FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 5, 2013
DEP, LEGISLATORS, PARTNERS CELEBRATE SPRINGS RESTORATION PROJECTS TARGETED FOR KINGS BAY
~Kings
Bay benefactor of partnerships enabling advancement of nearly $4 million in
projects ~
CRYSTAL RIVER – Today, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. joined Senator Charlie Dean and Representatives Elizabeth Porter and Jimmie T. Smith at Hunters Cove, where a living
shoreline project to benefit Kings Bay will be constructed.
These are among the ten critical water quality and water quantity springs improvement projects announced Wednesday by Governor Rick Scott. The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection selected the projects, leveraging the $10 million from the Florida
Families First Budget into a nearly $37 million investment. This was
accomplished by incorporating matching funds by the water management districts
and local governments that will carry out the projects.
"These projects will have tangible benefits to Kings Bay, as they will reduce nutrients that impair our springs," said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. "The Department, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Citrus County and local stakeholders have partnered to improve these natural treasures."
The Hunters Cove and Three
Sisters Restoration projects are designed to improve water
quality in Citrus County, with the added benefit of wildlife habitat creation
and vegetative restoration. These shoreline stabilization projects will reduce erosion and sediment going
into Kings Bay. These projects will reinforce the natural banks
of Kings Bay by installing soil bags or limerock edges and then planting
shoreline vegetation to control erosion and provide beneficial habitat. These
projects are another significant step to achieving target
nutrient reductions to be set by the Department for Kings Bay in early
2014. They provide a combined estimated reduction of 15 percent nitrogen, 42 percent total phosphorus and 45 percent total suspended solids.
Other
projects selected to benefit Kings Bay include a $2 million project that will
connect several private package plants and 250 existing septic tanks to the
force main that will result in an estimated load reduction of 6,272 pounds of
nitrogen per year. This project will generate approximately 90,000 gallons per
day of reclaimed water that will be used by the Black Diamond Golf Course,
reducing consumptive use and groundwater withdrawals.
Another
water quality improvement and water quantity project is a cost-share
initiative to work with area farmers to implement agricultural best management
practices within the Springs Coast region. This project will
reduce groundwater withdrawals and nutrient loading to the Upper
Floridan Aquifer system, ultimately benefiting the springs systems. Typical projects achieve a 10-20 percent reduction in groundwater use and up to a 30 percent reduction in nutrient loads to groundwater and the
springs.
Dean said: "The work of Governor Scott, DEP, the water management
districts and local governments is a strong step to improving these
waterbodies."
Porter said: “Improving water quality is important to all Floridians and
I thank all partners for working together to make a difference."
Smith said: “These projects that focus on Kings Bay and the Springs
Coast take specific steps to reduce nutrients and improve water quality for our
communities ensuring our kids will be able to enjoy the beauty of springs now and in the future."
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