Coastlines Information About Estuaries and Near Coastal Waters June 2000


Coastlines June 2000

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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Disclaimer: The information in this website is entirely drawn from issues of newsletters published
between 1994 and 2002 and these issues will not been updated since the original publication date. Users
are cautioned that information reported at the time of original publication may have become outdated.

Information About Estuaries and Near Coastal Waters

June 2000 - Issue 10.3

Table of Contents

Indian River Lagoon Study Calibrates Nitrogen Loading Model
Aquariums, Zoos, and Science Museum Collaborate on Public Education

Tampa Bay Estuary Program
Emission Standards for New Commercial Marine Diesel Engines
Coastal and I siuai ine Risk Assessment Forum
Green Seniors

Second Edition Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection Now Available

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Coastal Partnerships Initiative: Florida's New "Remarkable Coastal Places" Program
Marineland Designated as First "Remarkable Coastal Place"

Cape Cod Coastal Embayment Project
Fish Return Quickly to Restored Salt Marshes
Long Island Sound
Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program
Recent Study Suggests Sea Level Rise Could Threaten Beaches Along U.S. East Coast

Tillamook NEP CCMP Released
Field Guide for Chesapeake Bay Available
Rivers Journal Website
Historic USGS Maps Online
Online Catalog of Tools for Watershed Protection
Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program

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Information und (Ti

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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Disclaimer: The information in this website is entirely drawn from issues of newsletters published
between 1994 and 2002 and these issues will not been updated since the original publication date. Users
are cautioned that information reported at the time of original publication may have become outdated.

Indian River Lagoon Study Calibrates Nitrogen Loading Model

The Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (IRLNEP) and the St. Johns Water Management
District, working in cooperation with the South Florida Water Management District, have recently
completed a study to clarify contributions of nitrogen to the Lagoon from on-site disposal systems
(OSDS). The report, entitled "On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems Pollutant Loading Evaluation - Test and
Validation of Indian River Lagoon Nitrogen Model," focused on developing and calibrating modeling
tools to evaluate the effects of development and in particular, on-site sewage disposal systems (OSDS)
on coastal water quality. The results of this study were released in March, 2000, and provide follow-up to
an earlier study of nitrogen loading sources.

In 1996, under contract to the US Environmental Protection Agency, a report entitled "Indian River
Lagoon Septic System/Carrying Capacity Study" was released. As part of the study, a preliminary
nitrogen loading model was completed for the Lagoon. The model was used to assess current nitrogen
loading to the lagoon and predict conditions that may result from new development and eventual build-
out of the watershed. The model takes into account a variety of nitrogen sources, including sewage,
fertilizers, road runoff, and precipitation. The results indicated that on-site disposal systems contributed
12 % of the nitrogen load to the lagoon, while agricultural lands contributed 31 %. The loading model
provided a mechanism for calculating the total amounts of nitrogen contributed to a system, and predicts
the concentration of nitrogen in groundwater based on hydrological parameters.

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The March, 2000, report follows up on
the earlier findings and provides details
of a calibration step necessary to further
quantify the amount of nitrogen actually
entering into the Lagoon related to OSDS
nitrogen sources in Florida. In order to
calibrate the model, a series of eight test
sites were chosen on the east coast of
Florida within the Indian River Lagoon
watershed that represent residential
neighborhoods serviced by on-site disposal systems.

A water sampling strategy using pumping wells (capture zone sampling) provided a unique design to
obtain groundwater data for model calibration. Modeling of the capture area upgradient of the wells
allowed a "groundwater recharge area" to be delineated, thereby establishing boundaries for locating and
enumerating on-site disposal systems contained within it.

Wells were placed in unsewered, high density residential neighborhoods, and site-specific land use data
were collected from each site to be entered into the nitrogen loading model to predict groundwater
nitrogen concentrations. In normal application, nitrogen loads are summarized on an annual per acre
basis and the concentration is calculated based on the amount of annual volume recharged to the
groundwater.

Following the initial model run, the groundwater monitoring system was used to collect representative
samples of groundwater by pumping sampling wells to establish large capture zones. Sampling was
conducted seasonally throughout the year. The concentrations of nitrogen in groundwater samples
collected from the capture zones were then compared to model predictions and used as a basis for model
calibration and discussion.

Road Drainage

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Concentrations of nitrogen in groundwater predicted
by the model were significantly greater than that
measured in groundwater. A possible explanation for
this result may be that environmental conditions in
groundwater were conducive to denitrification,
which is the microbial conversion of nitrate to
gaseous nitrogen (N2) through a series of chemical
reductions. Gaseous nitrogen escapes to the
atmosphere and therefore is not detected in
groundwater. Both low dissolved oxygen and high
organic carbon, indicative of the conditions required
for denitrification to occur, were observed in the
field. The data revealed that 68% of the nitrogen
predicted to be found was being lost in the system;
this percentage was derived empirically by
comparing the estimated loading with the measured
total nitrogen concentration data.

The study findings reveal some of the inherent
difficulties in modeling groundwater systems and pollutant inputs. Local environmental conditions can
significantly affect the attenuation of nitrogen in groundwater, while replicating variations in hydrology
and geology through modeling relies on detailed site-specific information.

The next phase of the study will further investigate the denitrification potential of the areas studied and
clarify some of the hydrological characteristics that may not be accurately simulated in the model. The
findings of the studies will provide valuable information for managers to consider in the development of
wastewater management plans in Florida.

For further information, contact Jim Begley, Horsley & Witten, Inc., 90 Route 6A, Sandwich, MA
02563; Phone: (508) 833-6600; E-mail: ibegley@horsleywitten.com or Bob Day, Environmental
Specialist, Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, Florida; Phone: (407) 984-4950; E-mail:
Robert Day@district.sirwmd.state.fi.us

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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Aquariums, Zoos, and Science Museums Collaborate on Public
Education

Project

As society continues to urbanize and technology hurtles forward in quantum
leaps, real contact with nature is disappearing for most people at an alarming "he •]
rate. As contact with nature decreases, people have a dwindling
comprehension of even the simple principles that govern how our planet

works. Most people do not realize that the ocean controls the weather. Few understand that more oxygen
is provided to earth's atmosphere by oceanic photosynthesis than by all the earth's terrestrial plants
combined. The general public generally does not understand the important role of the oceans in the
global ecology.

A new collaborative, multi-year approach, called The Ocean Project, is being developed to cultivate
changes in the way people understand, relate to, and use the ocean. The Wildlife Conservation Society
(WCS), through its New York Aquarium, supported the early work of The Ocean Project and established
a steering committee to lead the new initiative. Currently, it is comprised of representatives from WCS's
New York Aquarium, SeaWeb, Monterey Bay Aquarium, National Aquarium, Colorado's Ocean
Journey, New England Aquarium, Vancouver Public Aquarium, American Zoo and Aquarium
Association, and John G. Shedd Aquarium. Aquariums, zoos, and museums have a unique opportunity to
educate the public about the importance of the ocean. One in three Americans has visited at least one of

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these institutions in the last twelve months and polls show that people trust these educational institutions
as a credible source of information on ocean protection. Recognizing the advantage that these institutions
possess, The Ocean Project formed to develop a coordinated effort to create in people a lasting,
measurable awareness of the importance, value, and sensitivity of the oceans. Institutional partners now
number more than 75 aquariums, zoos, and museums, and The Ocean Project is also collaborating with
conservation organizations, government agencies, university and school clubs, and others.

To understand best how to proceed on
such a major initiative and what to
communicate to the public, The Ocean
Project commissioned a comprehensive
national public opinion survey last year.
The survey focused upon understanding
how and why people think about the
oceans, what people know, and the gaps
in public awareness about the oceans and
related conservation issues. Focus groups
and a national survey that sampled 1,500
American adults were conducted late last
summer.

Major findings from the research show
reasons for both pessimism and optimism
in protecting the oceans. Essentially, while Americans have little basic knowledge of ocean functions,
there is broad awareness of the oceans' vulnerability. However, people do not generally perceive the
oceans to be in immediate danger. A large majority of the public feels a strong personal and positive
connection to the ocean, regardless of where they live. The survey shows that people tend to value the
oceans for their recreational and emotional aspects, and most understand that the oceans are neither a
'bottomless sink' nor indestructible. People do know that human activities damage the oceans. Eight in
ten reject the idea that the oceans are so large that it is unlikely humans can cause lasting damage to
them. A similar percentage rejects the idea that they don't need to worry about the health of the oceans
because we will develop new technologies to keep them clean. Importantly, even though they do not
know why or how, the public understands that oceans are critical to maintaining the balance of life on the
planet. Fully 92% of Americans consider the oceans essential for human survival.

At the moment, however, Americans remain largely unaware of the threats to ocean health and they
greatly underestimate their own role in damaging the oceans. Most Americans are unable to correctly
answer a majority of simple questions about how the oceans function. For example, only 21% of
Americans know that oceans produce more of the earth's oxygen than forests. And while the poll found
that people believe the oceans are threatened with serious and lasting damage caused by human activities,
most people do not understand the role that each of us plays in the health of the oceans. For example, a
majority of poll participants blame industry as the leading cause of ocean pollution and are much less
aware of other threats to the oceans' health such as those cumulative effects, like runoff. When asked to
choose the main source of ocean pollution among three sources, only 14% of Americans select the

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correct answer— "runoff from yards, pavement, and farms." Most (66%) choose "waste dumped by
industry," and 16% believe most pollution is from trash and litter washed into the oceans from beaches.
Nearly half of the respondents agree with the statement: "what I do in my life doesn't impact ocean health
much at all." There is little realization that each of us of has a major responsibility (and opportunity) for
protecting the health of the oceans and our planet.

Significantly, the poll demonstrates that there is tremendous opportunity for aquariums, zoos and
museums to reach the public with new educational efforts that emphasize both science and the
inspirational and ecological values of healthy oceans. The study identified the importance of connecting
people to the oceans through their values and aesthetic appreciation before attempting to get them to
focus on ocean problems. These institutions are in a unique position to channel the public's love for the
oceans into a sense of individual opportunity and responsibility.

A major role for The Ocean Project to play will be to create a paradigm shift both in the way that people
relate to the oceans and in the way institutions approach connecting people to ocean conservation. The
Project intends to develop and promote people's natural affinity for the oceans through the creation of
messages, communication tools, exhibits, events and projects that mesh science education and
conservation values with memorable experiences about the oceans. Starting in North America and then
expanding around the world, The Ocean Project hopes to identify and encourage people to take more
active roles in protecting oceans locally, nationally and internationally.

For further information or to join in this collaborative effort, contact Bill Mott, The Ocean Project, 102
Waterman Street, Suite 16, Providence, Rhode Island 02906; Phone: (401) 272-8822; FAX: (401) 272-
8877; or Email: bmott@seaweb.org

Or visit the website at www.theoceanproiect.org is c 11 inn1 r >|

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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Disclaimer: The information in this website is entirely drawn from issues of newsletters published
between 1994 and 2002 and these issues will not been updated since the original publication date. Users
are cautioned that information reported at the time of original publication may have become outdated.

Tampa Bay Estuary Program

Researchers working on the Tampa Bay
Estuary Program's atmospheric deposition
project have recently discovered evidence
that the denuder/fiIter pack system, which
collects gaseous and small particulate
nitrogen species, may be missing a large
fraction of particulate nitrate. The filter pack
system is deployed annually in coastal areas,
as recommended by Great Waters, NOAA,
and EPA. Preliminary estimates from Tampa
Bay indicate that as much as 40% of nitrate
in dry fonns may escape the current
collection methods because of interactions
with sea salt crystals. TBEP and its partners
are examining methods for collecting these
larger sea salt particles. Other programs
which are currently using the annual denuder
and filter pack systems to measure

POLK
COUNTY

SARASOTA COUNTY

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atmospheric deposition, particularly over water or near the shoreline, should be aware of this potential
interaction and implications for estimating direct deposition of nitrogen to estuarine waters. For further
information, contact Holly Greening, TBEP Scientist; E-mail: hgreening@tbep.org

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Information und (Ti

^ £^» ! ; - ' -H

Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Emission Standards for New Commercial Marine Diesel Engines

The US EPA has been regulating emissions from highway cars and trucks since the early 1970s, and in
1990 the Clean Air Act Amendments specifically directed EPA to study the contribution of nonroad
engines to urban pollution and regulate them if warranted. "Nonroad" is a tenn that covers a diverse
collection of engines, equipment, and vehicles, including marine vessel engines. In 1991, EPA released a
study documenting emission levels across a broad spectrum of nonroad equipment that were higher than
expected.

Commercial diesel marine engines contribute approximately 5% of the national mobile source nitrogen
oxide (NOx) inventory, and about 1% of the national mobile source particulate matter (PM) inventory. In
areas with large commercial ports or near busy shipping lanes, the contribution of diesel marine engines
to the local inventory of emissions may be much higher. The April issue of Coastlines included an article
entitled "The Effect of Shipping on Air Quality in Coastal and Estuarine Regions," which identified
marine diesel engine emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides, as having
significant impacts on coastal air quality.

In November, 1998, EPA set challenging new standards that will address the air pollution from new
marine diesel engines. The final rule for the action was released on December 29, 1999. Marine diesel
engines are used for propulsion and auxiliary power on commercial vessels in a variety of marine

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applications, including fishing boats, tugboats and towboats, coastal and Great Lakes cargo vessels,
crewboats, and supply vessels. The emission standards, summarized in Table 1, apply to new engines
made after the listed dates. The new rule does not affect used or rebuilt engines made before these dates,
unless they were not previously marine engines, or if they are installed in new vessels. These EPA
emission standards supersede the NOx limits adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
for these engines.

Table 1

U.S. EPA Emission Standards and Dates for Marine Diesel Engines*

Category

Displacement

Starting Date

NOx+HC (g/kW-hr)

PM (g/kW-hr)

CO (g/kW-hr)

disp. <5.0 liters/cylinder

2004

7.2

0.20

5.0

disp. >5.0 liters/cylinder

2007

7.8

0.27

5.0

U.S. EPA Emission Standards and Dates for Marine Diesel Engines*

*This is a simplified table to show the approximate standards and dates for the different categories and
sub-categories of marine diesel engines.

The main responsibility for meeting the new requirements will fall upon the engine manufacturers.
Manufacturers of marine diesel engines must certify with the EPA that they will produce each engine to
operate with the low emissions outlined in the regulations over its lifetime. Boat builders, operators, and
rebuilders are responsible for keeping each engine in its certified configuration. EPA intends to cooperate
with the Coast Guard to oversee the industry to ensure compliance with these new requirements.

Manufacturers are expected to use all the available time (to 2004 and 2007) to develop and
commercialize the needed technologies. Most of the effort will be in adapting the same technologies that
companies will use for land-based nonroad engines.

It is expected that the emission standards will reduce NOx emissions from these engines by 24% and PM
emissions by 12% in 2030, when the program is fully established. These emission reductions will be
especially important in the areas around commercial ports and heavily populated coasts, reducing ozone
and particulate air quality problems that cause respiratory health problems for many people.

Gasoline outboards and personal watercraft contribute about 5% of the national mobile source volatile
organic carbon (VOC) inventory. However, in areas with large boat populations, the contribution of these
recreational marine engines may exceed 10% of the regional hydrocarbon (HC) inventory. These engines
typically employ 2-stroke technology, which has changed very little over the last 50 years. In July, 1996,
regulations were put in place to control exhaust emissions from new outboards. The emission controls for
these engines involve increasingly stringent standards over the course of a nine-year phase-in period
beginning in model year 1998. By the end of each phase-in, each manufacturer must meet an emission
standard, on a corporate-average basis, that represents a 75% reduction in HC compared to unregulated
levels.

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For further information, contact Alan Stout, US EPA; Phone: (734) 214-4805; E-mail:
stout.alan@epa.gov or visit the website: www.epa.gov/otaq/marine.htm

Coastal and Estuarine Risk Assessment Forum

A forum on Coastal and Estuarine Risk Assessment will be held during July 20-21, 2000 in Virginia
at the College of William and Mary. The forum will focus on the science of determining exposure,
effect, and risk in coastal and estuarine environments. Emphasis will be placed on the logical
framework for assessing causation, as well as measurement of contaminant fate and toxicity in these
systems. The application deadline is April 30, 2000.

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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Green Seniors

The Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement (EASI) is a non-profit organization established in
1991 as the result of an agreement between the US EPA and the American Association of Retired
Persons (AARP). The volunteer effort of thousands of seniors has been harnessed to improve the
environment, one community at a time, through a network of Senior Environment Corps under the EASI
program.

The EASI program has resulted in significant progress in
improving the environment in a very short time, while
providing a positive impact on older people across this
nation and the world. There are currently over 20,000
volunteers in more than 300 senior environmental volunteer
programs in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia.

EASI estimates there will be over 1,250,000 seniors involved
in the program by the end of 2005. The success of these
programs has led to the establishment of EASI Senior
Environment Corps in England (1998), Scotland (1998) and
Ireland (1999). EASI plans to help start the Holland Senior
Environment Corps in 2000.

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Senior Environment Corps members are actively involved in many different projects, based on the needs
of the local community. Many of these activities are intergenerational and volunteers enjoy the added
satisfaction of working closely with young people to share their wisdom and life experiences. Examples
of volunteer projects include monitoring the water quality of local lakes and streams, planting trees to
create stream buffer zones, staffing nature and recycling centers, testing drinking water wells for possible
contamination, participating in community Brownfields projects, planting and maintaining urban
gardens, teaching environmental education in schools, assessing the potential sources of ground water
contamination, and more.

The first statewide EASI Senior Environment Corps was started in Pennsylvania in 1997. Focused on
water quality, the program has mobilized hundreds of volunteers to carry out quality-assured chemical,
biological and habitat assessments. Volunteers enter the data into an electronic database created
specifically for collecting and maintaining this water quality monitoring data. Volunteers on this project
have performed chemical monitoring at over 400 sites along Pennsylvania waterways, carried out
biological and habitat assessments at over 300 of these sites, and entered over 1,600 records into the
database.

Last year, EASI received the National Award for Sustainability from the President's Council on
Sustainable Development and Renew America, as well as the United Nation's Global 500 Roll of Honour
Award, for implementing Pennsylvania's statewide program. The model was replicated in Virginia in
1999 and California will undertake its statewide EASI Senior Environment Corps in 2000.

With funds from a recent grant from the US EPA, EASI is expanding senior environmental volunteer
activities to directly help protect source water throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma
and Texas. Ten EASI Senior Environment Corps will be set up to recruit and train senior citizens to
perform a variety of activities related to source water protection, nonpoint source pollution, watershed
management and restoration, and water quality monitoring. Volunteers will learn how to educate their
communities about water issues and how to use the innovative "Groundwater Simulator," a teaching tool
for demonstrating how a community's water supply can become contaminated.

A unique new program is underway at the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Cape Cod &
Islands, Massachusetts, which has managed an active EASI Senior Environment Corps for over two
years. With a $142,000 federal grant from the Corporation for National Service, it will create the first-
ever AmeriCorps program composed entirely of people over the age of 55. AmeriCorps is a federal
volunteer program that began in 1993. In exchange for a year of full-time (1,700 hours) or part-time (900
hours) service, AmeriCorps members receive a modest living stipend and earn a post-service education
award. During the year, members will dedicate 18,000 hours of service and create six chapters of their
Senior Environment Corps. One of their projects involves ammunitions clean-up at Camp Edwards,
where volunteers will scour the sand trenches for bullets used by soldiers in World War II. Another
project involves water quality testing, including macroinvertebrate identification. This is an engaging
activity, ideal for involving grade-school children because it requires getting into swampy places and
counting organisms like worms and insect larvae.

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In addition to providing important scientific monitoring information and making tangible improvements
to the environment, EASI volunteers remain an active force in the community and increase opportunities
for intergenerational cooperation. EASI volunteers have already achieved a tremendous amount and look
forward to future environmental accomplishments. "Together we are the stewards of our environmental
heritage - a legacy that will be inherited by our children's children."

For further information about the Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement or how to start a
Senior Environment Corps in your community, visit the website at www.easi.org lEMrd.n^iimTfrl or

contact EASI, 8733 Old Dumfries Road, Catlett, VA 20119; Phone: (540) 788-3274; Fax: (540) 788-
9301; or E-mail: easi@easi.org

Second Edition Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for
Watershed Protection Now Available!

In 1997, the US EPS's Office of Water published the first edition of the Catalog of Federal
Funding Sources for Watershed Protection to help organizations locate federal support. The
overshelmingly positive response prompted an update of the Catalog in 1999. The second
edition highlights federal grants and loans that may be used at the local level to support
watershed projects, and it contains references to many other good publications and web sites on
funding and technical assistance. The document is available to view or download from the
Internet at www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/fund.html.

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Information und (Ti

^ £^» ! ; - ' -H

Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Coastal Partnerships initiative: Florida's New "Remarkable Coastal
Places" Program

Florida's coastal communities all have unique resources that define their community identities and
economic prosperity. Structural resources, such as historical lighthouses, old fishing villages, or early
tourist attractions, and natural resources, such as primordial springs or endangered coastal habitat, give
special character to many coastal areas in Florida. Often they lie off the beaten path, forgotten by
residents and neglected by government. Sometimes they are threatened by impending development or
eroding shorelines. Despite the numerous state and federal programs targeting coastal resources for
protection, many programs cannot address the particular needs of these unique places.

Remarkable Coastal Places was initiated by the Florida Coastal Management Program (FCMP) this year
to try to better address these needs. This is a grant and technical assistance program that encourages
communities to identify places with exceptional cultural, historical, and ecological values, and helps
them apply planning and management tools necessary to preserve and protect these places. Remarkable
Coastal Places is only one strategy within the FCMP's overall Coastal Partnerships Initiative, but it is a
major piece that the FCMP intends to expand in future years.

This summer, communities will again be encouraged to submit proposals to the Florida Coastal
Management Program to protect remarkable places. The FCMP will be looking for projects that require

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the kind of technical assistance that is not always available through traditional grant funding avenues.
Proposed projects might include developing conservation plans for an endangered habitat area,
establishing long-term administrative management for a particular resource, or creating and
implementing a comprehensive public information campaign to educate local residents about a unique
natural resource.

Remarkable Coastal Places differs from most programs in that after an applicant's proposal is accepted,
staff of the FCMP and the applicant collaborate in designing the final project scope and deliverables.
Based on the needs of the applicant, the FCMP may take an active part in implementing the project. In
addition to the maximum of $25,000 that is available to the applicant, the FCMP will incorporate
technical assistance tools into the project scope. For example, the FCMP might agree to develop a
number of training workshops for local government officials and residents, bring in other state agencies
to assist in management or permitting activities, or help to facilitate a strategic planning process. Any
tools included in the scope of work are customized to the specific needs of the project. The funding
notice for Remarkable Coastal Places will be available in the late summer of 2000, and project proposals
will be due in the fall of the year. Funding will begin July, 2001 and run for 12 months.

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Information und (Ti

^ £^» ! ; - ' -H

Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Marineland Designated as First "Remarkable Coastal Place"

The history of Marineland is relatively unknown to many Florida residents and out-of-state tourists alike.
In 1938, Comelious Vanderbilt Whitney, Count Ilia Tolstoy, Sherman Pratt, and Douglas Bourden
created a vi sionary undertaking called Marine Studios for the purpose of making underwater movies,
which heretofore had been an inaccessible environment. This theme park was located on highway AlA
near the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida. The whole concept sparked such public interest that tens
of thousands of people flocked to see what was going on, and the line of parked cars on opening day
stretched for miles along Highway AlA. A new word entered the English language-"oceanarium"-to
describe what had been created. For a time, Marineland was the state's top commercial attraction, and
today the oceanarium tanks are listed on the National Register of Flistoric Places.

What is less well appreciated is that the site chosen for the new oceanarium had previously been in use
by local Native Americans for several thousand years. Whitney and his partners thought that they had an
ideal site because it had clean ocean water, was located near a inlet where animals could be easily
collected and brought into the display tanks, and was accessible to people. The fact that others thought
this an ideal site is revealed by the fact that the earliest documented period of occupation dates from the
2,000-1,000 B.C. period, and that shell middens from the Native Americans' extensive exploitation of
coastal lagoons stretch for two miles from the Matanzas Inlet through the Marineland property.

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Modern day development has had a different focus; within the town limits there remain several
ecologically significant environments, including a high-energy beach, sand dunes, a unique coquina
outcrop on the beach at the southern town limits, coastal scrub, maritime hammock, and salt marsh.
About 90 acres of this land were acquired by the Town of Marineland and Flagler County using a Florida
Communities Trust Preservation 2000 grant, and the River to Sea Preserve at Marineland was
established. This preserves an environmentally significant corridor connecting the ocean and the river
and will protect existing natural communities, allow restoration of portions of the dune system and
coastal scrub, and open the site to the public for passive land and water-based recreational uses. All of
this has been accomplished in the face of a steady march of oceanfront construction toward Marineland
from both the north and the south.

Today Marineland faces financial difficulties related to the bankruptcy of the original park operators and
the fact that the town's tax base cannot support adequate local government activities. Currently, the
Marineland property is divided among four stakeholders: 1) Flagler County and the Town of Marineland,
who jointly own the 90-acre River to Sea Preserve; 2) Marine Park of Flagler, a private organization
interested in developing a sustainable environmental village; 3) the Marineland Foundation, a non-profit,
501(c)3 corporation interested in maintaining the attraction as a continuing operation; 4) the University
of Florida's Whitney Research Laboratory and Sea Grant College. There is also the possibility that one
headquarters office for the Gauna Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve will be
located on the property. However, the town and its "residents" are in need of organizing themselves in a
way that can meld the interests of all while conserving the features that give the place its charm.

Marineland was designated as the first of Florida Coastal Management Program's Remarkable Coastal
Places in October. Its stakeholders are now working with the Florida Coastal Management Program staff
to finalize a project scope that is set to begin in July. Through the Remarkable Coastal Places process,
Marineland hopes to develop a strategic plan that will enable its stakeholders to conserve the many assets
of Marineland. Specific needs are to redevelop the town center in order to provide a sustainable tax base
that will support the research, education, and tourism programs of the various stakeholders. Other goals
of the project include tapping into expertise in public financing and comprehensive planning, updating
the existing comprehensive plan, and educating the public about the educational and recreational
facilities available in the town.

For further information on this Remarkable Coastal Places project or to discuss possible project ideas,
please contact Teresa Divers at the Florida Coastal management Program; Phone: (850) 414-6558 Email:
teresa.divers@dca.state.fl.us

Reprinted with permission from Florida's Spring 2000 Coastal Currents newsletter.

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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Cape Cod Coastal Embayment Project

During the late 1980s, Cape Cod's attention was focused on a growing environmental crisis in Waquoit
Bay. The shores of Waquoit Bay, located in Massachusetts, and the site of a National Estuarine Research
Reserve, was covered on numerous occasions with thousands of dead glass shrimp, lump fish, and crabs,
all deprived of oxygen by decaying vegetation on the bay's bottom. Obvious signs of coastal water
quality degradation had arrived in dramatic fashion on Cape Cod.

Since that time, local, state, and national concern for degradation of water quality and ecosystem function
in near-coastal waters through nutrient overloading has grown, encouraging funding to assess impacted
ecosystems and outline options to address the causes. In some larger coastal embayment systems, like
Chesapeake Bay, significant funding has been committed to characterize these ecosystems, develop
nutrient flow models, and use the information to develop management strategies to restore systems to
selected targets. However, the problems are not only confined to large systems; smaller systems are
seeing similar degradation from development in their watersheds.

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On Cape Cod, 43 smaller embayment systems are
threatened by increasing populations and decreasing
open space in their watersheds. The Cape Cod
Commission, a regional planning agency, has been
working with a number of educational and
environmental agencies and organizations to assess
the sensitivity of these coastal systems to
development within their watersheds and implement
strategies to attain meaningful restoration and
improvement of coastal water quality. The
Commission's efforts have led to the development of
policies and regulations that limit nitrogen loads
from proposed developments to no net increase or an
embayment-specific annual nitrogen loading limit
(on a pounds per acre basis) based on its tidal
flushing characteristics.

During the development of these policies and
regulations in the early 1990's, concerns were raised
that even rudimentary assessments had not been
completed for the majority of the coastal embayments surrounding Cape Cod. In 1991, the Buzzards Bay
Project National Estuary Program (BBP) published recommended nitrogen loading limits that were
subsequently adopted by the Commission and used in regulatory reviews on Cape Cod. However, the
BBP limits required site-specific assessments of tidal flushing, delineation of embayment watersheds,
and existing and future buildout analysis of watershed nitrogen loads.

To address this need for basic assessment information, the Commission began the Cape Cod Coastal
Embayment Project in 1993. The project was largely funded through a grant from Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and an annual commitment of Commission funds. The
project began by creating a regional watershed map and prioritizing embayments, based upon the
likelihood that they would be sensitive to nutrient impacts.

While this effort was underway, detailed tidal flushing studies for nine embayments were already being
completed and the results from these studies were used with the BBP-recommended nitrogen limits to
develop specific embayment and sub-embayment nitrogen limits. The Commission has continued to
provide funding and seek DEP grant funds for the development of additional tidal flushing models,
nitrogen loading assessments, and gathering of water quality information. Tidal flushing studies have
been completed for 19 of the 43 major embayments and nitrogen loading assessments have been
completed for at least 60 subwatersheds and watersheds.

Cape Cod communities have begun using these assessments as springboards for discussions on nutrient
management strategies, wastewater management, upgrades of community and private wastewater
treatment systems, citizen volunteer water quality monitoring programs, and associated costs for
mitigation options. Recently, the state has funded local citizen water quality monitoring programs. Given

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CAPE COD

COMMISSION

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appropriate training and technical guidance, citizens' monitoring programs provide initial water quality
information for many embayments, while educating local citizens on nutrient loading issues. In many
cases, the assessment data has prompted towns to adopt regulations limiting nitrogen loading, while other
towns have begun the effort of evaluating wastewater treatment options and potential costs. Rather than
focusing only on upgrading town-owned centralized treatment facilities, more recent wastewater
planning activities are much more comprehensive and include addressing nutrient concerns in surface
waters.

The activities over the last ten years have led to a review of the BBP recommended nitrogen limits,
nitrogen loading methods, watershed delineation methods, on-site wastewater treatment technologies,
centralized wastewater treatment technologies, costs for wastewater technologies, management of
wastewater technologies, and local, Commission, and state regulations. The Commission, BBP,
University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Center for Marine Science and Technology, Marine
Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, other organizations, consulting firms, and
state, federal, and town governments are engaged in active discussions about the required content and
form of many of these activities.

With all the current activity at state and federal levels to resolve issues associated with 303d lists and
TMDLs in mind, the Commission has been encouraging additional efforts to resolve some of the
questions regarding protection strategies and implementation of management efforts. Among these
questions are:

•	What are appropriate regulatory nitrogen limits for coastal embayments? How clean is clean?

•	What components of an ecosystem should be assessed before implementing management options?

•	How much data should be collected before decisions can be based on the assessment? How should
the data be collected?

•	Are on-site denitrifying septic systems appropriate technologies to rely on to limit nitrogen loads?

•	What sort of legal structures are needed to ensure effective management of wastewater throughout
a watershed?

•	What changes are necessary in state, county, and local regulations to ensure effective water
quality management?

Review of the nitrogen limits has indicated that many embayments are more sensitive to nitrogen loads
than previously thought. However, even if plans are made to meet the existing recommended limits, the
costs associated with attaining these limits will be a matter for vigorous public debate. Every poll ever
completed on Cape Cod has identified water quality as the primary concern of citizens, and they have
supported regulations limiting housing densities and restricting the use of hazardous materials in order to
protect drinking water quality. Protection of coastal water quality on Cape Cod, however, will require
replacement of the existing wastewater infrastructure and changes in how wastewater is managed. The
public will need to be educated on the implications of their wastewater management choices (e.g., will
we have shellfish and eelgrass?). Much of this debate will be focused on two questions most important to
the general public: How much is it going to cost and who is going to pay for it?

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For further information, contact Eduard Eichner, Cape Cod Commission, 3225 Main St. PO BOX 226,
Barnstable, MA 02630-0226; Phone: (508) 362-3828; FAX: (508) 362-3136; E-mail: water@cape.com
or visit the website: www.capecodcommission.org |i:\i i

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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Disclaimer: The information in this website is entirely drawn from issues of newsletters published
between 1994 and 2002 and these issues will not been updated since the original publication date. Users
are cautioned that information reported at the time of original publication may have become outdated.

Fish Return Quickly to Restored Salt Marshes

Over the past 100 years, salt marshes in the Gulf of Maine in northern New England have experienced
numerous human impacts: they have been ditched and drained to lessen mosquito breeding, filled for
building projects, and tidal flow has been channeled and restricted, typically under roadways. It is
estimated that human impacts have contributed to the loss of nearly half of New England's salt marsh
acreage. Even though the Clean Water Act (Section 404) has protected salt marshes from direct human
impacts such as filling since its passage in 1972, indirect impacts continue to degrade many of our
remaining marshes.

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Decreased tidal flow in salt marshes resulting from
human activity causes a shift from the common
species of salt marsh plants to invasive species
which thrive at reduced flooding and reduced soil
salinity, including common reed (Phragmites
australis), purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
and narrow leaf cattail (Typha angustifolia). As the
height and frequency of tidal flooding decrease,
large areas often become colonized with monotypic
stands of these plants, leading to a dramatic decline
of biodiversity and support of wildlife, including
fish.

These undesirable effects of decreased tidal flow have prompted greater interest in restoring degraded
salt marshes in northern New England. The most common methods of restoration to improve tidal flow
include digging channels and constructing new culverts or increasing an existing culvert's size. In both
cases, the aim is to restore the original hydrologic regime, including flooding height, duration, and
frequency. Other restoration projects create salt marsh directly, either in upland areas, or by restoring
degraded shorelines. Sites are configured to flood at appropriate intervals, and low salt marsh species are
planted to complete the project.

A recent study compared fish use of restored, created, and natural marshes in four marshes in southern
Maine and New Hampshire. In Stratham, New Hampshire, two of the four restored marshes were
deprived of tidal exchange in the past. Another restored marsh, in Rye, New Hampshire, was used as a
disposal site for dredged materials. The fourth restored marsh, in Wells, Maine, was impounded for use
as a pasture during the 1800s. In all four cases, improved tidal flow to the marshes was the means of
restoration. Increased culvert size and excavated channels were used in the selected marshes to improve
tidal flow and re-establish salt marsh environments. The created marshes in this study were established as
mitigation for the expansion of the Port of New Hampshire in the early- to mid-1990s. Degraded
shoreline at these locations was reconfigured, and fine-grained sediment was brought in and contoured to
appropriate elevations to allow tidal flooding of the low marsh. The sites were then planted with salt
marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). For the study, each restored and created marsh was paired with a
nearby, relatively healthy and undisturbed salt marsh as a reference site.

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The study found that fish use of both the
created and restored marshes rose to
levels similar to the local unaltered
reference marshes as soon as one month
after the creation or restoration was
accomplished. These similarities
persisted over time, and have been
measured for up to eight years at one of
the studied marshes. Fish assemblages
were similar in the restored, created, and
paired reference marshes. The results of
the study showed that similar kinds of
fish in similar numbers quickly and
persistently used restored marshes as habitat. Fish may utilize marshes restored by culvert enlargement or
culvert flap removal to a greater extent than they utilize marshes restored by digging new channels or
deepening existing channels. These differences in fish utilization may arise because these two restoration
strategies affect tidal regime in different ways; culvert enhancement is more likely to increase overall
diurnal flooding of the marsh surface than excavated or deepened channels.

While restoring salt marshes may yield large amounts of fish habitat relatively quickly, restoration efforts
are often met with strong resistance. Barriers that stand in the way of the removal of tidal flow
restrictions include political, social and economic factors. In highly developed coastal zones, many
property owners perceive increased tidal flow as a threat to property value. Once local stakeholders see
that habitat benefits and reduced spring flooding outweigh the risks of restoration projects, strategies that
remove berins and flap gates and deepen ditches are often utilized.

The results of this study suggest other investigations that could be pursued in future research. For
example, a spring run of American shad (Alosa sapidissima), an important migratory game fish, was
observed at one of the restored marshes where tidal flow had been eliminated for 25 years. An
examination of how transitory and migratory fish species utilize restored, created, and undisturbed salt
marshes might be useful. Future study focusing on the long-term survival and growth of fishes in these
areas would provide valuable information 011 the long-term benefits of salt marsh restoration projects.

Improving tidal flushing in degraded Gulf of Maine salt marshes quickly increases habitat, and, as this
study showed, fish rapidly move into newly available marsh areas. The bottom line is, "If you build it,
they will come."

For further infonnation, read "Fish utilization of restored, created, and reference salt-marsh habitat in the
Gulf of Maine" by M. Dionne, F.T. Short, and D.M. Burdick, in the American Fisheries Society
Symposium, volume 22, pp. 384-404, published in 1999, or contact Fred Short at the University of New
Hampshire, Email: fred.short@unh.edu.

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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Long Island Sound

Autumn, 1999, marked the beginning of significant lobster mortalities in western Long Island Sound. In
response to Connecticut and New York Governors Rowland and Pataki's December, 1999, request for
disaster assistance under the sustainable Fisheries Act amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Act,
Commerce Secretary William Daly declared the region a disaster area. Currently, officials and scientists
from New York and Connecticut are examining the possible causes of the mortalities. The disaster
designation could free up millions of dollars in federal aid for 1,200 lobstermen who fish the Sound. The
Long Island Sound lobster fishery is the third largest in the nation, bringing in over $40 million per year.
A workshop on the potential causes of the lobster die-off, scheduled in April by the Long Island Sound
NEP, will be the subject of an article in an upcoming issue of Coastlines.

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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Disclaimer: The information in this website is entirely drawn from issues of newsletters published
between 1994 and 2002 and these issues will not been updated since the original publication date. Users
are cautioned that information reported at the time of original publication may have become outdated.

Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program

The Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program in Corpus Christi, Texas, has been awarded $1,500,000 as
the result of a settlement between EPA/Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission and Koch
Petroleum. Koch has had a number of spill incidents from their pipeline operations over the last few
years. While this funding cannot support staff or other overhead costs, the Coastal Bend Bays &
Estuaries Program will be able to use these funds to implement the Coastal Bend Bays Comprehensive
Conservation and Management Plan.

For further information, contact Theresa Trainor; Phone: (361) 260-3009.

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Information und (Ti

^ £^» ! ; - ' -H

Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Recent Study Suggests Sea Level Rise Could Threaten Beaches
Along U.S. East Coast

Rising sea levels, caused at least in part by global climate change, are already contributing to beach
erosion along the U.S. East Coast and seem likely to do so even more in the future, according to a recent
study published in the scientific journal Eos.

On the U.S. East Coast, over 80% of beaches have experienced erosion over the last 150 years. There is,
say the study's authors, "likely a global cause for the pervasive erosion phenomenon," but the cause is not
immediately obvious. Storms are a major contributor to beach erosion, "but there is no apparent overall
increase in storminess this century." In addition, human interference, often also a factor, "is neither
worldwide in extent nor uniform regionally."

However, the authors note, "what nearly all of the earth has experienced during the last century is an
increase of relative sea level." Global mean temperature has increased about 0.5 degrees Celsius in the
20th century. This temperature rise could be responsible for a significant portion (up to about 1/2) of the
observed global sea level rise of nearly 20 cm during that period, due to thermal expansion of the oceans
and melting of small glaciers. An increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is
expected to raise global temperatures 1.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius in the 21st century and cause accelerated
sea level rise. If it does, it will exacerbate already severe beach erosion problems along the highly

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developed U.S. East Coast, and oceanic beaches everywhere else."

In conclusion, the authors note that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects a
further global sea level rise of 20 cm by 2050; combined with ongoing regional post-glacial subsidence,
sea levels along the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland will rise about 40 cm during that
period. "This projected rise," they conclude, "will result in as much as 60 meters of erosion on average,
about two times the average beach width, causing enormous problems for the many cities on the beach in
these highly urbanized coastal areas."

For further information, read the article in American Geophysical Union's EOS Transactions, February 8,
2000 entitled Sea level rise and coastal erosion, by Leatherman, S.P., K. Zhang, and B. Douglas. Or
contact Bruce C. Douglas, Srenior Research Scientist, Department of Geography, University of Maryland
at College Park, College Park, MD 20742; Phone: (301) 405-3203; FAX: (301) 314-9299 or E-mail:
bd54@umail.umd.edu

Reprinted from Sea Web Ocean Update March 31

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Infer vt at ion jftft1

d iNfrCoastal Waters

Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Disclaimer: The information in this website is entirely drawn from issues of newsletters published
between 1994 and 2002 and these issues will not been updated since the original publication date. Users
are cautioned that information reported at the time of original publication may have become outdated.

Tillamook NEP CCMP Released

The signing ceremony celebrating approval of the Tillamook Comprehensive Conservation and
Management Plan (CCMP) was held on February 9th in Tillamook, Oregon. Governor Kitzhaber, EPA
Deputy Regional Administrator, County Commissioners, and members of the Tillamook Nati onal
Estuary Program spoke to approximately 200 attendees. The Governor commended the efforts of the
program and pledged support from the State of Oregon during CCMP implementation. Tillamook is the
21st NEP to gain approval of its CCMP, and is addressing issues related to erosion and sedimentation,
declines in fisheries, flooding, and bacterial contamination. To view or download the CCMP, visit the
website: http://www.co.tillamook.or.us/gov/estuarv/tbnep/ccmp.html |i:\n disuia.mCi >

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Coastlines June 2000

Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Disclaimer: The information in this website is entirely drawn from issues of newsletters published
between 1994 and 2002 and these issues will not been updated since the original publication date. Users
are cautioned that information reported at the time of original publication may have become outdated.

Field Guide for Chesapeake Bay Available

The Chesapeake Bay Program has just completed a new brochure, entitled Chesapeake Bay: Life in the
Shallows. The brochure has illustrations of a number of bay organisms on one side, and an identification
chart for the 12 most common species of underwater bay grasses. The brochure, jointly sponsored by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
Office, is laminated and intended for use in the field.

For further information, contact Sandi Van Horn, Phone: (410) 267-5756.

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Coastlines June 2000

Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Rivers Journal Website

A new website offering abstracts from the peer-reviewed journal RIVERS is now available. RIVERS is a
refereed publication that offers an interdisciplinary forum for research and professional literature
addressing the issues of in stream flow. Manuscripts that relate to in stream flow in North America or that
offer a strong transnational in stream flow application are encouraged. RIVERS is committed to
aggregating the various instream flow specialties in one publication, presenting a balance in scholarship
reflecting both the theory and application of instream flow, and providing an open forum that facilitates
an ongoing dialogue between scientists and managers. The journal's central focus on research findings,
policy analyses, and practical management experiences provides a wide range of information for the
instream flow specialist confronted with technical and political problems in the management of instream
uses of water.

For further information, visit the website at www.instreamflow.com (No Longer Available).

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Infer vt at ion jftft1

d iNfrCoastal Waters

Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Historic USGS Maps Online

Ever wondered what a landform might have looked like 100 years ago? Fifty year ago? The University of
New Hampshire (UNH) recently placed historic USGS maps of the New England states on-line. This
web site will help environmental managers compare historic land uses with newer maps to understand
how land use changes may have occurred. The United States Geological Survey began its topographic
atlas of the United States in 1882. The UNIT Dim on d Library's Government Documents Department
holds a working collection of over 55,000 current paper USGS maps. This online collection of USGS
topographic maps includes complete geographical coverage of New England from the 1890s to 1950s.
Some people may ask, why aren't current maps placed on the website? The answer is, simply, that current
maps are readily available in both paper form and on CD-ROM from a number of sources. They are also
often available in the larger public libraries. Historic maps are not readily available, which is why this
web site was created.

To view historic USGS maps visit the web site at http://docs.unh.edu/ \vxnw is da mn-ry

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Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Disclaimer: The information in this website is entirely drawn from issues of newsletters published
between 1994 and 2002 and these issues will not been updated since the original publication date. Users
are cautioned that information reported at the time of original publication may have become outdated.

Online Catalogue of Tools for Watershed Protection

The Center for Watershed Protection offers an on-line catalogue of watershed protection tools, where
you can find books and CD-ROMs on rapid watershed planning, stonnwater systems, site design and
more. Prices range from $3 to $60 for various items, which includes shipping. For further information,
contact the Center for Watershed Protection, Phone: (410) 461-8323; Fax: (410) 461-8324; or visit

http://centerforwatershedprotection.goemerchant7.com/ |r\ir«ii!»L-iaimtT>| or visit

http://www.cwp.org/tools protection .htm |i:xar«i iMlain>LT>

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k

I

Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only.
Although the information provided here was accurate and current
when first created, it is now outdated.

Disclaimer: The information in this website is entirely drawn from issues of newsletters published
between 1994 and 2002 and these issues will not been updated since the original publication date. Users
are cautioned that information reported at the time of original publication may have become outdated.

Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program

Using Baffle Boxes to Treat Stormwater
CHARACTERISTICS

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Located along Florida's east coast between the mainland and barrier
islands, the Indian River Lagoon stretches 155 miles from Volusia
County to Palm Beach County. The Lagoon has been labeled as the
most diverse estuary in North America - a blend of salt and
freshwater within both the temperate and subtropical climatic zones -
with a biological diversity of more than 4,300 species of plants and
animals. This natural productivity and diversity makes the Indian
River Lagoon one of Florida's most popular fishing destinations,
with more than one million anglers visiting the region annually.

Tremendous strides have been made to protect the Lagoon, which
contributes $731 million annually to the economy. Protection
initiatives include passage of Florida's Surface Water Improvement
and Management Act in 1987, and the inclusion of the Lagoon in the
federally funded, locally managed National Estuary Program in
1991 .The Proem

The Problem

The Indian River Lagoon watershed historically was long and narrow, draining approximately 1,000
square miles. For more than a century, projects were undertaken to develop or reclaim lands for
agricultural and urban development. These projects involved altering hydrology to control flood waters
or lowering the water table by draining these water to the Indian River Lagoon. The size of these projects
ranged from a few acres or less to hundreds of square miles. As a result, the drainage basin of the Indian
River Lagoon has doubled in size to more than 2,000 square miles.

Many of these projects were completed prior to present-day stormwater treatment requirements. As a
result, these systems have little or no stormwater retention, detention or treatment capabilities to remove
pollutants before they reach the Indian River Lagoon. In addition to reducing salinities in the Lagoon, the
large input of stormwater carries pollutants and sediments. Stormwater discharges represent the largest
nonpoint source of pollution to the Indian River Lagoon. The Lagoon receives 2,600 tons of nitrogen,
351 tons of phosphorus and 60,000 tons of suspended solids annually through nonpoint source runoff. By
2010, these figures are expected to increase by 30, 21 and 16%, respectively, unless corrective action is
taken.

Over the years these discharges have resulted in muck or ooze deposits and sedimentation in the Lagoon
and its tributaries. The sedimentation has caused seagrass bed losses with resulting impacts to fisheries
and other valuable resources in the Indian River Lagoon.

Introduction to Indian River Lagoon

The Indian River Lagoon is located on the east coast of Florida and stretches for 155 miles, from Ponce
de Leon Inlet south of Daytona Beach to Jupiter Inlet near West Palm Beach. The drainage basin
encompasses nearly 2,280 square miles, and includes 145 square miles of coastal mangrove, wetland and
seagrass habitats. The Lagoon is located in a zone where tropical and temperate climates meet. Thus flora

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and fauna contain both tropical and subtropical species, and the Lagoon is considered one of the most
biologically diverse estuaries in North America.

Rapid growth has occurred in the Indian River Lagoon region since 1970.
Between 1970 and 1990, the population within the five counties along the
Lagoon grew by 124%, from 303,000 to 678,000. It is anticipated that by
2010, a population of more than one million will live in the region.

Historically, a gentle, meandering drainage pattern consisting of sloughs,
creeks, rivers, and wetlands was found in the Indian River Lagoon drainage
basin. As the region was settled, most colonization and agricultural activities
occurred in close proximity to the Lagoon. The 1916 Drainage Acts of Florida
allowed the establishment of special taxing districts to promote agricultural
production and flood control. These taxing districts eventually became known
as Drainage Di stricts. Between 1916 and 1950, many of the natural tributary
streams and rivers far to the west, which were historically part of the St. Johns
River or Lake Okeechobee watersheds, were diverted to the Indian River.

Project Overview

To reverse some of the hydrologic alterations of the Lagoon, the St. Johns Water Management District,
which includes Brevard County, has developed a five-year, $80 million comprehensive plan that directs
the District and state, federal and local agencies to work together to divert and treat the flow of major
stormwater drainage systems away from the Lagoon. Sediment and pollutant loadings are being
addressed by removing sediment before it flows into the estuary, through the use of stormwater best
management practices.

With the advent of National Pollution Discharge Elimination Stormwater Permits, many municipalities
are confronted with the daunting task of retrofitting existing stormdrains in developed areas, which can
contain a wide range of pollutants, including oils and heavy metals, yard clippings, fertilizers, pesticides,
pet wastes, dirt and trash, to name a few. The traditional method of treating stormwater in Florida has
been through the use of retention ponds. While this may work for new developments with ample land,
ponds are a less feasible option in older developed areas with no available land or very expensive land.
A new treatment technique was explored using "baffle boxes" which are essentially large tanks placed
inline connecting existing storm drainpipes. Baffle boxes consist of concrete boxes that slow the rate of
stormwater runoff and trap sediments from runoff.

Implementing the Project

Between 1994 and 1996, Brevard County, Florida Surface Water Improvement Division, in cooperation
with the Indian River Lagoon Program, implemented a demonstration project to install baffle boxes at
five sites on Merritt Island, within the Indian River Lagoon drainage basin.

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The concrete or fiberglass baffle boxes are placed inline or at the
end of existing storm drain pipes. Typically 10-15 feet long, 2
feet wider than the pipe, and 6-8 feet high, the box is divided by
weirs into 2 or 3 chambers set at the same level as the pipe invert.

There are trash screens or skimmers to trap floating trash and
yard debris. Manholes are set over each chamber to allow access
for cleaning with vacuum trucks. Installation costs for each baffle
box averages $20,000 - $30,000, depending on the utilities to be
relocated.

The five sites chosen were located within Brevard County,

Florida. The first project site, located at the Sunrise Village Condominiums, and contained a large
(63"x48") drainpipe which drains 3.2 acres of highway and 63 acres of residential property.

The second project involved working with a developer building a Publix Shopping Center. The drainage
system contained 5 acres of highway with curb and gutter drainage, 5 acres of highway with roadside
swales, and 157 acres of residential area. A three-chambered baffle box was poured in place rather than a
pre-cast box, due to the weight of a pre-cast box.

The Merritt Winter Apartments project site drains approximately 3 _ acres of commercial and apartment
land uses. The stormwater system consisted of two existing culverts located in the parking lot of the
apartment building and ultimately to the Indian River Lagoon. A two-chambered baffle box was
configured to combine and treat the outflows into a single box pipe.

The fourth site drains 100 acres, including 12 acres of school, 3 acres
of wetland, 14 acres of undeveloped land and 71 acres of older
residential properties. The drainage outfalls to a dead-end canal with
one opening into the Indian River Lagoon. The canal is completely
filled with muck and sediment. Two existing inlets were replaced with
two pre-cast baffle boxes in series, with a three-chambered and two-
chambered box, respectively. With the heavy sediment loading, it was
expected that the second box would be needed for effective sediment
removal.

The last site drains 2.4 acres of residential land into a canal. Due to
utility conflicts, the existing inlet was kept and the baffle box was
installed behind it. An exfiltration trench was built downstream of the
box to test combining best management practices. At the end of the
exfiltration trench a weir was installed to store water in the trench;
when higher flows occur water will overflow and drain to the canal.

Both water quality monitoring and maintenance are ongoing at the sites. Initially, a private company
cleaned the baffle boxes at a cost of approximately $800 a day or $38,400 per year for these boxes. At
the beginning of the project the boxes were cleaned monthly. Currently the boxes are cleaned once a year
with County resources, reducing the annual maintenance costs.

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Success of the Project

Baffle boxes are effective at removing sediments and some floating debris but have limited effectiveness
at nutrient removal. Results of monitoring and maintenance indicate a high sediment removal rate.
Between all five sites, a total of 518,934 pounds of sediment, mud, lawn waste and trash have been
removed from these baffle boxes which otherwise would have ended up in the Lagoon.

The ability to pinpoint areas which have unusually high existing loadings was an unforeseen outcome of
the project. For instance, at Sunrise Village, a site which had some of the highest sediment loadings,
stream bank stabilization remediation projects upstream helped to decrease the heavy loadings to the box.

The inline installation makes baffle boxes ideal for connection to existing pipes which require minimal
easements and utility relocations. This system offers a solution for many areas where retention ponds are
neither cost effective nor politically feasible. Since this demonstration project was implemented, 34
baffle boxes have been installed throughout Brevard County! Brevard County intends to continue to
monitor these boxes, improve their design, and install 3-5 more baffle boxes per year.

Lessons Learned

• Costs ranged from $16,298 to $28,435 and were dependent on pipe
sizes, depth of pipes, base flows in pipes, groundwater elevations,
utility relocations and pavement restoration. Brevard County has
about 2,000 outfalls and many are small diameter pipes. Installing a
$20,000 baffle box at each outfall would not be cost effective.

However, for larger outfalls, where there is no right-of-way
available, the costs are justifiable.

• Baffle boxes are effective for sediment removal in small to medium
size drainage basins. Baffle boxes are not effective for nutrient
removal, but can be more effective when combined with exfiltration
trenches.

• The tradeoff for the low cost treatment method is the perpetual
maintenance expense, although maintenance costs are highly dependent on rainfall events. The
maintenance costs have decreased because of droughts in the area.

• Traditional water monitoring techniques do not effectively determine many of the pollutants
found in storm water, such as yard clippings trash.

• Maintenance and cleaning of baffle boxes is essential for effectiveness and should be incorporated
into the placement of the box. It is recommended that a manhole for cleaning be placed over each
chamber.

• The trash screens will trap floatables but during high flows are designed to release, losing the
accumulated trash.

For further information, contact Gordon England, Brevard County Surface Water Improvement Division;

Phone: (321) 984-4904; or E-mail: swi@manatee.brev.lib.fl.us. Or Johnnie D. Ainsley, Indian River

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KIVEK
LAGOOft
PROGRAM^

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Lagoon Program; Phone: (321) 984-4904 or (800) 226-3747 (within Florida); Fax: (321) 984-4937; or E-
mail: johnnie ainsley@district.sjrwmd.state.fl.us

Visit the Indian River Lagoon Web sites at http://www.sirwind.com/prograins/outreach/irlnep/index.html
or http://sir.state.fl.us/programs/acq restoration/s water/irl/irl.html \txn\i jyc]iirHlr>|

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