Item B09
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: 20 September 2001
Division:
Growth Management
Bulk Item: Yes -L No
Department: Marine Resources
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Request to submit a grant application to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for $130,000 to
provide for additional pump-out facilities in the Florida Keys.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
Grant funds are being made available through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as part of the
settlement with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines resulting from a pollution case. These funds are to be
used in projects focusing on restoration and habitat improvement in South Florida and the Florida
Keys. With the creation of the pending No Discharge Zone, staff believes it would be appropriate to
secure additional grant funds for pump-out facilities in the Keys to augment the $50,000 in grant
monies anticipated from a Coastal Impact Assistance Program grant.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
5/16/01- Approval to apply for a Coastal Impact Assistance Program grant for moorings and pumpouts.
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
NA
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Approval
TOTAL COST:
$180.000
BUDGETED: Yes
No
COST TO COUNTY: None
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes
No-X AMOUNTPERMONTH_ Year
APPROVED BY: County Atty NA
Risk Management NA
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL:
DOCUMENTATION:
Included -L
To Follow_
Not Required_
DISPOSITION:
AGENDAITEM#~'
Project Proposal
1) Contact Information:
George Garrett
Monroe County Department of Marine Resources
2798 Overseas Hwy., Suite 420
(305) 289-2507
Fax (305) 289-2536
e-mail: garrettgeo@hotmail.com
2) Title:
Florida Keys Vessel Pump-Out Project
3) Proiect Description/Obiectives:
In an effort to address increasing boating impacts, particularly in regards to heavily used
anchorages and liveaboard issues, Monroe County is in the process of designing and
implementing a system of managed mooring fields throughout the Florida Keys. These mooring
fields are being used as a management strategy to address benthic damage, derelict and
abandoned vessels, haphazard and overcrowded anchoring conditions, but most importantly the
illegal dumping of raw sewage from liveaboard vessels.
Liveaboards have proliferated throughout Monroe County and are significantly
contributing to reduced water quality in these Class III waters. Monroe County is coordinating
efforts with the Florida Department of Environmental Projection (DEP), the Environmental
Protection Agency (EP A), and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) to address
this situation which continues to threaten are nearshore waters. The state and federal agencies
are supporting Monroe County in it's development of a Keys-Wide Mooring Field System. In
addition, the EP A is moving forward with the designation of a No Discharge Zone (NDZ) for all
the state waters in the Florida Keys, which is expected to be approved by early 2002.
There are currently twenty-eight pumpout facilities throughout the entire Keys, many of
which either cannot or do not facilitate liveaboard boaters. Of the dozen or so crowded
liveaboard anchorages in the Keys only one area has suitable facilities; that facility is located on
Boot Key Harbor where Monroe County has just created it's first managed mooring field. With
the planned implementation of a NDZ, and the proposal for the creation of additional mooring
fields it is imperative that new pump out facilities are created that can handle the increasing
demand, and thereby help boaters comply with existing, and more stringent future regulations
regarding waste disposal.
Monroe County is receiving financial assistance for the proposed Keys-Wide Mooring
System through a Coastal Impact Assistance Program (ClAP) grant in the amount of $250,000 of
which approximately $50,000 will be used for pumpout facilities and equipment. This project is
anticipated to cost approximately $180,000 for pumpout equipment, supplies, and facilities.
These facilities will benefit both local and cruising boaters, but more importantly will help
sustain the fragile marine resources of the Florida Keys.
4) Outcomes/Products Deliverables:
Department of Marine Resources staff will be providing all the planning for the mooring
fieldlpumpout facilities design. The first step is identifying suitable locations for mooring fields
(dependent upon upland facilities, potential effectiveness of mooring facilities, permitting
requirements, etc), and the potential for development or upgrading of pumpout facilities at each
location. It is anticipated that for various sites pumpout strategies may include:
retrofitting/expanding existing facilities; building/installing new facilities; or providing pump out
barges where facilities are not feasible. The objective is to provide facilities at each anchorage
(potential mooring field site) suitable of handling the sewage generated, which will .allow
education and enforcement strategies to ensure that boating impacts are reduced or eliminated.
In most cases the sewage will be contained at the shoreside facility and trucked out of the Keys
for treatment or used as fertilizer. Water quality monitoring will be an important facet of the
program to evaluate the effectiveness of implementations.
5) Timeline/Milestones:
The Department of Marine Resources has already generated preliminary lists/maps of
potential mooring fields sites, existing pump out facilities, and gaps where pumpout facilities are
most needed. The following timeline indicates the major phases in the proposed project:
Phase Start Date Completion Date
Mooring field siting July 2001 September 2001
Data Acquisition/Planning October 2001 June 2002
Permitting June 2002 December 2002
Installations (moorings/pumpouts) April 2003 July 2003
6) Budget/Cost Effectiveness:
The Department of Marine Resources Keys-Wide Mooring Field System will initially
focus on the six most critical anchorage areas in need of moorings and pumpout facilities. The
type of pumpout system to be used at each site will be identified during the planning process. As
each site must be evaluated, it is not possible to provide accurate cost estimates prior to planning
and final recommendations. The cost estimate for pumpout equipment per facility has been
averaged at $30,000. This figure is an average based on anticipated costs for various scenarios,
including: plumbed installations, pumpouts using mobile equipment, and pumpout vessels.
The anticipated budget for pumpouts is: 6 sites @ $30,000/site = $180,000
-50.000 (from CIAP grant)
Total request from NFWF = $130,000