatographic test would negate ._ ,ing p . Ms.Mary Johnson asked which sites and permit is Turrell Hall monitoring,where = used by Atkins to develop site-specific criteria,and whether these sites are also being used to mai• torm s>>fa . Mr. Hall said that his firm is monitoring sites for the Divisions m ntena ti ``fi-rmit as indicated on the water quality sampling points map as"Class II Sampling Locations"(yell. : � �. piing Locations"(red). The County is collecting samples for the Atkins study to develop site :, c •om nine sites indicated on the water quality sampling points map as"Collier County Sampling Locat Mr.Dorrill said none of the sites are used to measure Via° ter o for the Surface Water Management permit. NF '' Clam Bay and Landscape Water Management Subcommittees Joint Session October 26,2011 Chairman Cravens requested that Mr.Dorrill distribute the Surface Water Management permit. Mr.Dorrill responded that the permit file is available. Ms. O'Brien asked whether recent water quality monitoring data is appropriate for the FDEP Storage and Retrieval database,STORET. Mr.Hall said yes,the data is appropriate for STORET. Ms.Annice Gregerson asked Mr.Hall to clarify why historical water quality data was rejected by STORET. Mr.Hall explained that is was never a requirement of a permit or collection program to submit water quality data to STORET. In terms of being classified as reliable data, because it could not be verified that the data collection process followed QA/QC protocols as defined by the Florida Administrative Code, the data could not be used in STORET to make any regulatory decisions. However the data could still be used for review and comparison purposes. Currently, Division employees are trained to follow QA/QC water quality monitoring and collection protocol, and the data collection process is verifiable. Ms. Cravens said the 1978 Surface Water Management permit required water quality monitoring and the data was submitted to FDEP.Long-term historical data can be used to establish ambient water quality instead of a reference site,so the QA/QC water quality monitoring protocol used for the 1998 permit should be submitted to FDEP. Dr.Raia asked for clarification of how often equipment was calibrated. Mr. Hall said current QA/QC standard is to calibrate equipment after a certain number of samples, so if that was exceeded,it does not mean that the calibration was wrong,it just was not done to QA/QC standard. Ms.Cravens alleged the Atkins datasets include sites from Moorings Bay and Ms.Johnson disagreed. Mr. Hall said the County is collecting samples for the Atkins study to develop site-specific criteria from nine sites indicated on the water quality sampling points map as"Collier County Sampling Locations(purple). Mr.Dorrill asked if there was any correlation between levels of fecal coliform in Clam Bay and forty-year old septic systems in Seagate or Pine Ridge,or pet waste thrown into storm systems,and what it costs to test. Mr.Hall said the County was monitoring Pelican Bay beach for fecal coliform,but because readings never reached levels high enough to close the beach,the County plans to discontinue testing.He is not aware of any septic or sewer system monitoring done in Seagate to measure containment capacity,but in his opinion there is not enough there to cause m- wide problem because the larger water body would dilute it very quickly. Fecal coliform testing is done in a o it is more expensive than a single test. Mr. Hall concluded that he has been working in the systems for a very long time and has a al interest The community does a very good job protecting the system and it is healthy, with seagrasses, f ees. In his opinion,the best defense is to continue the monitoring protocol in place. NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLAN OVERVIEW Turrell Hall is developing a nutrient management plan for the Pelican Bay F. ' tly, the firm is mapping the flow of surface water through the community and testing for nutr.. vels . ,tic ocations to find the causes of noticeable increases or decreases in order to develop guidelines to • 40 scapi . water quality within the community. Mr. Hoppensteadt pointed out the Services Division is re ',le ;a stormwater management system and suggested that the Landscaping Water Management Subcomm'. M . to develop an upland management plan. He explained that there are stormwater system element - rty and that the County has the authority to 3 Clam Bay and Landscape Water Management Subcommittees Joint Session October 26,2011 : ; inspect and enforce violations. The Foundation has the authority to enforce rules and regulations related to covenants. For example, a goal of the upland management plan is to establish measurable criteria for fertilizer standards and if a property owner was found to be in violation then the Foundation would have the authority to inspect and enforce the standard. CLAM BAY NUTRIENT STANDARDS PRESENTATION Chairman Trecker explained the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and FDEP are establishing numeric nutrient limits on dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus for freshwater and saltwater bodies, including estuaries and coastal waters. Dr. David Tomasko, Atkins, Inc., a County consultant, analyzed water quality monitoring data at the nine sites identified earlier on the water quality sampling points map as "Collier County Sampling Locations (purple) and proposed nutrient standards for Clam Bay. FDEP agrees with Dr. Tomasko's approach to set standards for nutrients within the boundaries of current values to maintain a healthy system. The proposal sets the standard as a "swath" measured by conductivity (salinity) versus total nitrogen and total phosphorus. Water quality testing would continue at the same nine locations on a monthly basis. If a certain percentile of values falls outside of the "swath" it could indicate a problem requiring additional testing. If Clam Bay was declared impaired,the EPA proposal would grant up to fifteen(15)years for remediation. Mr. Hall's upland management plan would provide an early warning system to address potential problems. Using FDEP input, the EPA plans to set standards by November 2012. This timing is tentative and could be affected by political events. Chairman Trecker suggested the Clam Bay Subcommittee make a recommendation to the full Services Division Board to either take action by urging the FDEP to delay,support Dr.Tomasko's proposal,or do nothing. The Subcommittees discussed their options and consensus was to do nothing. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mary Johnson said technical analysis should be done by qualified reviewers and all stakeholders included and in her opinion,during this process the Conservancy was not well represented. Dr.Raia agreed and said knowledgeable people in Pelican Bay were excluded from the process. Ms. Cravens said Dr. Tomasko's report is problematic because it includes reference sites and does not consider historical water quality data. She suggested the Board urge FDEP to delay. Ms.O'Brien said that moving forward this Board should be more involved in the process. Mr.Hoppensteadt responded that few people have the technical knowledge to comment on the proposa Ms.Linda Roth said that the revised technical note is too stringent. Mr.David Roellig is skeptical of Dr.Tomasko's proposal. There were no more public comments and the discussion concluded. { ADJOURNMENT Chairman Cravens made a motion, second by Chairman Trecker to adjou= Im �= ees members voted unanimous) in avor o the motion and the meetin_ was adourned at 3: Tom Cravens,Chairman,Landscape Water Management Subcom Dave Trecker,Chairman,Clam Bay Subcommittee Minutes by Lisa Resnick 11/16/2011 9:37:24 AM 4