HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes October 20, 2011 (2)St. Lucie County Sustainability Advisory Committee
October 20, 2011 Meeting Minutes
Present: Chairman Eric Winterstein, PSL Councilwoman Linda Bartz, Marty Laven, Doug Coward, Donna Rhoden,
Mary Chapman
Staff and Guests: Sandra Bogan (ERD), Karen Smith (ERD), Amy Griffin (ERD), Don West (PW), Jason Bessey
(PW), Ray Marankus (SLC Utilities)
The meeting was called to order by the Chairman at 1:32 pm
MOTION TO APPROVE minutes from the September 15, 2011 meeting made by Marty Laven and seconded by
Linda Bartz, passed unanimously.
The Chairman talked to the committee about the format of the meeting, with three guests attending via
teleconference. He asked that members give a signal when they have a question or a comment and wait to be
recognized by the chair. This will allow the members to get the most out of the guest speakers, and provide for a
smooth process.
Eric Livingston, FDEP Chief of Watershed Restoration, gave a presentation on designing landscapes, managing
stormwater, reducing pollutant and nutrient loads, green roofs, and pervious pavement. He pointed out that 50% of
potable water is used for irrigation, and that the majority of nutrients entering water bodies are from landscapes. He
spoke about passive nutrient-reducing septic tanks, their lower costs, and pointed to a report that is on-line. He also
said that by 2014, all pesticide applicators will need to be certified.
Deirdre Irwin, Water Star Program Coordinator and Cathy Foerster, Planner with the St. Johns River Water
Management District then gave a presentation on the Water Star program and how various municipalities have
imbedded Water Star into their codes, used incentives, etc. She also said that the Florida Irrigation Society was
working on a licensing program for its own industry.
Donna Rhoden said that desalination is a very expensive alternative water source; approximately 19 times more
costly than other sources. Mr. Livingston said that stormwater harvesting is being looked at as one of the 'newest'
alternative water sources. DEP and WMD would be involved with environmental permits; Health Departments would
be involved when bringing the water inside the home. Each County Health Department has different policies
regarding harvested water and its uses. Ms. Irwin painted out that conservation is the #1 alternative water supply.
Ms. Irwin also said that it is difficult to quantify return on investment. www.waterfootprint.org is a good source of
information. Alliance for Water Efficiency (www.alliancefonvaterefficiency.org) is another good website.
The Committee asked Ms. Bogan to gather information from the County, cities, and other agencies to determine
policies and/or codes that are currently in place.
MOTION TO ADJOURN made by Marty Lavin, seconded by Mary Chapman, passed unanimously. Meeting ended at
3:00.