|
I.
Update on the Development of TMDL’s for Wagner Creek -
Mr. Raymond Rammo, City of
Miami Public Works Dept.
, noted City staff had achieved significant progress regarding watershed
protection and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). According to Mr. Rammo,
City staff-including himself-had agreed to meet with Mr. Steve Blair,
Department of Environmental Resource Management (DERM), consultants
PBS&J, Mr. Fred Calder, Florida Department of Environmental
Protection (FDEP), and Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND)
representatives on January 9, 2006, to review the scope of
services/proposal and timeline to complete the TMDL project. Mr. Rammo
noted Mr. Calder had requested a site visit of the
Wagner
Creek
Sub-basin
area prior to the meeting.
Mr. Rammo
displayed photos of the trees removed in the Wagner Creek area between
NW 20th Street
to
NW 11th Street
. Mr. Rammo noted he had
requested a tree mitigation list from Ms. Elyrosa Estevez, City of
Miami
, prior to the SSC meeting. According to Mr. Rammo, Ms. Estevez had
indicated that the Public Works Department was seeking additional
funding, potentially via a mid-year adjustment, to perform tree
mitigation in the area, and would address the matter with Ms. Stephanie
Grindell, Director of Public Works. Mr. Rammo noted that, to his
knowledge, only non-native trees had been removed, and the area’s palm
trees remain intact.
Mr. Rammo noted
the City of
Miami
had recently authorized $50,000 in additional funds to install new
grates/receptacle baskets in the Allapattah and Overtown area.
Installation, noted Mr. Rammo, would commence next week.
Mr. Brett Bibeau,
MRC Managing Director, thanked Mr. Rammo and the City of
Miami
for the tremendous progress made on installation of the MRC recommended
solid waste interceptors. Bibeau
stated, as suggested by the FDEP, the MRC will continue to provide
intergovernmental coordination on the setting of TMDL’s for Wagner
Creek, via having the item on the Stormwater subcommittee’s monthly
publicly noticed meeting agenda.
II.
Status of the Draft Wagner Creek Corrective Action Plan and Dredging
Permit Applications
– Mr. Jose Lago, City of
Miami
, noted City staff would schedule a meeting with Subaqueous Services in
mid-January to discuss possible dredging methodologies &
technologies for the Wagner Creek and Seybold Canal Dredging project.
Mr. Brett Bibeau,
MRC Managing Director, noted he had received a phone call earlier that
morning from MRC board member and
Spring
Garden
neighborhood representative Dr. Ernie Martin, directing him to inquire
about the validity of a recently published Miami Today article, alleging
that the City of
Miami
had approved a $9 million contract
to dredge Wagner Creek and
Seybold
Canal
. Mr. Lago noted he had no recollection of such an agreement.
III.
Status of WASD Smoke Testing of the
Western
Sub-Basin
– Mr. Bibeau noted
Mr. Rod Lovett, Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD), was unable
to attend the SSC meeting. Mr. Bibeau stated Mr. Lovett had spoken to
Mr. John Chorlog, (WASD) regarding the continuation of smoke-testing of
sanitary sewer sub-basins. Mr. Chorlog had indicated the project was
pending a funding agreement with DERM, before it could recommence.
Mr. Bibeau asked
if DERM representatives could contact Mr. Chorlog regarding the
continuation of smoke testing, and Mr. Omar Abdelrahman, Miami-Dade DERM,
recommended that Mr. Lovett contact Mr. Blair, DERM, to determine the
funding status.
IV.
Discussion of Potential Use of Miami-Dade County Bond Funding to Improve
Sanitary and Stormwater Systems within Miami-Dade
- Following discussion of
stormwater system retrofit projects along the Miami River at the SSC
December meeting, Mr. Bibeau asked if the antiquated septic tanks in the
Melrose area could be removed and the area connected to the new and
improved sanitary sewer system using County Bond funding earmarked for
sanitary sewer improvement projects.
Mr. Bibeau further inquired if Wagner Creek, or other projects
along the
Miami River
, could benefit from County Bond Funding, and Mr. Antonio Cotarelo
replied that GOB funding is only allocated to specific projects.
Mr. Cotarelo recommended contacting Mr. Jorge Navarrette, Office
of Capital Improvements, to receive a list of projects eligible for
funding, and determine whether there was currently any funding available
for river-related projects, specifically septic tank retrofitting.
Mr. Bibeau agreed to contact Mr. Navarrette and Mr. Hernstadt.
Mr. Bibeau stated it was his recollection that there were several
large Stormwater and Sanitary sewer general improvement line items
approved in the bond issue, which were divided by Commission district,
rather than specific projects. Therefore,
Bibeau stated he is interested in the possibility of obtaining a portion
of that potentially available bond funding for projects to improve the
Miami
River basin
’s antiquated sanitary and storm water systems, which are the
River’s leading pollutant source.
Mr. Cotarelo
explained the “Miami River Basin 21” project - classified as the
County’s last major storm water retrofit project along the Miami River
- does not utilize bond funding. Instead, noted Mr. Cotarelo, the $2.2
million project is funded by QNIP (Quality Neighborhood Improvement
Program), Stormwater Utility and an $800,000 South Florida Water
Management District grant. Mr. Mike Gambino, Miami-Dade DERM,
distributed a “Miami River Basin 21 Project Update” to meeting
attendees. According to the fact sheet, the project is to attenuate the
heaviest loads of pollutants generated by the initial wash off into the
Miami River
, which are found in the first inch of stomwater runoff. Mr. Evan
Skornick, SFWMD, noted the project had been approved by the SFWMD
governing board on
December 14, 2005
, and the County is expected to execute the project shortly thereafter.
Mr. Bibeau commended the County and SFWMD for bringing the
County’s last major stormwater retrofitting project to fruition.
V.
New Business- No
New Business was discussed.
The next
regularly scheduled SSC meeting was confirmed for the first Wednesday of
the month,
February 1, 2006
,
10 am
, Miami River Inn,
118 South River Drive
.
The meeting
adjourned.
|
