miamirivermeet1

Scott Mitchell opened the meeting and all attendees made self-introductions. Mr. Mitchell asked John Bearce, Army Corps of Engineers, to comment on the project status. John stated the Dredged Materials Management Plan (DMMP)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was supposed to be approved by the Corps Headquarters in Washington D.C. on February 14, 2003, but it has not yet happened. Mr. Bearce stated that he believed that Rene Perez was still expecting it soon. Roman Gastesi stated that the land certification was sent to the Corps Headquarters from the County and the Corps has received it. David Miller informed the group that the project is very expensive, therefore, the Assistant Secretary of the Army wanted to check with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The approval should happen in the near future and then the Request for Proposals can be released. David then stated that the federal omnibus bill passed on Friday, February 14, 2003. Included in this bill was the Miami River Project, which received $6.8 million in federal funds. If these numbers are included with the funds already federally appropriated, then the project has about $28 million in federal funding plus $7 million in State funding, and $10 million committed by the County, City and the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND).

Scott asked Carlos Espinosa, DERM and Ed Swakon to comment on the status of the bank-to-bank project. Mr. Swakon stated that the County has received responses from 21% of the property owners that were required to respond. These responses were all positive. The response rate has tapered off in the past week. The County is going to send out a follow-up letter to the property owners that have not yet responded stating that nothing can be done with their property until they respond. Mr. Swakon then stated that the County is currently in limbo with respect to the water quality permit for the bank-to-bank project due to the fact that Kent Edwards (FDEP water quality permit reviewer) has left and no one has been appointed to fill his position. Before Kent left, they came to an agreement about all of the outstanding issues with the draft permit, but they are waiting written confirmation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) that that is the case. Carlos Espinosa stated that members of the dredging working group could contact members of their own respective organizations that have yet to respond to the County letter. David Miller advised that the MRC would also assist in this matter.

Roman Gastesi gave the group an update on the river utility crossings. He said that things are moving along nicely. Of the 44 utility crossings in the River, about 20 of them need to be relocated. Most of these companies are in the permitting process to relocate those utilities, with several already in the process of relocating . David Miller

dredging project. David asked that the representatives from FDEP that were present at the meeting go back to their office and ask the people in charge of issuing the permits to please expedite the permit process. Two of the utility crossings are located in the upper river where state lands are not an issue and they have already received their permits. The State Lands Division in Tallahassee is apparently delaying the rest of the crossings that need permits.

Glenn Schuster read an email that David received from Shailesh Patel, President of Dredging & Marine Consultants. The email asked what depth the water quality parameters need to be measured. Mr. Schuster stated that they would be measured at mid depth (7-8 feet). The email then stated that the results of data measured would most likely change from morning to afternoon as wind and tides change the turbidity levels. Mr. Schuster informed the group that the data would be compared to the high end of historical data. Lastly, Shailesh wanted to know how it would be determined and what would occur if the water quality parameters were in violation, not from the dredging but from some other incident on the river. Mr. Schuster stated that this was a good point but that if they do find a violation of water quality parameters, they will try and determine to the best of their ability the source of the violation.

David stated that there have been some reports of excessive turbidity and possibly shoaling in the River, which may be related to the installation of the forward pumping station at the salinity dam. Brett visited the site on Friday and took pictures. David also stated that some vessels have started rubbing in the mud where they had never done so before.

Fran Bohnsack stated that the Miami River Marine Group was having a breakfast meeting with members of the Dade Delegation to discuss river issues and she invited anyone who was interested to attend. The breakfast will take place at 8:00 a.m. at the City Club, which is located at 200 South Biscayne Blvd. on the 55^th floor. Fran told the group that an auditing company hired by the State is taking a look at projects that were funded by the State but have not yet occurred, with the intent of returning unspent funds to bolster the state budget. The Miami River dredging project falls into this category and it is important to start this project promptly.

The next Dredging Working Group meeting was scheduled for Wednesday March 12, 2003 at 10 am. The meeting will take place at the Rosenstiel School Library Map Room.


CONTACT US! For more information, contact us via email at mrc@rsmas.miami.edu MIAMI RIVER COMMISSION c/o Rosenstiel School 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy, Miami, Fl. 33149 305-361-4850 Fax: 305-361-47 e-mail: mrc@rsmas.miami.edu This site prepared and designed by Mark Sell Communications, Inc. Public Relations	MIAMI RIVER COMMISSION DREDGING COMMITTEE MINUTES: Minutes of meeting	Feb. 19, 2003 10:00 AM (THIS IS A PUBLIC DOCUMENT)
	The Miami River Commission Dredging Working Group meeting was called to order at 10 am at the Rosenstiel Library Map Room, 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy., Miami, FL. The attendee list is attached.
	Scott Mitchell opened the meeting and all attendees made self-introductions. Mr. Mitchell asked John Bearce, Army Corps of Engineers, to comment on the project status. John stated the Dredged Materials Management Plan (DMMP)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was supposed to be approved by the Corps Headquarters in Washington D.C. on February 14, 2003, but it has not yet happened. Mr. Bearce stated that he believed that Rene Perez was still expecting it soon. Roman Gastesi stated that the land certification was sent to the Corps Headquarters from the County and the Corps has received it. David Miller informed the group that the project is very expensive, therefore, the Assistant Secretary of the Army wanted to check with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The approval should happen in the near future and then the Request for Proposals can be released. David then stated that the federal omnibus bill passed on Friday, February 14, 2003. Included in this bill was the Miami River Project, which received $6.8 million in federal funds. If these numbers are included with the funds already federally appropriated, then the project has about $28 million in federal funding plus $7 million in State funding, and $10 million committed by the County, City and the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND). Scott asked Carlos Espinosa, DERM and Ed Swakon to comment on the status of the bank-to-bank project. Mr. Swakon stated that the County has received responses from 21% of the property owners that were required to respond. These responses were all positive. The response rate has tapered off in the past week. The County is going to send out a follow-up letter to the property owners that have not yet responded stating that nothing can be done with their property until they respond. Mr. Swakon then stated that the County is currently in limbo with respect to the water quality permit for the bank-to-bank project due to the fact that Kent Edwards (FDEP water quality permit reviewer) has left and no one has been appointed to fill his position. Before Kent left, they came to an agreement about all of the outstanding issues with the draft permit, but they are waiting written confirmation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) that that is the case. Carlos Espinosa stated that members of the dredging working group could contact members of their own respective organizations that have yet to respond to the County letter. David Miller advised that the MRC would also assist in this matter. Roman Gastesi gave the group an update on the river utility crossings. He said that things are moving along nicely. Of the 44 utility crossings in the River, about 20 of them need to be relocated. Most of these companies are in the permitting process to relocate those utilities, with several already in the process of relocating . David Miller stated that FDEP was supposed to expedite the permit process for each of these companies so that the relocation effort does not impede the dredging project. David asked that the representatives from FDEP that were present at the meeting go back to their office and ask the people in charge of issuing the permits to please expedite the permit process. Two of the utility crossings are located in the upper river where state lands are not an issue and they have already received their permits. The State Lands Division in Tallahassee is apparently delaying the rest of the crossings that need permits. Glenn Schuster read an email that David received from Shailesh Patel, President of Dredging & Marine Consultants. The email asked what depth the water quality parameters need to be measured. Mr. Schuster stated that they would be measured at mid depth (7-8 feet). The email then stated that the results of data measured would most likely change from morning to afternoon as wind and tides change the turbidity levels. Mr. Schuster informed the group that the data would be compared to the high end of historical data. Lastly, Shailesh wanted to know how it would be determined and what would occur if the water quality parameters were in violation, not from the dredging but from some other incident on the river. Mr. Schuster stated that this was a good point but that if they do find a violation of water quality parameters, they will try and determine to the best of their ability the source of the violation. David stated that there have been some reports of excessive turbidity and possibly shoaling in the River, which may be related to the installation of the forward pumping station at the salinity dam. Brett visited the site on Friday and took pictures. David also stated that some vessels have started rubbing in the mud where they had never done so before. Fran Bohnsack stated that the Miami River Marine Group was having a breakfast meeting with members of the Dade Delegation to discuss river issues and she invited anyone who was interested to attend. The breakfast will take place at 8:00 a.m. at the City Club, which is located at 200 South Biscayne Blvd. on the 55^th floor. Fran told the group that an auditing company hired by the State is taking a look at projects that were funded by the State but have not yet occurred, with the intent of returning unspent funds to bolster the state budget. The Miami River dredging project falls into this category and it is important to start this project promptly. The next Dredging Working Group meeting was scheduled for Wednesday March 12, 2003 at 10 am. The meeting will take place at the Rosenstiel School Library Map Room.