Supporting Documents (Data and Analysis) - Satellite Beach
Supporting Documents (Data and Analysis) - Satellite Beach
Supporting Documents (Data and Analysis) - Satellite Beach
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Melbourne's water sources face three hazards. Lake Washington, like other lakes along the St. Johns<br />
River, contains a substantial growth of hydrilla, a fast-growing exotic aquatic plant. Unless<br />
controlled, hydrilla can degrade water quality due to decay, <strong>and</strong> it can clog water intake structures.<br />
Thus, Melbourne must continue a chemical treatment program to keep the hydrilla in check. Second,<br />
as a rain-fed, surface water supply, Lake Washington is subject to drought. This condition is<br />
exacerbated by a State m<strong>and</strong>ate that the St. Johns River Water Management District, in its role of<br />
protecting aquatic habitat along the river, establish minimum levels <strong>and</strong> flows to be maintained in the<br />
River. This will limit the amount of water which can be withdrawn during droughts, regardless of<br />
whether there is water in the lake to be withdrawn. Third, removing dissolved salts, as such, from<br />
water is an energy-intensive process, whether the process is reverse osmosis, distillation, or other<br />
means. As such, the cost of water from the Floridan Aquifer is highly dependent on the cost of the<br />
electrical energy required to operate the system.<br />
Water Conservation<br />
The City adopted an Emergency Water Conservation Ordinance in 1982 which sets forth m<strong>and</strong>atory<br />
requirements for City businesses <strong>and</strong> residents <strong>and</strong> penalties for violations of various specified<br />
measures aimed at reducing water usage in accordance with restrictions of the St. Johns Water<br />
Management District.<br />
Water Quality Management<br />
The City has come to realize that water management is a central factor in sustaining the quality of<br />
life to which its residents have become accustomed. The City's location on a coastal isl<strong>and</strong> dictates<br />
that the quality of water in local marine, estuarine, <strong>and</strong> freshwater habitats, as well as subsurface<br />
aquifers, must be maintained or improved to permit continued use for potable water, irrigation,<br />
recreation, <strong>and</strong> habitat maintenance. As such, potable water, sanitary sewer, stormwater<br />
management, <strong>and</strong> aquifer recharge are not discrete areas of concern, but represent different facets of<br />
one issue: water quality.<br />
Reuse of wastewater treatment plant effluent for irrigation is a trend which the City believes should<br />
exp<strong>and</strong> to address all venues in which water is managed. It has made a start in employing best<br />
management practices for storm water which: reduce local flooding, recharge the surficial aquifer,<br />
<strong>and</strong> reduce the quantity of runoff discharged into the Indian River Lagoon. Similar techniques can<br />
be used to eliminate runoff discharges into the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the approximately 800<br />
million gallons of rainfall which are discharged annually from the City's stormwater outfalls into the<br />
brackish Banana River represent a potential source of supply for the approximately 300 million<br />
gallons of potable water consumed in the City each year - water withdrawn from the St. Johns River<br />
<strong>and</strong> the Floridan Aquifer. In these ways, wastewater plant effluent or stormwater runoff which causes<br />
or contributes to a problem now can be used beneficially.<br />
Infrastructure Element<br />
<strong>Data</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Analysis</strong> 4-13