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area within the Grand Harbor project site. He talked about the difficulty of getting and <br />maintaining permitting for the South and North County Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants and <br />discussed the need for the expansion of the North Plant within the parameters of the <br />regulatory agencies. <br />Vice Chair Bowden asked, for the record, if the Department of Environmental <br />Protection (DEP) was requiring mitigation, and if Director Olson had suggested using Lost <br />Tree Islands. To the first question, Director Olson replied, "Yes." To the latter, he <br />explained that Lost Tree islands had been discussed as an option only, and it was not a <br />distinct requirement. Vice Chair Bowden strongly suggested that the mitigation process <br />not be done on the Lost Tree Islands. <br />Further discussion ensued among Vice Chair Bowden, Commissioners Davis and <br />O'Bryan, and Director Olson regarding mitigation and the Lost Tree Islands. <br />Administrator Baird remarked that any mitigation project would have to come before the <br />Board for approval, and he pointed out that no money has been authorized for the <br />mitigation of Lost Tree Islands. <br />The Board posed questions regarding other options for brine disposal, the volume <br />of salt obtained from the brine, whether an effluent or detergent was used in the reverse <br />osmosis process, and where the brine is currently going. Director Olson responded to <br />their questions and detailed the reverse osmosis water purification process. He noted that <br />the County currently discharges into the Indian River Lagoon in Wabasso, which is no <br />longer permittable, and also at the South Relief Canal, which would be re -permitted for <br />now. <br />Dr. Grant Gilmore, Senior Scientist with Estuarine, Coastal and Ocean Science, <br />Inc. (ECOS), spoke about ocean outfalls as being a viable option for brine disposal for <br />September 18, 2007 43 <br />