Subject
The Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration will bring before the ERC an amendment to Rule 62-302.532, F.A.C., for adoption.
The amendment proposes the establishment of numeric nutrient criteria (NNC) for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll a in individual estuary segments for the following estuaries: portions of the Big Bend from Alligator Harbor to the Suwannee Sound, Cedar Key, St. Marys River estuary, Southern Indian River Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon, several portions of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICWW) connecting estuarine systems, a variety of small gaps between estuaries with adopted NNC, and parameters for estuaries not currently covered by their adopted nutrient Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), including Upper Escambia Bay, Kings Bay, Lower St. Johns River, Indian River Lagoon, St. Lucie Estuary, and Caloosahatchee Estuary. Nutrient criteria for these estuaries were included in an August 1, 2013 report to the Governor and Legislature. Pursuant to Chapter 2013-71, Laws of Florida, the Legislature directed the Department to establish NNC for these estuaries by rule or final order by December 1, 2014.