The Department is initiating rulemaking to establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for certain Florida surface waters, where those waters previously have been identified as impaired for specific pollutants and included on the Department’s ...

 

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

RULE NOS.:RULE TITLES:

62-304.100Scope and Intent

62-304.300St. Marks Basin TMDLs

62-304.305Ochlockonee Basin TMDLs

62-304.310Apalachicola River Basin TMDLs

62-304.315Chipola River Basin TMDLs

62-304.325Choctawhatchee River Basin TMDLs

62-304.330Pensacola Bay Basin TMDLs

62-304.335Perdido Bay Basin TMDLs

62-304.400Upper Suwannee River Basin TMDLs

62-304.405Lower Suwannee River Basin TMDLs

62-304.406Aucilla River Basin TMDLs

62-304.410Santa Fe River Basin TMDLs

62-304.415Lower St. Johns River Basin TMDLs

62-304.425Nassau Basin TMDLs

62-304.435Upper East Coast Basin TMDLs

62-304.500Ocklawaha River Basin TMDLs

62-304.505Middle St. Johns River Basin TMDLs

62-304.506Wekiva Springs Study Area TMDLs

62-304.510Upper St. Johns River TMDLs

62-304.515Kissimmee River Basin TMDLs.

62-304.520Indian River Lagoon Basin TMDLs

62-304.600Tampa Bay Basin TMDLs

62-304.605Alafia River TMDLs

62-304.610Hillsborough River Basin TMDLs

62-304.615Manatee River Basin TMDLs

62-304.620Little Manatee River Basin TMDLs

62-304.625Peace River Basin TMDLs

62-304.640Withlacoochee Basin TMDLs

62-304.645Springs Coast Basin TMDLs

62-304.700Total Maximum Daily Loads in the Southeast Florida District

62-304.705St. Lucie Basin TMDLs

62-304.710Loxahatchee Basin TMDLs

62-304.715Lake Worth Lagoon basin TMDLs

62-304.725Southeast Coast Basin TMDLs

62-304.726Pompano Canal TMDL

62-304.735Everglades Basin TMDLs

62-304.800Caloosahatchee River Basin TMDLs

62-304.805Charlotte Harbor Basin TMDLs

62-304.810Everglades West Coast Basin TMDLs

62-304.900Statewide TMDLs

PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The Department is initiating rulemaking to establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for certain Florida surface waters, where those waters previously have been identified as impaired for specific pollutants and included on the Department’s verified list of impaired waters. Pursuant to Section 403.067(6), F.S., TMDLs must be adopted in rule by the Secretary of the Department. Chapter 62-304, F.A.C., was established as the rule chapter within which rules adopting TMDLs shall reside. In accordance with paragraph 62-302.531(2)(a), F.A.C., any of these rules which establish nutrient TMDLs, if adopted, are intended to constitute site specific numeric interpretations of the narrative nutrient criterion set forth in paragraph 62-302.530(48)(b), F.A.C., that will supersede the otherwise applicable numeric nutrient criteria in subsection 62-302.531(2), F.A.C., for the particular surface water segment. 

Additionally, as required by the Federal Clean Water Act, the Department is initiating the Triennial Review of state surface water quality standards.  All surface water quality standards in Chapter 62-4, Chapter 62-302, Chapter 62-303 and Chapter 62-304, F.A.C., are under review and may be revised as part of the Triennial Review.  

The Department also intends to undertake rulemaking to streamline and otherwise clean up various provisions in Chapter 62-304, F.A.C.  For instance, duplicative text will be consolidated in one location in the rule Chapter.

SUBJECT AREA TO BE ADDRESSED: TMDLs and their allocations will be established for the pollutants identified in the Department’s verified list of impaired waters as causing the impairment for certain impaired waters in the above listed basin.  As part of Triennial Review process, the Department will consider amendments to all surface water quality standards, including those within Chapter 62-304, F.A.C. (there are separate notices for Chapters 62-4, 62-302, 62-303, and 62-304, F.A.C.). The rule Chapter also will be streamlined in an attempt to shorten the rules and help ensure uniformity where possible. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY: 403.061, 403.067 FS.

LAW IMPLEMENTED: 403.061, 403.062, 403.067 FS.

A RULE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP\HEARING WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:

DATE AND TIME: Tuesday, May 14, 2019, 9:00 a.m.

PLACE: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Bob Martinez Center, Room 609, 2600 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, Florida

DATE AND TIME: Wednesday, May 15, 2019, 9:00 a.m.

PLACE: Elsa Kimbell Environmental Education and Research Center Auditorium, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, 16450 SE Federal Hwy, Hobe Sound, Florida

DATE AND TIME:  Thursday, May 16, 2019, 9:00 a.m.

PLACE: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Central District Office, 3319 Maguire Boulevard, Suite 232, Conference Rooms A/B/C, Orlando, Florida

Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this workshop/hearing is asked to advise the agency at least 5 days before the workshop/hearing by contacting: Kaitlyn Sutton at [phone]. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service, 1(800)955-8771 (TDD) or 1(800)955-8770 (Voice).

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT AND A COPY OF THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT, IF AVAILABLE, IS: Erin Rasnake, Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration, Water Quality Evaluation and TMDL Program, Mail Station 3555, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2600 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400, telephone: [phone], email [e-mail]. 

THE PRELIMINARY TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT IS NOT AVAILABLE