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CAC WQ Subcommittee Agenda 03/15/2022COASTAL ADVISORY WATER QUALITY SUB-COMMITTEE AGENDA COASTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE WATER QUALITY SUB-COMMMITTEE MEETING (CAC) Tuesday, March 15, 2022 – 1:00 PM GMD Horseshoe Square Conference Room 2685 South Horseshoe Drive, Suite 103, Naples, FL 34104 I. Call to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Roll Call IV. Changes and Approval of Agenda V. Public Comments VI. Approval of CAC Sub-Committee Minutes • January 10, 2022 • February 7, 2022 VII. Staff Reports VIII. New Business • CSA Ocean Sciences, Inc. Presentation – Seagrass Restoration IX. Old Business X. Announcements XI. Committee Member Discussion XII. Next Meeting Date/Location • TBD XIII. Adjournment All interested parties are invited to attend, and to register to speak and to submit their objections, if any, in writing, to the board prior to the meeting if applicable. For more information, please contact Farron Bevard at (239) 252-2966. If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact the Collier County Facilities Management Department located at 3301 East Tamiami Trail, Naples, FL 34112, (239) 252-8380. Public comments will be limited to 3 minutes unless the Chairman grants permission for additional time. Collier County Ordinance No. 99-22 requires that all lobbyists shall, before engaging in any lobbying activities (including, but not limited to, addressing the Board of County Commissioners) before the Board of County Commissioners and its advisory boards, register with the Clerk to the Board at the Board Minutes and Records Department. January 10, 2022 1 MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY COASTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE WATER QUALITY SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING Naples, Florida, January 10, 2022 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Collier County Coastal Advisory Committee Water Quality Subcommittee, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 1 P.M. in REGULAR SESSION at the GMD Horseshoe Square South Conference Room, 2685 Horseshoe Drive S., Unit 103, Naples, Florida, with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: Bob Roth VICE CHAIRMAN: Bob Raymond Ray Christman ALSO PRESENT: Danette Kinaszczuk, Pollution Control (via phone) Rhonda Watkins, Principal Environmental Specialist (via phone) Farron Bevard, Operations Analyst, Coastal Zone Management January 10, 2022 2 Any persons in need of the verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of the audio recording from the Coastal Management Department. I. Call to Order Chairman Roth called the meeting to order at 1 p.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance None. III. Roll Call Roll call was taken, and a quorum of two was established. (Mr. Christman arrived a few minutes late). IV. Changes and Approval of Agenda None V. Public Comments None VI. Approval of CAC Minutes None VII. Staff Reports None VIII. Old Business Update on the May 12, 2021, Water Quality Report No. 1 [Chairman Roth] The subcommittee is tasked with coming up with Report No. 2, additional ideas to provide to the BCC for consideration and approval involving water quality that no other department or agency on the state or county level is studying. Last year, the subcommittee came up Report No. 1, three water-quality recommendations for the County to pursue. • Promote compliance with the County Fertilizer Ordinance. • Conduct training. • Investigate the cost of installing advanced wastewater treatment. That was converted into an executive summary dated May 25th, 2021, which the County Manager’s office intern turned into a memo for the BCC. It says it’s pending. If they’ve taken any action, the subcommittee needs an update. The report went through the Budget Office, County Attorney’s Office and County Manager’s Office. 1. Promoting Compliance with the County Fertilizer Ordinance: Chairman Roth didn’t believe the fertilizer ordinance was being enforced. Ms. Kinaszczuk said it was and it wasn’t. If they see a violation that’s not a second or third offense, the County educates the violator. As far as being proactive, the County currently doesn’t have the staff to go out and find violators, but could be proactive when more personnel are hired. January 10, 2022 3 2. Training: The education portion involves a class at Rookery Bay. The County also is looking at educating reclaimed water users on why they don’t need fertilizer if they use reclaimed water. Ms. Kinaszczuk said the County provides $25,000 in funding for the Rookery Bay class and helps teach it. They teach people who aren’t licensed workers how to fertilize correctly. Chairman Roth noted that reclaimed water already has phosphorus and nitrogen to sustain grass. On Marco Island, where irrigation is mandatory, he’s working with a group to get the City to outlaw fertilizers. [Ray Christman joined the meeting at 1:09 p.m.] 3. Investigating the cost of installing AWT: The sewer plants designed under the state-issued reuse permit issue don’t require nutrient removal and most residents don’t realize that. About 90% of the plants statewide are permitted for reuse water and don’t have a traditional discharge permit to release into waterways. Chairman Roth asked if the County had decided to hire an engineering consultant to investigate its wastewater plants. Ms. Kinaszczuk said anything that’s going to be built new is going to have advanced wastewater treatment. As the County replaces portions of the North Plant that are no longer viable, they will be replaced with AWT, but the County won’t take plants down and rebuild because it’s not feasible. The County also is looking at replacing portions of the Golden Gate City facility. Moving forward that’s the plan. A study wouldn’t help because it would be too expensive to rebuild. Chairman Roth asked how the County manages its reuse water. On Marco Island, although it’s reuse water, he believed the City is not using it for irrigation, but to get rid of 3 million gallons a day, rain or shine, 365 days a year. The City irrigates even while it’s raining, which is not smart. Under the guise of a reuse permit, the City is using it as a discharge permit, which is not what it’s intended for. He asked now the County gets rid of its wastewater. Ms. Kinaszczuk said she was the reclaimed water manager for four years and five people a week called to ask for reclaimed water. Although it wasn’t used every day in the wet season, it was used every day during the dry season and what’s called the shoulder-season, spring and fall. When it wasn't used for that, it would be injected into a well. No one was using reclaimed water to get rid of it. Chairman Roth noted that Marco Island has two deep wells, yet the City doesn’t get rid of reclaimed water there. Instead, it keeps selling it to customers, rain or shine. Mr. Raymond asked how the County could implement the fertilizer ordinance. Chairman Roth said fertilizers were outlawed in Westchester County, which is in the New York City watershed area. Residents could not buy it at Home Depot or Lowe’s or anywhere there. Would Collier County consider a ban? Many residents think they need to use fertilizers, and landscapers make a lot of money selling fertilizers to homeowners. Ms. Kinaszczuk said that when the City of Naples tried to ban fertilizers, City officials received a letter from the state Department of Agriculture saying it could not regulate that. County employees went to retailers that sell fertilizer, such as Home Depot and Lowe’s, which wouldn’t allow County employees to install signs to educate customers about the Collier County Fertilizer Ordinance and how much fertilizer is needed. She called it an uphill battle and said the County needs to start with the State. Mr. Christman asked what the current County ordinance or policy is regarding fertilizer use. He noted that January 10, 2022 4 the new City ordinance includes a summer ban on fertilizer use of any kind and a year-round ban on phosphorous. Ms. Kinaszczuk said the County Fertilizer Ordinance, 2019-18, is similar to the Naples ordinance, with the exception of the wet-season ban. Science shows that if you’re going to put fertilizer down, it needs to be done during the wet season, when the grass is actually hungry and absorbing nutrients, instead of in the dry season, when it won’t. The County has a year-round phosphorous ban, but not an overall wet-season ban (May 30- Oct. 1). Chairman Roth said the Marco Island has the same ban, but it’s not enforced or inspected, and no irrigation during summer months. His landscaper says the problem is that once Oct. 2 comes around, the day after the ban ends, everyone fertilizes, and by Oct. 15, you can see the reaction in the canal. He said the grass may have been slightly yellow, but grass on Marco Island is insanely green and residents want that, so it’s a real dilemma. He agreed with the County that it should be allowed year-round to even it out there’s no problem putting it down in the summer. Ms. Kinaszczuk suggested looking into the University of Florida’s “Florida-Friendly Landscaping,” which has nine principles. • Right plant, right place • Water efficiently • Fertilize appropriately • Mulch • Attract wildlife • Manage yard pests responsibly • Recycle yard waste • Reduce stormwater runoff • Protect the waterfront She said “right plant, right place” is hard to do because some plants do well in some areas and don’t thrive in others due to sun exposure. Chairman Roth suggested that new building permits prohibit grass in the rear yard when it fronts a canal, and alternatives, such as perennial peanut, which is a good ground cover, doesn’t have to be mowed, would be good for swales, and has its own fertilizer. He suggested a good place to start for municipalities, cities and County would be tear-downs and new permits, to change the vegetative cover requirements and limit them. He noted that Marco Island has a landscape ordinance that lists what trees can be used and which are prohibited. He said a non-vegetative swale could be an alternative, but that’s not allowed on Marco Island. Mr. Miller suggested that Florida Friendly Landscaping principles be mandated or encouraged in some way. Chairman Roth noted that Marco Island’s ordinance requires that a landscape plan be submitted as part of the building permit application, but there is no requirement that it be prepared by a licensed landscape architect. (Up North, that’s required.) He noted that the ordinance is requiring builders to spend more money, which they balked at. He suggested educating the public on Florida-Friendly Landscaping and adding it to the three requirements the subcommittee already listed. The County could take out an ad or public service announcement or request that an article to be written in the Marco Eagle or Coastal Breeze. He’s only seen flyers inserted into utility bills. January 10, 2022 5 IX. New Business Follow-Up Report on Additional Water Quality Recommendations Chairman Roth said the subcommittee needs come up with a report to forward to the CAC, which could endorse it and send it to the County Manager’s Office for BCC approval. He noted that Andy Miller suggested a feel-good public education and involvement project. Starving manatees are more in the news now than red tide, so he suggested focusing on seagrass, a program the County could promote. He noted that on the East Coast, volunteers are using sea grass cuttings and weaving them through burlap to create water habitats that also would help manatees. He suggested looking into funding and hiring an environmental consultant. Mr. Raymond said it would certainly get a lot of public attention. Mr. Christman said the death of manatees is more an East Coast issue and suggested asking a consultant to determine if it’s an issue here. He noted it was occurring mostly in the Indian River. He suggested keeping manatees on the list of recommendations, but noted that the Conservancy of Southwest Florida lost its water quality expert recently. The Collier County Waterkeeper could be brought into this discussion and join a CAC Water Quality Subcommittee meeting to provide input. Virtually all Collier County’s major bodies of water are impaired. None are healthy. He noted that the County is considered a national jewel, yet it has poor quality water. He also suggested public education and getting people involved, possibly with manatees and long- and short- term major water issues. Ms. Kinaszczuk said the County feels his frustration about living in Collier County and not having good water quality. However, she cautioned him about using Waterkeeper and others to take water samples. She said most people don’t know how to sample or do it professionally, which causes a lot of problems for the County. They spend too much time arguing over data because volunteers don’t do it properly. They must meet criteria, such as getting certified, and ensuring they meet all SOP protocols. For example, she noted that the County was trying to hire an environmental consultant who said the firm had done water quality studies for 20 years. The first thing the County asked to see was its water quality manual, which showed the guidelines the firm follows were incorrect. The County then conducted an audit on the firm and it failed. They’ve been doing it incorrectly for 20 years. Problems included putting samples on the ground and not using gloves. She suggested the subcommittee consider other issues, such as climate change and carbon sequestration (capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide) and said any seagrass restoration program would be beneficial. Mr. Christman thanked her for the information, but clarified that he wasn’t considering asking Collier County Waterkeeper to conduct water samples. He just wanted to invite the group to the CAC Water Quality subcommittee to exchange ideas on major County water quality issues on a policy level, not from a technical standpoint. He said the City of Naples has been trying to be more proactive about cleaning and restoring January 10, 2022 6 its lakes and has gotten into similar arguments over water sampling and data. However, he said, if you don’t measure, test and sample, you’re never going to know if you’re making progress. Chairman Roth said the County has a Rookery Bay program to train landscapers about fertilizers. Why can’t the County offer a program to train volunteers on how to take water samples? He said he trains people in Cape Cod, on Pleasant Bay. The County would just have to purchase equipment for about 30 crews to go out and sample water. He said it’s not rocket science. It involves a cooler with frozen ice blocks, obtaining basic parameters and handing in samples within a specified time frame. A manifest goes to the lab with the samples. He’d be first in line for such a program. He suggested that could be a good feel-good project. The County can investigate the feasibility of a training program to gather volunteers to gather physical parameters of water quality and people could be hired to deal with the volunteers. Ms. Kinaszczuk said that sounds like Florida Lake Watch by UF’s IFIS. County staff is involved in that program, which raises awareness, but doesn’t test for specific nutrients. She said that’s something the County could get behind. There’s room for two or three more groups. When you get into marine sampling, it may not be rocket science, but it is science and it’s not something you want the average citizen to do. Mr. Christman noted that people love to volunteer for Naples’ pelican protection program, so water quality issues could resonate with residents. He suggested creating a small pilot program and going from there. Chairman Roth said he’d second that as a subcommittee recommendation: a training program for water-sampling volunteers. Mr. Christman suggested the subcommittee also might want to think about its stormwater code. He said the City recently revamped its stormwater management code to strengthen it and enhance it. With any new construction, the amount of water that must be retained on site was doubled from a half-inch to one inch. There’s also a requirement that homeowners must pay for periodic inspections, which has been more controversial. The City has found there aren’t enough quality firms and they’re charging more than they promised. He understood the City is small compared with the County and didn’t know the County’s stormwater ordinances or onsite requirements. Chairman Roth said he supports such a program. Mr. Christman said if he were coming up with a list of recommendations, he’d add stormwater management recommendations to the list. Mr. Raymond said the subcommittee doesn’t know if the County does this already. They need to research that first. Chairman Roth said they need to have a subcommittee meeting with Collier County WaterKeeper first before they can submit a list of recommendations to the CAC. [Mr. Christman left at 2:27 p.m. to attend another meeting.] January 10, 2022 7 Chairman Roth said the County should develop a public service announcement, with a catchy theme such as Collier Blue, or put an ad in the newspaper to say it’s everyone’s responsibility, not just the government’s. Summary of additional recommendations for Report No. 2: • Boost public awareness about fertilizers and water-quality issues through public service announcements or newspaper ads and articles. • Look into a training program for water-quality sampling volunteers. • Recommend that the County hire a consultant to develop a County plan and strategy to help the declining manatee population. • Feasibility Study: Hire a consultant to determine the feasibility of developing a manatee seagrass restoration project in Caxambas Park and areas around Everglades City. Ms. Kinaszczuk said she could provide the subcommittee with water quality data. She said the county’s water-quality reports are online, but she’d send them to Andy Miller to distribute to the subcommittee. X. Announcements None XI. Committee Member Discussion XII. Next Meeting Date/Location Monday, February 7, 2022, 1 p.m. GMD Horseshoe Square South Conference Room There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the chair at 2:35 p.m. Collier County Coastal Advisory Committee Water Quality Subcommittee ______________________________________ Chairman, Bob Roth These minutes were approved by the Subcommittee/Chairman on ________________, as presented (choose one) _______, or as amended ________. February 7, 2022 1 MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY COASTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE WATER QUALITY SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING Naples, Florida, February 7, 2022 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Collier County Coastal Advisory Committee Water Quality Subcommittee, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 1 P.M. in REGULAR SESSION at the GMD Horseshoe Square South Conference Room, 2685 Horseshoe Drive S., Unit 103, Naples, Florida, with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: Bob Roth VICE CHAIRMAN: Bob Raymond Ray Christman ALSO PRESENT: Andy Miller, Coastal Zone Management Danette Kinaszczuk, Pollution Control Rhonda Watkins, Principal Environmental Specialist Farron Bevard, Operations Analyst, Coastal Zone Management February 7, 2022 2 Any persons in need of the verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of the audio recording from the Coastal Management Department. I. Call to Order Chairman Roth called the meeting to order at 1 p.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. III. Roll Call Roll call was taken, and a quorum was established. IV. Changes and Approval of Agenda None V. Public Comments None VI. Approval of CAC Minutes None VII. Staff Reports 1. Specific Recommendations Ms. Kinaszczuk reported that recommendations in the handout, “Specific Steps Collier County Could Take at this Time to Deal with Coastal Algae and Red Tide Problems,” which was discussed at the subcommittee’s January 2021 meeting, went before the BCC, which agreed steps should be taken. Recommendations in the handout that the subcommittee chose are: 1. Provide adequate resources for timely removal of dead fish and other dead marine life from beaches, inlets, canals and estuaries. 2. Provide adequate resources to ensure compliance with fertilizer ordinance. 3. Determine cost for installing Advanced Wastewater Treatment to substantially reduce nutrient levels in recycled water used for irrigation. Ms. Kinaszczuk said staff will determine if any resources are available for recommendations No. 1 and No. 2, but said there are a lot of educational components tied in for No. 3. She noted that there’s a study going on involving wastewater treatment plants switching to AWT, Advance Water Treatment. Everything new will be AWT and others will eventually switch to AWT. Chairman Roth questioned whether the county would go above and beyond what the state requires. He noted that the county can continue with re-use because the state isn’t mandating it to change. He said the subcommittee’s job is to come up with one to three things to submit to the CAC to bring to the BCC, top recommendations to address coastal water issues. February 7, 2022 3 Ms. Kinaszczuk pointed out that the subcommittee is not supposed to be looking at inland waters. Mr. Christman agreed that the subcommittee’s mandate was clearly coastal but if they had ideas for inland the subcommittee wouldn’t be prevented from doing that. Mr. Raymond noted that they’d already discussed that before. Chairman Roth said they talked about manatees and education and agreed to have another meeting to nail down records to submit to the BCC as soon as possible. He met with Danette and noted that county staff has a handout outlining the issues. They came up with some ideas to suggest to the county. Danette brought up something they’re doing in Sarasota that Collier County possibly can try, growing seagrass. I don’t think we have the background knowledge. Volunteers could assemble vertical oyster gardens and other volunteers could deploy them. The involve plexiglass floats affixed under a dock, a small ecological system where fish can hide that gets filled with sea life. It costs about $500 for the device, which is similar to a bail of hay with slices ($300 of it is a charitable contribution). He noted that he has one under his dock. VIII. New Business 1. Vertical Oyster Gardens (VOGs) Ms. Kinaszczuk played a video that explains Sarasota Bay Estuary Program’s Vertical Oyster Gardens: https://sarasotabay.org/get-involved/vertical-oyster-gardens/ Key points: • The VOG (Vertical Oyster Gardens) program was started by Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, a partnership between scientists, volunteers, counties, cities, federal and state agencies. • Oysters are important for the habitat. • They filter water while feeding on microscopic algae. • They filter 50 GPD of water. • VOGs help build their habitats. • VOGs are made by stringing oyster shells, provided by restaurants, together. • They need a balance of fresh and saltwater, not lakes or stormwater ponds. • Volunteers can collect oyster shells from restaurants, string them together and provide to residents to pick up, or “adopt,” for their waterway. • This allows volunteers to gather and provide data to government and non-profit agencies. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • There are oyster beds in Naples Bay, near Crayton Cove • The Pollution Control Division can’t work in saltwater because they’d have to be paid for it. • From a staffing position, it might be better to work with Rookery Bay, which has volunteers. • The county could provide residents with the vertical oyster gardens, VOGs. • The county should take the lead to get credit for bringing the program to Collier County. • The program is better suited for non-government organizations, NGOs, which have more resources. February 7, 2022 4 • Rookery Bay, Waterkeepers and the Conservancy are among non-profits the county could approach as partners. • The recommendation could go through the commissioner in that district, Rick LoCastro, with the CAC recommending to the BCC that Collier County pursue the VOG program and assign it to a county department, either Coastal Zone Management, Pollution Control or Tourism. • The department or County Communications Office could spread the word about the VOG program. • Sarasota’s program began during red tide; Oysters love red tide, so VOGs should be incorporated in back bays. • The program would bring in foot traffic, increase the customer base and tourism. • The CAC should meet with representatives from the Sarasota group to discuss logistics. • The CAC could then call a meeting, possibly in May or June, and invite representatives from the Conservancy, Rookery Bay, other non-profits and the county to discuss what level of interest there is to form a partnership. Mr. Christman made a motion to recommend that the county take steps to contact the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and to hold a CAC meeting to discuss the Sarasota VOGs program with local non-profits, such as the Conservancy and Rookery Bay. Mr. Raymond seconded it. The motion carried unanimously, 3-0. IX. Old Business 1. Hiring a Consultant to Determine Suitable Areas for Manatee Seagrass Plantings Chairman Roth noted that the subcommittee, at its last meeting in January 2021, discussed whether to ask county commissioners if they could appropriate funds to retain a consultant to study areas in the county, including Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands, that would be suitable for manatee grass plantings. He noted that other areas of the state are installing woven seagrass cuttings in back bays. Waterway habitats are starving due to lack of sea grass and he said the county needs an expert to determine whether the water quality is appropriate for such a program, and to determine what areas to focus on to re-establish seagrass. Mr. Miller said he was at the Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association (FSBPA) conference on Friday, where a coastal science consultant, Stuart-based Ocean Sciences Inc., spoke about a mitigation project it conducted related to seagrass restoration. They built huge concrete disks stacked vertically to protect structures from wave action. He reached out to see if the county could get a copy of the presentation to show the CAC Water Subcommittee. He suggested that consulting group, which is on the county’s list of approved vendors, might be able to conduct a study. He noted that the consultant’s mitigation project was successful and seagrass growth is evident on Google Earth at Bonner Bridge (now Marc Basnight Bridge). A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • The subcommittee should recommend engaging a consultant to conduct a study on seagrass replacement. • The study should focus on mitigation, as well as promoting clean water. • The manatee population is concentrated in southern Collier County, mostly Marco February 7, 2022 5 Island, Everglades City and the Ten Thousand Islands. • Manatees also congregate in the Bayview Park area, where boats go out, and the Immokalee canal. • The subcommittee could recommend to the CAC that county staff put together an RFP for a feasibility study, which could probably be done with a work order, not the bidding process. • Mr. Miller will ask the consultant for the 20-minute CSA video presentation, which can be viewed by the subcommittee and CAC members, and ask the consultant if he could attend to answer questions before the subcommittee sends it to the CAC. X. Announcements None XI. Committee Member Discussion 1. Communications, Public Relations, Social Media and Ads Chairman Roth noted that Collier County often doesn’t promote its environmental programs and suggested an ad campaign to educate the public about the county’s clean water efforts. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • The county has a Communications, Government and Public Affairs Division. • Pollution Control has its own education coordinator, who also could handle this, but there is no budget for a video. • Sarasota runs a “Be Floridian Campaign” to educate the public on how to improve the environment. Who funds that campaign? • Speak to the Naples Daily News environmental reporter about a story. • Facebook ads, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, push alerts and other low-cost avenues should be explored, as well as grassroots campaigns such as knocking on doors for those who don’t use social media. • Ask if the county Communications Division can make a catchy 10-second video with a simple message to kick off the campaign. • Determine if the TDC budget can provide funding. XII. Next Meeting Date/Location Tuesday, March 15, 2022, 1-3 p.m. (tentative) GMD Horseshoe Square South Conference Room There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the chair at 2:09 p.m. Collier County Coastal Advisory Committee Water Quality Subcommittee ______________________________________ Chairman, Bob Roth These minutes were approved by the Subcommittee/Chairman on ________________, as presented (choose one) _______, or as amended ________.