Campaign to Prevent Marina from Being Built on the Ocklawaha River

• that you are formally filing an objection to issuance of a permit for this project based upon adverse ecological and historical resource impacts;
• and, it is not compatible with state and federal positions to restore the Ocklawaha River.

RE: ERP Application #40-083-26668-6, Lake Oklawaha RV Park (Docks);

Applicant – Minor’s Marine Construction, Inc.

The Letter will look like this or can be similar anyway…
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This particular battle is part and parcel within the larger water wars that involve Utility extractions from the Lower Ocklawala and Saint Johns Rivers, the acknowledgment of the Aquifer Recharge area and Pellicer Creek tributaries in the Matanzas Basin watershed and the Georgia-Pacific request for a two year permit delay in implementing a pipeline to the center of the Saint Johns River.   Rodman Dam and the Florida Cross Barge Canal are historic water wars stretching back to the l950’s and we should continue our attention to the long standing battles as well as the new emerging ones.

      As with re-powering America, there can be no losing the last of the water birthright in Northeast, Central and Panhandle Florida.  We should demand that the Governor and the Cabinet form themselves into the Land and Water Adjudication Committee and resolve the sad state of initial permitting and re-permitting at Rodman and Rice Creek locations. 

David Wiles

From: Karen Ahlers

Ocklawaha Restoration opponents are at it again. The St. Johns River Water Management District is currently reviewing a permit application to build a 400 slip marina in Rodman pool. Yes, you heard me right, a FOUR HUNDRED SLIP MARINA in Rodman pool!  Could it not be a ploy to hamper restoration???

The project site is adjacent to the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway and the Ocala National Forest and currently consists of an existing RV park, forest, and portions of Rodman pool. The permit application proposes a 10-foot wide, 3,757-foot long, perimeter boardwalk along the entire property as well as construction of four floating dock structures with a total of 400 boat slips. The complete permit application can be found on the SJRWMD website e-permitting section by searching the project name, Lake Oklawaha RV Park (Docks), or permit number 40-083-26668-6.

Gov. Crist and DEP Secretary Michael Sole have publicly committed to restoring the Ocklawaha by removing Rodman Dam. The River restoration plans involve removal of the dam which will substantially reduce water levels at the proposed site, making operation of a marina untenable.

Other state agencies, including FDEP’s Office of Greenways and Trails, have pointed out that DEP is pursuing permit applications to restore the pre-Rodman dam flows to the Ocklawaha system.The proposed marina project would be totally incompatible with permits issued to DEP for the planned restoration.

The Florida Division of Historical Resources (DHR) says that plans filed with the SJRWMD indicate that the dock structure will most likely be located directly above a submerged prehistoric canoe. Furthermore, the project site is close to other identified archeological resources and other potentially significant historic sites, including human remains.

The project site is located within the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) designated primary range for the Florida black bear.  The forest within the project site occurs on a very steep slope ranging from 1:1 to 3:1 (elevation 120’ to 18’ NGVD) and has several trails, indicated that this area is likely being utilized as a wildlife corridor. Bear scat was observed within the forest during site reviews.  To date, the FWC has not received a response from the applicant to their Request for Additional Information dated July 15, 2008.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recommended denial of the permit application after determining that the proposed project does not comply with guidelines of the Clean Water Act for dredge and fill operations. EPA has also expressed concern that the proposed project impacts have not been adequately described, including the proposed effects on the governmental resources expended over the last 25+ years of funding, plan development, coordination, and legal actions to restore the Ocklawaha River.

Please:

• write a letter addressed to the SJRWMD and the Army Corps of Engineers;
• state clearly the permit numbers as listed below;
• the applicants name (also below);
• that you are formally filing an objection to issuance of a permit for this project based upon adverse ecological and historical resource impacts;
• and, it is not compatible with state and federal positions to restore the Ocklawaha River.

Address one letter to both the SJRWMD and the Army Corps of Engineers as indicated below (email is fine). BE SURE TO SEND YOUR LETTER TO BOTH AGENCIES.  Don’t forget to copy the EPA and me at PCEC!

 Send your letters to:

Mike Dinardo – mdinardo@sjrwmd.com
Brian Abrams – bhabrams@sjrwmd.com
SJRWMD
PO Box 1429
Palatka, FL 32177

RE: ERP Application #40-083-26668-6, Lake Oklawaha RV Park (Docks); Applicant – Minor’s Marine Construction, Inc.
 and
Colonel Paul L. Grosskruger, District Engineer
Jacksonville District Corps of Engineers

Attention: Norma Fouraker, Regulatory Division – Norma.B.Fouraker@usace.army.mil
PO Box 4970
Jacksonville, FL  32232

RE: Rebel Investment Corp.; Permit Application #SAJ-2008-2172

Be sure to also cc:

Eric Hughes, EPA-USACOE Liaison
hughes.eric@epa.gov
PO Box 4970
Jacksonville, FL 32232
and
Karen Ahlers, President – karen@pcecweb.org
Putnam County Environmental Council, Inc.
PO Box 1836
Interlachen, FL 32148

Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

As always, thank you for your efforts to protect Florida’s rivers!

Karen
Karen Ahlers, President
Putnam County Environmental Council, Inc.
Post Office Box 1836
Interlachen, FL  32148
Phone: 352-475-1936 or 352-546-3560
Fax: 352-475-1078
www.pcecweb.org