House Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #146 Water Initative---St. Johns County Septic Tank Replacement
Requester:	Ben Adams		Organization:		St. Johns County
Project Title:	Water Initative---St. Johns County Septic Tank Replacement		Date Submitted:		01/26/2000 4:30:01 PM
District Member:	Doug Wiles		Service Area:		County
Counties Affected:	St. Johns
Recipient:	St. Johns County		Contact:		Ted Zebrowski
	P.O. Box 349		Contact Phone:		(904) 823-2600
	St. Augustine 32095
Project Description:
St. Johns County, in cooperation with the City of St. Augustine, the City of St. Augustine Beach and the Ponte Vedra Municipal Service District, is seeking funds from the Governor's Water Initiative to eliminate failing septic tanks in communities where those septic tanks are negatively effecting the ground water and the Guana, Tolomato and Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. The County is seeking a variety of funding options for this program, including efforts to secure funds from the Federal Government and the St. Johns River Water Management District to aid in this effort. The end result of the project will be the replacement of failing septic tanks with a centralized sanitary sewer system that will meet the needs of this growing county for many decades.
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
The primary benefit to the state will be a cleaner and healthier Guana, Tolomato and Matanzas Rivers. The failure of septic systems along the waterway are one of the primary reasons why these waterways are constantly battling polution. On a couple of occasions, it has been necessary to close the shellfish harvesting programs along the rivers because of high polution. Many areas of the river remain closed to shellfish harvesting, while those areas that are open must be tested regularly. In addition, the recent designation of these waterways as National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR)demonstrate the ecological uniqueness of the community. It is expected that the NERR will become a center for eco-tourism along the northeast coast, however, this can only become a reality if the river is clean. Finally, the Tolomato and Matanzas Rivers comprise the Intracoastal Waterway through St. Johns County. The waterway is a lifeline for many ships and barges and is used by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
The significant measurable outcome will be a healthier Guana, Tomomato and Matanzas Rivers. This will be measurable through water testing.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$14,000,000
Total cost of the project:		$68,000,000

Request has been made to fund:			Construction
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?						Yes
	Cash Amount:	$4,900,000		In-Kind Amount:		$662,000
Was this project previously funded by the State?						No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?						Yes
	Amount:	$54,000,000
	Purpose for future year funding:				YesNon-recurring Construction
	Will this be an annual request?					Yes
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?						Unknown
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?						Unknown
Is there a documented need for this project?						Yes
	Documentation:	St. Johns County has submitted a grant application as part of the Water Initiative
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?						Yes
	Hearing Body:	St. Johns County Legislative Delegation
	Meeting Date:	01/27/2000