Canal Update
July 2011
All of the permits required for the Pilot
Project have been received.
The last permit was from the county for the disposal site.
As the permit process took longer than we had hoped, the
decision was made to delay the Pilot Project until next Spring.
We didn’t want to plant and then have the plantings destroyed
by a tropical storm or hurricane.
The plan is to start with the dredging of 106 cubic yards of
sand as early as possible in the Spring.
We will wait about 30 days to allow the sand to settle and
mature. Then the
transplanting will take place.
This will give the transplanted sea grasses the best chance
to establish a root system before any tropical weather may hit.
This fall and winter we will be bidding out the
dredging and transplanting.
We also need to have some channel markers moved and some
signs placed. We have
recently worked with a well known local
consultant who has applied for some grants on our behalf.
We are not sure how long the process will take to find out if
the grant application is approved or not, but we believe this will
be best for all of the canal lot owners in the long run.
March 2011
We are awaiting final
approval by the USACOE on the Pilot Project application.
The local office has approved the application and has
forwarded the application up the COE chain of command for approval
in
When the Pilot Project commences, the center
channel will be closed and boat traffic will be routed via the cross
channel to exit the west channel.
Specifications for the project are being drafted and contractor selection will begin shortly. The project will involve a small amount of dredging and replanting of turtle grass and shoal grass in the vicinity of the opening of the current center channel.
October 2010
We have received a request for additional information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in regards to our application for the Pilot Project. We are currently in the process of responding to the request. They are asking for clarification of some of the terms we negotiated with Florida DEP. We expect to respond shortly and hope for an expedited response from the COE so that we may begin the Pilot Project as planned in the Spring of 2011.
June 15, 2009
On June 15 we hosted the rescheduled site-visit by representatives from Florida DEP, FWC, and the U.S. Army COE. We had earlier in the day marked several spots in the area to be examined for mitigation potential. Divers swam the area for several hours inspecting the bottom. Our consultants were there to answer questions and to give the various agencies their view on what our options were regarding placement of the pilot project. New aerial photos were taken last week, but will have to be re-shot due to a technical glitch. Those aerial photos along with the information gathered during the site inspection will confirm the exact locations of the pilot project donor and recipient sites.
As stated previously, on the advice of our legal team and the County Attorney SRSH decided to drop the idea of a Canal Authority. It turns out that, as a quasi governmental agency, the Canal Authority would be held to all of the rules associated with the Florida Sunshine laws. We will address the issues that were designated for the Canal Authority to handle via County ordinances. Two new ordinances will shortly be presented to the Santa Rosa County Commissioners for their approval. One ordinance will establish the Seagrass Research Area and the rules for said area. The second ordinance will address issues regarding seawalls, seawall maintenance, boathouses, and our canal system in general including privatization of the canals.
As we reach the peak boating and fishing season, please remember not to dump organic refuse including fish carcasses into the canals. Everyone is also reminded to maintain control of your vessel at all times and have a safe and enjoyable boating season. Please “No Wake” in our channels and canals!
New MSBU Status - The most recent MSBU request was approved by 160 of the 180 respondents or 89% of the canal owners casting their ballots. Be sure to attend the next Canal Committee update to hear the latest updates!
Captain Jim Sturdevant - 932-3196
April 5, 2009
It's Official!
We have received the signed document from Florida
DEP that gives us permission to proceed with our Pilot Project!!
We are in the process of getting quotes for the work and are preparing
to move forward.
We have submitted a letter to the U.S. Army COE requesting
approval to use the Nationwide Permit process to implement the Pilot Project.
If we receive Corps approval, our intent is to begin the project
June 1.
Jim Sturdevant
Canal Committee Chair
March 2, 2009
Step one is
done!!! At a meeting in
Our next step is to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to hopefully get a
Letter of Permission or a permit to allow us to proceed with the
pilot program. If all
goes well we will begin the pilot program this season.
As matters proceed with the
Jim Sturdevant
Canal Committee Chair
February1, 2009
Our meeting with
FDEP officials in
We reached
agreement on all major issues including a pilot project.
Minor issues to still be resolved are minor and include
calculating the amount of acreage in the preservation zone and the ratio
of halidoule and thalassia in the pilot project.
These outstanding issues will receive responses from the parties
by February 23 and Don Richards and I will return to
If no unexpected
issues arise, we believe that it is possible to start a 2 season pilot
project sometime in the middle to end of March.
Our quest with the
US Army CoE will begin very soon.
Jim Sturdevant,
December 1, 2008
The meeting with FDEP scheduled for September 29 was postponed. The meeting was moved to Tallahassee and was held November 4. Several Department personnel participated whom we had not worked with before. We are awaiting a response from them. The meeting was generally pretty positive. FDEP personnel in Tallahassee reviewed both proposed cross channels and decided to evaluate the original proposal only. Their feeling was that the near shore cross channel would create more problems than it solved. We are due a response any day now. They are evaluating the various types of proposed mitigation and are supposed to come back to us with specific recommendations for required mitigation by both type and quantity.
There have been several back and forth responses to FDEP on the Request for Additional Information that was referenced in the last report. We have formally responded to the RAI’s and now have a meeting tentatively scheduled for September 29, 2008 with the Department and the SRSH team.
During this period we also had water samples taken and analyzed from the pond at Tiger Point Golf Club bordering on the eastern side of our community. We also had new core sand samples taken and analyzed at the request of the FDEP geologist. The Professional Engineer that we employee as a consultant is scheduled to meet with the State geologist to go over the results on September 5, 2008.
Please refrain from putting grass clippings, yard waste, and other organic materials in the canals.
Jim Sturdevant
932-3196
jimsparta@msn.com
Our new signs sure do look great! We hope you enjoy them.