Supporting Documents (Data and Analysis) - Satellite Beach

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 This will limit the amount of water which can be withdrawn during droughts, regardless of
whether there is water in the lake to be withdrawn.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