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From October’s meeting:
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TOOFAR would like to thank Captain Joe Eckstein of the Citrus County Emergency Operations Center for informing our members about the emergency management operations of Citrus County, and what its citizens can do to prepare for hurricanes or other emergencies. If you have any questions, you may contact the Emergency Management Division directly at (352) 746-6555.
Learn more about Citrus County’s Emergency Notification System known as CodeRED®. Please take a moment to provide the information needed for your local emergency response team to be able to notify you in the event of emergency situations or critical community alerts. Examples include: evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, and missing child reports.
Citrus County’s Emergency Management website - Provides information on how to prepare for events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. A lot of good information such as flood and evacuation zone maps, re-entry passes, emergency phone numbers, sandbag locations, shelter locations, and other useful info to include in your disaster supply kit.... before the power goes out!
Note: the Emergency Radio Station for Citrus County is 88.3 fm.
Note: Re-entry passes may be picked up at the Sheriff’s office.
TOOFAR also extends our thanks to Doug Leeper, an Environmental Scientist from SWFWMD who gave a very informative talk about the methods used and the process for establishing Minimum Flows and Levels for the Tsala Apopka Lake system. These Minimum Flows and Levels (Florida Statute 373.042) help to regulate: the protection of wetlands, flood protection, water use permits, and prevention of adverse environmental impacts from demands on the water supply, etc.
The next step in the process is an upcoming two day workshop for public input on November 2nd & 3rd at 6:00 p.m. in the Brooksville office. All those interested are invited to attend to discuss the Proposed Minimum Flows and Guidance Levels for the Fort Cooper Lake, Floral City, Inverness, and Hernando Pools. The new levels will be proposed to the Governing Board on November 30 and if approved will be incorporated into the District rules (Chapter 40D-8, Florida Administrative Code). For additional information, contact Doug Leeper, SWFWMD at (800) 423-1476 ext. 4272.
For more information on Minimum Flows and Levels please visit Southwest Florida Water Management District’s website.
SWFWMD - Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs)
2005 Priority List and Schedule for the Establishment of Minimum Flows and Levels are updated annually. The Priority List is based on the importance of waters to the state or region, the existence of or potential for significant harm to the water resources or ecology of the state or region and includes those waters which are experiencing or may reasonably be expected to experience adverse impacts. The District intends to voluntarily undertake independent scientific peer review for all water body types on the Priority List.
Great News:
DAVID BEATS GOLIATH
SUMTER COUNTY MINE EXPANSION STOPPED
The Sumter County Commission has blocked plans by Rinker Materials to expand it’s Florida Crushed Stone Center Hill Mine into neighboring pastureland.
The public hearing went on for nearly six hours with the board spending most of that time listening to "experts" on both sides.
Rinker presented a hydrology consultant who told the board about plans for a "hydraulic barrier" a ditch that would be used to direct the mine water back into the aquifer. He also described a 15 foot high berm that would be built to shield some neighboring properties from mine operations. They also presented testimony from a seismologist –an authority on blasting– and an engineer.
The opposition was led by CORE, the group represented in some of our recent meetings by Louise Racine and John Megan.
They presented a hydro-ecologist with a slide show on Florida’s aquifer and the negative impacts of mining on lakes and wetlands. Also a hydrology consultant presented a critical review of the mine’s dewatering plan, citing inconsistencies in Rinkers application documents.
The mine had failed for nine years to comply with a groundwater recharge plan required by SWFWMD and failed to follow plans of SWFWMD and DEP.
A 4.4 billion dollar corporation’s plans stopped by a grassroots organization formed by regular people who care about their environment. (Sort of like TOOFAR?)
Note: John Megan of CORE (Citizens Against Rinker’s Expansion) will be one of the guest speakers at our November 17th meeting. |
