TO: City Council
FROM:
Clean Water Coalition of IRC
DATE: May 12, 2022
After attending the detailed presentation by Staff at the Public Workshop on May 5, 2022,the CWC believes that several unresolved issues should be clarified before the Council makes a decision regarding the marina modernization.
Dredging Plan: the current permit specifies that “the dredge material will be placed in a self- contained barge” and US Army Corps regulations seem to require that it be deposited in a dredge material management area (DMMA). We believe that no site at the marina is suitable for de-watering the dredge material and preventing nutrients from re-entering the Lagoon.
One environmentally sound choice is to use a Florida Inland Navigation District DMMA to reduce the opportunity for nutrient and solid resuspension. This would better position the City to move forward with the next phase of dredging.
Stormwater Treatment Plan: please consider a Plan that looks to the future,not to current minimum requirements.Regulations are becoming more stringent; the lagoon remains impaired and unhealthy for fishing and swimming. The stormwater retention area should demonstrate state of the art design that is attractive and effective in this park like setting.
We urge you to consider a more modest dry storage building for the reduced environmental impact. The size of the dry storage building determines the amount of stormwater to be retained, the amount of “wash-down wastewater” to be treated, the amount of necessary parking along with its required stormwater retention and finally the number of trees and vegetation that might be disturbed or removed.
We suggest you provide a detailed explanation of additional parking requirements for the dry storage building including design and location within the marina complex.This explanation may bring up questions regarding additional parking needed for the main dock renovation and other marina expansion, but it is necessary for a clear understanding by the council.
Explain how the reconstruction of the dry storage building will be impacted by FEMA flood high hazard area requirements. Specifically, will the base elevation of the dry storage building be at a higher elevation than it currently stands?