HomeMy WebLinkAbout14-004RESOLUTION NO. 14-004
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF ST. LUCIE
COUNTY, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING THE PRIORITIES OF THE FIVE COUNTY
INDIAN RIVER LAGOON COLLABORATIVE ASKING FOR CONGRESSIONAL
APPROVAL OF THE WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners has made the following
determinations:
1. The Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) of 2013 (H.R. 3080 and S. 601
as passed by the United States House and Senate, respectively) provides for the
conservation and development of water and related resources, authorizes the
Secretary of the Army to construct various projects for improvements to rivers
and harbors of the United States, and for other purposes.
2. WRDA will advance the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and
authorize projects such as the Caloosahatchee River C43 project, Biscayne Bay
Coastal Wetland, C-111. Spreader Canal; and Broward County Water Preserve
Areas. The final WRDA bill hopefully would allow for the continuation of the
Central Everglades Planning Project, which is essential to securing full
construction authorization. These projects join already authorized projects,
such as the Indian River Lagoon-South project (including the C-44 project
currently under construction), that will support restoration of our region's
ecosystem.
3. The Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County, Brevard County, Indian
River County, Martin County and Volusia County have joined together to form
The Indian River Lagoon Counties Collaborative to increase awareness of the
water quality problems facing the Indian River Lagoon, understand its source
and map out regional solutions. The Five County Coalition and county residents
have supported the Indian River Lagoon South (IRLS) project and continue to
support restoration of America's Everglades.
4. The 16 County Coalition for the Responsible Management of Lake Okeechobee,
St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries and the Lake Worth Lagoon, has
unanimously supported an updated Water Resources Development Act to
include authorization for other crucial elements of ecosystem restoration,
identified as a top legislative priority at the 16-County Ecosystem Restoration
Summit.
5. Passage of WRDA may ensure that more funding in the Harbor Maintenance
Trust Fund, financed by user fees, are directed toward harbor improvements,
which could provide more funding for the dredging of shallow draft commercial
inlets, such as the St. Lucie Federal Navigation Inlet, the Ponce Inlet, the Fort
Pierce Inlet, the Lake Worth Inlet, the Sebastian Inlet, the Port Canaveral Inlet
to name a few.
6. The U.S. Senate approved WRDA (S. 601) through an overwhelming bi-partisan
vote of 83-14 on May 15, 2013.
7. The United States House approved WRDA (H.R. 3080) through an overwhelming
bi-partisan vote of 417-3 on October 23, 2013.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS:
1. This Board does hereby proclaim its support to the Indian River Lagoon Counties
Collaborative's efforts to urge Congress to support the WRDA.
2. The Indian River Lagoon Counties Collaborative and the St. Lucie Board of
County Commissioners appreciate the House and Senate's passage of their
respective Water Resources Development Acts and urge the two bodies finalize
a final version of the Water Resources Development Act early in 2014 to address
the nation's water infrastructure needs, which is vital to the safety,
environmental protection and economic development of state and local
economies and restoration of America's Everglades.
2. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption.
3. The County Administrator is directed to send a copy of this resolution to the
County's federal legislative delegation.
PASSED AND DULY ADOPTED this 7"' day of January 2014.
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