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Our Mission is to stop discharges into the St. Lucie River from Lake Okeechobee and to fight for a safe, healthy, and ecologically balanced St. Lucie River Estuary and Indian River Lagoon, and the natural resources that are vital to the economy and quality of life of Martin County and the Treasure Coast. |
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October 2023 Newsletter
Friends of the Rivers Coalition E-Newsletter
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Rivers Coalition Meeting
Thursday, October 26, 2023
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Stuart City Hall Chambers
121 SW Flagler Ave, Stuart, FL
This meeting is in person and via Zoom, and is open to the public, with plenty of free parking available. Email info@riverscoalition.org for Zoom link.
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MOVING LAKE WATER SOUTH
Now Is The Time To Lower Lake Okeechobee by Sending Lake Water South
Drew Bartlett, Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District, will be addressing River Coalition members at the October 26th meeting at Stuart City Hall.
Rivers Coalition members need to be present and be prepared to present our concerns to the Executive Director.
For the last two years, following 2020 when we were told STA 3/4 was unable to take lake water, Drew Bartlett spoke to River Coalition members and said the district was not able to send Lake O water south due to poor plant health in stormwater treatment area (STA) 3/4.
In February 2021, Bartlett told the Rivers Coalition that STAs were challenged to take on water due to poor plant health. In September 2021, Bartlett said that STAs 2 and 3 were both under construction to get regraded and that the eastern flow-way of #4 was closed due to excess water, but the central and western flow-ways were open. In October 2022, Drew and Anna Wachnicka presented and said the STAs were unhealthy due to excess water from Hurricane Ian and also rainfall in June.
Here we are in late October, two weeks away from the official start of the dry season, and Lake Okeechobee is at 16.27 feet with net inflows at 3,675 cfs.
Now is the time to begin lowering Lake Okeechobee.
In 2015 we were able to send over 500,000 acre feet from the Lake to STA 3/4. It’s time to repeat history.
Don’t miss the meeting!
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Business Matters:
- Call to Order and Chairman’s Comments: Charles Grande, Vice President
- Rivers Coalition Inc. Business Matters
- Presentation:
MOVING LAKE WATER SOUTH
Drew Bartlett, Executive Director of SFWMD
Government & Agency Progress Reports:
- Martin County: John Maehl
- City of Stuart/LOSOM: Ben Hogarth
- South Florida Water Management District
- State and Federal Agencies: FDEP, USACE, FWC
- Lake Okeechobee Update: Dr. Paul Gray
- State and Federal Legislation: Gil Smart
Coalition Reports:
- Rivers Coalition Committee Updates:
- Speakers Bureau: Todd Weissing
- Local Issues & Estuary Water Quality: Todd Thurlow
- Riverkeeper Update: Jim Moir
- Member Comments and Announcements:
- Adjourn
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Rivers Coalition Meeting September 2023
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The September meeting topic was "Get the Muck Out of Here" and featured presentations by Joe Gilio, Rivers Coalition member; Len Lindahl, engineer with MacVicar Consulting; and SFWMD members, including Drew Bartlett, Lawrence Glenn, and Cheryl Meads. Minutes and a link to the video of the meeting are at the bottom of this newsletter.
Lawrence Glenn, Director of the Water Resources Division of SFWMD, discusses the health of the STAs (Stormwater Treatment Areas).
Joe Gilio, founder of the Lake Okeechobee Restoration Initiative (LORI) explains what muck (legacy mud) in Lake Okeechobee is and how it contributes to high phosphorus levels.
Cheryl Meads, SFWMD governing board member and Martin County resident
Len Lindahl, engineer with MacVicar Consulting, discusses the Diatom Project, a possible solution to the muck
problem in Lake Okeechobee
Drew Bartlett, Executive Director of the SFWMD, and Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
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The River Kidz recently enjoyed participating in the Estuaries Day at the Florida Oceanographic Society.
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SIGNATURES NEEDED
"The Right to Clean and Healthy Waters" Petition!
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A reminder that the "Right to Clean and Healthy Waters" petition needs 900,000 signatures by November 30th to get on the 2024 ballot. More information on the proposed amendment can be found at: https://fronn.org/the-right-to-clean-water. The petition can be read in its entirety and printed out and signed here: https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/
**IMPORTANT** The petition must be mailed to the address found in the link above; OR
contact the local organizations listed below to obtain and/or drop off your signed petition:
Diane Goldberg (St. Lucie Audubon Society): digoldberg@bellsouth.net Ph: (772) 343-8666
Friends of the Everglades: info@everglades.org Ph: (305) 669-0858
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Rivers Coalition Meeting Minutes: September 28, 2023
Summary of Comments
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Charles Grande called the meeting to order at 11:04 am. There were 47 attendees in person, 16 attendees on ZOOM call.
Minutes taken by Miki Blumenthal, Administrative Assistant.
Opening Comments: Charles Grande welcomed everyone and introduced Drew Bartlett, Executive Director of the SFWMD.
Drew gave an overview of what is currently going on with Lake Okeechobee and STAs. He discussed water conservation areas and the building of a new STA dedicated to lakewater (A2). Accompanying Drew was Lawrence Glenn, Director of the Water Resources Division of SFWMD, a scientist. Lawrence talked in more depth about the health of the STAs with regard to vegetation.
Drew also gave updates on the C44 canal and interconnect, mentioning the USACE’s Integrated Delivery Schedule (IDS).
Cheryl Meads, a governing board member of the SFWMD and current Martin County resident, introduced herself and talked about what she was doing to enable her to be a better governing board member.
Q&A session followed.
Presentation: “Get the Muck Out of Here”
Merritt Matheson, Rivers Coalition board member, gave a brief explanation of the muck problem and introduced Joe Gilio, the founder and President of the Lake Okeechobee Restoration Initiative (LORI). Joe gave a presentation on Lake Okeechobee’s increasing nutrient pollutant problem, emphasizing that we need to remove the high concentration of phosphorus from the muds in the lake to control harmful algal blooms.
Len Lindahl, a professional engineer with MacVicar Consulting, Inc., gave a presentation on the Diatom Lagoon Project. This project focuses on the capture of the fluid mud and pumping it into the center of a man-made “lagoon” in the lake, which would then be filtered.
Q&A session followed.
The above presentation in its entirety can be seen at www.riverscoalition.org.
Discussion: (summary of discussion-not verbatim)
Government & Agency Reports:
Martin County: John Maehl mentioned that the next meeting of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force will be on November 15th.
City of Stuart/LOSOM: N/A
SFWMD: See above presentation.
USACE: (after the River Kidz report): Kim Vitek, Program Manager with USACE, announced that the Indian River Lagoon muck removal project is underway, and that the Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) is to be executed sometime in 2024.
Lake O Update: Paul Gray mentioned the current lake level at 15’16” and the effects of El Nino.
State and Federal Legislation: N/A.
Public Comments (out of order):
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch thanked the SFWMD for attending and speaking at the meeting. She mentioned she will be speaking at the Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie County’s next meeting on Tuesday, October 10th at the Morningside Library. The topic will be “Keeping Government Accountable and the Price of Speaking Up.”
Diane Goldberg discussed a planned fuel depot in St. Lucie County and the possible consequences.
She reminded us of the legislative delegation meetings in St. Lucie County and Martin County next week, and of the St. Lucie Audubon Society meeting on Oct. 5.
Coalition Reports:
River Kidz: Nic Mader reminded us that the River Kidz held a “Get the Muck Out” event almost 10 years ago. She announced the presence of four 4th-generation dolphin calves in the Indian River Lagoon.
Kelli Dore and Casey Kniffin, River Momz, gave an update on the recent Coastal Cleanup and mentioned upcoming events: Estuaries Day on 9/30/23 at the Florida Oceanographic Center and an open house on 10/21/23 also at the Florida Oceanographic Center.
Speakers Bureau: Todd Weissing emphasized that the speaker’s bureau is available upon request.
Riverkeeper Update: Jim Moir discussed the presence of several recent fish kills in the Indialantic.
He also mentioned that the Marine Resources Council will be holding their 3rd Low Impact Development (LID) conference in Rockledge, FL on
October 21 and 22.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:46 pm.
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The Newest Version of the River Kidz Workbook has been published!
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The River Kidz workbooks have arrived from Southeastern Printing
The workbooks were distributed to the
4th grade classes of all Martin County Schools
FREE OF CHARGE
Thanks to the generous donations of kind supporters of the River Kidz
If you are a homeschool or a private school
please email info@riverscoalition.org
to receive your free copies
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2023 Rivers Coalition Board Members
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Mark Perry, President
Charles Grande, Vice President
Jim Moir, Secretary
Darrell Brand, Treasurer
Eve Samples, Director
Nicole Mader, Director
Todd Thurlow, Director
Todd Weissing, Director
Blair Wickstrom, Director
Gil Smart, Director
Merritt Matheson, Director
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All Meetings are at 11:00 a.m.
Stuart City Hall Chambers
121 SW Flagler Ave, Stuart, FL
October 26, 2023 - Thursday
November 16, 2023 - Thursday
NO MEETING IN DECEMBER
For updates, please visit our Facebook page by clicking below:
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Check out the Rivers Coalition website
https://riverscoalition.org/
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Rivers Coalition Organizational Members
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Members: 1000 Friends of Florida, 27-80 Paddlers, American Association of University Women, Arthur R. Marshall Foundation, Atlantic Point Yacht Club and Marina of Stuart, Audubon Florida, Audubon of Martin County, Ballantrae Anglers Club, Ballantrae Yacht Club, Beau Rivage HOA, Business Development Board of Martin County, Circle Bay Yacht Club Condo Assn. Inc., Citizens for Clean Water, Computer Network Services, Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie Co. Inc, Cypress Lake HOA, Dolphin Ecology Project, Driftwood Motel of Jensen Beach. Economic Council of Martin County, Florida Oceanographic Society, Florida Sportsman, Fort Pierce Yacht Club, Four Rivers Property Association, Four Winds Condo Association, Friends of The Everglades, Friends of Harbor Branch - FAU, Gregor Woods HOA, Guardians of Martin County, Harborage Yacht Condominiums, Harbour Ridge Yacht Club, Humanists of the Treasure Coast, Hutchinson Island Preservation Initiative, Indian Riverkeeper, Indian River Plantation POA, Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce, Joe's Point HOA, Keep Martin Beautiful, Lake Okeechobee Restoration Initiative, Lake Worth Waterkeeper, Leadership Martin, League of Women Voters of Martin Co., League of Women’s Voters of SLC Co., Lighthouse Point Association Inc., Locks Landing HOA, Lost River Plantation HOA, Marine Cleanup Initiative Inc., Marine Industries Assoc. of Treasure Coast, Marine Resources Council, Martin County Anglers, Martin County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, Martin County Conservation Alliance, Martin County Democratic Environmental Caucus, Martin County Farm Bureau, Miramar POA, Nettles Island Community Action Assoc., North River Shores Prop. Assoc., Ocean Research and Conservation Association, Palm City Chamber of Commerce, Palm City Civic Assn, Palm Cove Yacht Club, Palm Cove HOA, Pierpoint Condominium Assoc., Port Salerno Commercial Fishing Dock Assoc., Port Sewall Harbor & Tennis Club Owners Ass, Port Sewall Property Owners Assoc., Port St Lucie Anglers, President’s Council of Hutchinson Island, Realtor Association of Martin County, Rio Civic Club, River Club Dock Owners Association Inc., River Kidz, River Vista HOA, River Warriors, Royal Harbor Homeowners Assn, Sailfish Point POA, Sailfish Point Yacht Club, Sandhill Cove Retirement Living, Savanna Fishing Club, Seagate Harbor Homeowners Assoc., Sierra Club-:Loxahatchee Group, Snug Harbor Yacht Club, St. Lucie Audubon Society, St. Lucie River Yacht Club, St. Lucie Sailing Club, St. Lucie Settlement Inc., Stuart Corinthian Yacht Club, Stuart Heritage, Stuart Rod & Reel Club, Stuart/Martin County Chamber, Surfrider Foundation, Teamsters Local 769, The Garden Club of Stuart Inc, The Estuary at North River Shores, The Junior League of Martin County, Treasure Coast Buddhist Cooperative, Treasure Coast Builders Association, Treasure Coast Democratic Environmental Caucus, Treasure Coast Golf Course Superintendents Association, Treasure Coast Rowing Club, Treasure Coast Unitarian Universalist Church, US Sailing Center of Martin County, Venture Three Community, VoteWater, Windjammer Condo Association
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PO Box 2627
Stuart, FL 34995
772-225-6849
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