02/13/2018 (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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My name is Mark Yanno and I live at 10014th Street. Thank you Commissioners for allowing me to speak today on this highly sensitive issue. I will not discuss today all the environmental issues at the Oslo ramp site, as they have been well stated before and are in the public record. I will however, point out the two most significant things to remember about the Oslo site. First, the entire area was purchased for conservation of the natural resources, while preserving the historical limited use of the area by small watercraft. Second, a one of a kind gamefish nursery is present at the site and should be vehemently protected. I am sure that the intentions of Commissioner O'Brien are to benefit the Lagoon, given his educational background, however some of his statements in yesterdays newspaper article need clarification. Yes, muck is a problem in areas of the Lagoon. However, as Dr. Gilmore has just stated, the material at Oslo is mostly detritus (natural plant material), not muck, and Hurricane Irma has removed almost all of it. That being stated, the depression area east of the ramp will always collect detritus. If the intent is to fix a problem, then the permanent solution would be to fill and raise the grade to the surrounding elevation with clean sand to prevent future accumulation of detritus. Although a channel was never dredged to the Intra Coastal Waterway, a short area apparently was dug from the boat ramp out a couple hundred feet to where the old fish house used to be. This short area east of the ramp dock could be filled with clean sand to prevent this detritus from returning and being a continuing maintenance issue. However, it should be noted that the existing situation has been ongoing for decades and has not negatively affected the environment that is currently thriving in the Oslo area. Also, the detritus that collects is light material that will be almost impossible to mechanically dredge out, as the staff report says suction dredging is no longer an option. Lastly, costly new engineering evaluations, new seagrass surveys, and new permit applications would be required to pursue dredging. The second thing that needs clarification is the perceived concern over sediment from the existing road, and that will be addressed by Dr. Loftus after my comments. Natural limestone rock material has been used for decades at the east end of Oslo road. This white material is not the harmful silt that is causing problems in other areas of the Lagoon, it is natural material that is part of Florida's marine ecosystems. Placing asphalt millings on the road, would however pose a serious threat to the surrounding conservation area and gamefish nursery. Toxicity of milled asphalt to wetland areas is well documented and I provided a list of references to the Commission last December. In addition, I would like to quote from the Asphalt Millings Guidance Document of the State of New Jersey. It states, "The bitumen binder used in asphalt paving applications contains a large concentration of a family of carcinogenic compounds which can pose serious human health and environmental concerns". As concrete millings are also being proposed, I present the following: The eHow website states "Limestone differs from crushed concrete in that the former constitutes a naturally formed rock found in marine environments and the other is a manmade construction material". Wikipedia states "The presence of some substances in concrete, including useful and unwanted additives, can cause health concerns due to toxicity and radioactivity ... Since concrete is porous, there is the possibility that it may contain toxic fuels, lubricants, and VOC's". And lastly, the Notre Dame University News stated "The biggest barrier to using recycled concrete has been the variability and uncertainty in quality". The logical take away from these quoted sources is concrete millings may be better than asphalt, but still pose very real and damaging risks to the marine environment along the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area. Juvenile marine gamefish are very delicate at this stage of there life and toxins at any level could