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Water Policy Review Commission
MINUTES
Regular meeting
June 13, 2001
Training Rooms (first floor)
Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center
123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand

MEMBERS
Bill Scovell (present)
Fritz Behring (present)
Randy Brewer (present)
Richard Fernandez (present)
Ken Hoblick (present)
Elizabeth Layton (absent)
Tom McClelland (present)
Steven Provost (present)

CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
The meeting was called to order by Chair Bill Scovell at 6:05 p.m. with the above attendance noted. Also in attendance were Assistant County Attorney Frank Gummy and County Attorney Dan Eckert, Environmental Management Director Steve Kintner, Groundwater Manager Tom Carey, staff liaison Cindy Finney from the County Manager’s Office, Acting Utilities Director Gloria Marwick and Acting Extension Service Director Dave Griffis. Mr. Scovell asked members to introduce themselves.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MAY 24, 2001
Tom McClelland made a motion to approve the minutes as written. Ken Hoblick seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously.

GUEST SPEAKERS
Mr. Scovell introduced Stephen Kintner, Volusia County’s Director of Environmental Management and Tom Carey, Groundwater Manager, who were asked to give an overview of Volusia’s water situation.

Mr. Kintner explained the role of the County’s Environmental Management Department and how it works with state and federal agencies. County government has been active in acquiring publicly owned lands, with 180,000 acres in Volusia owned by federal, state or local governments. The County owns 18,000 acres. He discussed the Tiger Bay project to rehydrate wetlands and increase recharge by plugging ditches and detailed a few of the obstacles the project has faced. The St. Johns River Water Management District is preparing to plug a single ditch this year to see how the project will work. Mr. Scovell asked Acting Utilities Director Gloria Marwick for a status report (reports attached) and said he would ask the County Council why the project has bogged down (letter attached).

Mr. Kintner displayed various maps of the County and noted more than 50 percent of Volusia is comprised of hydric soils. He said the County must deal with a patchwork of lots under private ownership when acquiring land.

Mr. Scovell said there are more than 57,000 buildable lots, 17,000 of which are in Deltona. The County needs to determine where the future water supplies for these properties will come from.

Mr. Kintner said rumors that you cannot build on wetlands are false. The County has a program to regulate the development of wetlands, but only prohibits it in rare cases.

Mr. Carey gave an overview of the County’s water resources. Of the 67 Florida counties, only Volusia County has its water resources isolated. A discussion ensued on Brevard County building production wells close to the Volusia County line. Mr. Carey noted Volusia County is proactive about water conservation and passed out copies of the Environmental Management Department’s monthly groundwater report (attached). He noted the Alemana well in the center of Volusia is the "flagship well." It has been monitored since 1932 and, since the late 1960s, has shown a downward trend which reflects the overall condition of the aquifer. He discussed the drought, which began four years ago and said the County is receiving normal rainfall but will need above normal rain for the aquifer to recover. The County has 52 wells spread throughout the County with a baseline established for each. Most baselines were set during the 1981 benchmark drought. In response to questions from the Commission, he noted that the time it takes for rainfall to reach the aquifer varies. A discussion ensued on capturing rainfall and diverting it to recharge areas inland.

NEW BUSINESS: DEVELOPMENT OF COMMISSION WORKPLAN
Mr. Scovell asked members for changes to the rules of procedure document which was distributed at the last meeting. Some changes were made (revised document attached). Mr. McClelland made a motion the rules of procedure be approved as amended. Steve Provost seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

The commission discussed a regular meeting schedule and decided on the 2^nd Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. Staff liaison Cindy Finney will check on the availability of the training rooms for that time slot.

Mr. Scovell asked County attorney Dan Eckert to familiarize himself with the Florida statutes dealing with the creation of water authorities. The commission invited Water Alliance Executive Director Don Feaster to speak at the next meeting.

The Commission discussed subject areas for its work plan, such as the commission’s three duties under Section 1313 and the four recommendations made by the Volusia Water Advisory Board. Staff liaison Cindy Finney advised she had been tasked with getting staff reaction to the VWAB recommendations and would report on it at the next meeting. The Commission agreed not to adopt a formal work program until more information is received.

ADJOURN/SET NEXT MEETING DATE
There being no further business, the Commission adjourned at 7:30 p.m. The next meeting of the Commission will be at 6 p.m., Thursday, July 12, location to be announced.

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