Media Release

​ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – The Alachua County Environmental Protection Advisory Committee (EPAC), the League of Women Voters, and the Alachua County Emerging Leaders are hosting a panel discussion on the proposed Alachua County Stormwater Treatment Manual. The discussion is on Thursday, April 20, 2017, at 6 p.m. at the Alachua County Senior Recreation Center (5701 N.W. 34th Blvd, Gainesville).

The panelists for the discussion are Mark Clark (University of Florida), Eric Livingston (Watershed Management Services, LLC), Rory P. Causseaux (Causseaux, Hewett, & Walpole, Inc.), Matt Surrency (Mayor of the City of Hawthorne) and Jim Gross (Florida Defenders of the Environment). The discussion will be moderated by Marihelen Wheeler.

The County is proposing advanced stormwater treatment requirements to protect water quality, restore watersheds, and achieve pollution reduction goals. As authorized by the County Charter, the County is proposing to adopt minimum County-wide requirements for advanced stormwater treatment to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from new sources of urban stormwater runoff. The County proposes to encourage “best practices” for managing stormwater by incorporating updated treatment technologies into system design, operation, and maintenance. The proposed performance standards include best practices for low impact design, operation, and maintenance of stormwater infrastructure. The proposed standards require newly constructed urban stormwater infrastructure to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution discharges to varying levels, depending upon site-specific factors and the existing pollutant levels of the receiving watershed.

Citizens are encouraged to participate in the conversation by submitting questions in advance to Gus Olmos at gus@alachuacounty.us and to attend the forum to continue the conversation.

EPAC is one of 34 boards that provide guidance to Alachua County government. EPAC provides an opportunity for citizen involvement in environmental issues and concerns affecting residents of Alachua County. It advises the Board of County Commissioners on appropriate measures to safeguard air and water resources and on responsible management of public lands and resources.

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan, grassroots political organization that works to improve our systems (local, state, national) of government by impacting public policies through citizen education and advocacy. The ultimate goal of the League is to empower citizens to improve the quality of life in communities worldwide.

Alachua County Emerging Leaders is a resource for and about young people in Alachua County. Their vision is for this community to become an increasingly desirable place for diverse, talented young people to flourish.

For more information, contact EPAC Chair David Moritz at 352-332-2385 or davidmgf@bellsouth.net.