FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 19, 2014

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us

DEP HOSTS PUBLIC WORKSHOPS ON WATER QUALITY CREDIT TRADING

~ DEP to expand market-driven trading pilot program statewide ~

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is hosting public workshops to discuss expanding the state’s pilot Water Quality Credit Trading Program in the Lower St. Johns River basin statewide. Water quality credit trading is a voluntary, innovative approach to achieve water quality goals more efficiently. Trading is based on the fact that sources in a watershed can face very different costs to control the same pollutant. The trading program allows facilities facing higher pollution control costs to meet their regulatory obligations by purchasing environmentally equivalent, or superior, reductions from another source at lower cost, thus achieving the same water quality improvement at lower overall cost.

“Water quality credit trading is a nationally recognized tool that allows stakeholders to meet water quality goals at the lowest possible cost,” said Tom Frick, director of the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration. “Expanding trading statewide provides everyone opportunities to expedite cleaner water.”

Market-based approaches can create economic incentives for innovation, emerging technology, voluntary pollution reductions and greater efficiency in improving the quality of the nation’s waters. Water quality credit trading is most effective in areas where a quantified restoration goal has been developed, such as a TMDL or total maximum daily load. These restoration goals identify the pollutant reductions necessary to restore a water body to health and provide the measuring stick to determine if stakeholders have credits available. The TMDL typically also identifies pollutant loadings, the watershed conditions and the maximum amount of pollutants that may be present for a water body to still be considered healthy. All of this information is necessary for effective trading.

A water quality credit trading pilot program was utilized in the Lower St. John’s basin, and now the department is taking steps to implement the program statewide. These meetings will solicit stakeholder and public input on the program for refinement prior to statewide implementation.

WHEN:         Wednesday, Aug. 20

                     2 - 5 p.m

WHERE:       Florida Department of Environmental Protection

                     Bob Martinez Center, Room 609

                     2600 Blair Stone Road

                     Tallahassee, Florida 32399

The Tallahassee meeting can also be accessed via GoToWebinar here.  For additional information on the Tallahassee meeting, click here.

WHEN:         Wednesday, Aug. 27

                     9 a.m. - 1 p.m.                

WHERE:       The Captain’s House at Goode Park

                     1300 Bianca Drive NE

                     Palm Bay, Florida 32905

For addtional information on the Palm Bay meeting, click here.

For more information on Water Quality Credit Trading, click here.   

About the Florida Department of Environmental Protection

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is the state’s principal environmental agency, created to protect, conserve and manage Florida’s environment and natural resources. The Department enforces federal and state environmental laws, protects Florida’s air and water quality, cleans up pollution, regulates solid waste management, promotes pollution prevention and acquires environmentally-sensitive lands for preservation. The agency also maintains a statewide system of parks, trails and aquatic preserves. To view the Department’s website log on to www.dep.state.fl.us.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLDEP/bulletins/cac935