Regular Session on July 14, 2021
Brevard Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors
Business Meeting Minutes
The Brevard Soil and Water Conservation District met in regular public session on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at 4:00 p.m., in the UF/IFAS auditorium, UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County, 3695 Lake Drive, Cocoa, FL.
The meeting was called to order by the Chairman, Bud Crisafulli, at 4:00 p.m. Video and audio of the entire meeting was provided for public viewing through the UF/IFAS Extension ZOOM web-based video conferencing and recording system and through Facebook Live.
Board members present: Bud Crisafulli, Chairman, Supervisor Group 5
Chelsea Partridge, Supervisor Group 3, Jonathan Schuman, Supervisor Group 4
Staff members present: Mike Engelgau, BSWCD Engineering Technician VI
Joe Walter, Agriculture Extension Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Brevard
Visitors and Presenters: Anthony Gubler, Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department Brandon Smith, Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department Daniel McDow, West Melbourne City Council
Visitors were also in attendance through ZOOM conferencing service.
Presented Documents
Documents as presented by the Staff, Presenters and Supervisors for review, approval and/or information of the Board:
? USDA NRCs – Cocoa Service Center, District Conservationist Report, Brevard SWCD Meeting July 14, 2021. Seven pages.
? Save our Indian River Lagoon Project Plan update by Brandon Smith, Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department (PowerPoint)
Reported for Public Records –
There were no documents presented for the public record by the supervisors.
Guest Presentations.
A presentation on the Save the Lagoon Project Plan was given by Brandon Smith from Brevard County Natural Resources Management Department. Anthony Gubler, also from the county’s Natural Resources department, was available for Q&A. The presentation detailed the issues facing tha lagoon, the projects funded to date and their status, and future project status.
Review and Approval of the Current Treasurer’s Report.
The board treasurer, Jonathan Schuman, provided the treasurer’s report to the board with comment that check #1207 was voided and not included in the report. Talks about spending some of the money in the account will be made at the next meeting.
The motion to approve the June 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021, Treasurer’s Report by Chelsea Partridge was seconded by Jonathan Schuman. The motion passed without amendment by unanimous vote of the supervisors.
Review and Approval of Minutes for prior Board of Supervisors meeting.
The board secretary, James Sloan, was absent for the meeting. It was moved by Jonathan Schuman and seconded by Chelsea Partridge to approve the June meeting minutes at the August meeting. The motion passed without amendment by unanimous vote of the supervisors.
Old Business
No old business was discussed.
New Business
The USDA/NRCS District Conservationist, Brian Zielinski provided July 14, 2021, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Update from the Cocoa Service Center for review by the Board of Supervisors. He was not present at the meeting so no discussion was held on the handout.
Brandon Smith and Anthony Gubler provided an update on the Save Our Lagoon project plan and answered questions from the Supervisors. The goal of the project is a 35% reduction in nutrient loading in the Indian River Lagoon. It was noted that decades of nutrient loading and a harsh winter in 2015 killed off many of the grasses in the lagoon and kicked off blooms of algae. A detailed discussion was held regarding muck in the lagoon. Federal funds are being sought to help muck removal and $400 million from the state has been dedicated for muck projects. It was noted that surface area reduction is better for nutrient reduction that volume reduction, and that the results of the Turkey Creek muck removal showed that biodiversity increases quickly when muck is removed.
Septic systems were also discussed; the county has an ordinance that requires 65% nitrogen removal. It was also mentioned that the state’s Department of Environmental Protection is taking over septic system regulation from the Department of Health.
Upon consensus of the Board, the meeting was adjourned by the Chairman at 5:46 PM.
Prepared for board review and approval by , Chelsea Partridge
Supervisor, Group 3 8/8/2021