Middle St. Johns - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

60 Water Quality Assessment Report: Middle St. Johns
• Friends of the Econ: The group comprises local residents with an
interest in maintaining the health of the Econlockhatchee River and
encouraging land acquisition.
• Friends of the Wekiva River: This nonprofit organization works
to preserve the beauty and natural functions of the Wekiva River
ecosystem. The group identifies potential impacts to the river and
works to minimize or eliminate them.
• Little Wekiva River Technical Subcommittee: The subcommittee,
formed by the SJRWMD in 1995, has a legislative mandate
to direct state funding for projects in the Little Wekiva watershed.
Membership comprises representatives from environmental organizations,
the Department, SJRWMD, local governments, and private
citizens. The group has secured funding for riverbank stabilization
projects, sediment removal, and stormwater retrofits.
• Sweetwater Cove Tributary Surface Water Restoration Project
Advisory Group: Sweetwater Cove is a tributary to the Wekiva
River that historically received wastewater. Excess sediment,
nuisance vegetation, and poor esthetics are concerns. Sweetwater
Cove received legislative funding in 2000 to address concerns, and
the Sweetwater Cove Tributary Surface Water Restoration Project
was initiated. An advisory group was formed to allow participation
by stakeholders in the process. The advisory group comprises
representation from local residents; the Department; Friends of the
Wekiva; Orange County Utilities, Inc.; SJRWMD; and Seminole
County.
• Wekiva River Basin Working Group: The Wekiva River Basin
Working Group was initiated by the Department and has been
meeting since 1994. Membership in the group is composed of
the Department, the SJRWMD, Lake County, Seminole County,
Orange County, Altamonte Springs, the Division of Forestry, the
FWC, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE). A major
accomplishment of the group was the development of a master mitigation
list for use by permitting agencies and local governments.
• Volusia County Environmental and Natural Resources Advisory
Committee: The committee’s membership includes Volusia County
staff and members of the community.
Summary of Active Projects
This section summarizes current and proposed major projects to
improve and restore water quality in the Middle St. Johns Basin. Most
of these projects are directed toward stormwater retrofits. Appendix C
provides details of active projects in the basin.
• Deep Creek Planning Unit
• Through Volusia Forever, land acquisition for water resource protection
and recreation, including source water (drinking) protection.