The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will kick off a series of five meetings around the state to take public input on the department’s water quality assessment determinations and restoration priorities on August 26.
The meetings will be held in Stuart, Fort Myers, Temple Terrace, Daytona Beach and Tallahassee respectively.
At the public meetings, department staff will explain the results of basin-specific assessments for waters in the Apalachicola-Chipola River, Lower St. Johns River, Middle St. Johns River, Tampa Bay Tributaries, St. Lucie-Loxahatchee River and Charlotte Harbor basins.
The department will share information used in developing the preliminary Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) work plans, and will present the process for prioritizing local watersheds for site-specific TMDL development within each basin.
“ The department is focused on improving the water quality of Florida’s waters, ” said Tom Frick, director of DEP’s Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration. “ We are continuing to work with local stakeholders to identify waters that do not achieve standards and develop restoration goals. These meetings provide an opportunity for stakeholders to contribute local perspective and priorities to better inform our watershed work plans.”
Each year, the department performs water quality assessments for one-fifth of the state through a rotating watershed basin management approach.