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Indian River County Manatee Protection and Boating Safety Comprehensive Management Plan Zone 8 Although no manatee mortalities attributed to watercraft have been recorded in Zone 8, the probability of watercraft impacts to manatees is high, since Zone 8 is a dense manatee abundance area. Large manatee aggregations have been documented in various areas of this zone including the Moorings Subdivision and Round Island Park. Part of the reason for the manatee abundance may be the warm water refuge at the City of Vero Beach Power Plant located across the IRL west of the ICW in Zone 9. The existing maximum 1:100 powerboat to shoreline density ratio should be retained for Zone 8. Zone 9 Within this zone, most of the land adjacent to the IRL has been deemed environmentally sensitive due to the presence of estuarine wetlands. Five watercraft -related manatee mortalities have been recorded in Zone 9, including 2 in 2000 and 1 in 2001. The City of Vero Beach Power Plant is a significant manatee aggregation area resulting from the warm water discharge. Portions of the residential canal system associated with the Power Plant have been identified by the FWC as one of eight "safe havens" in the state. The purpose of these "safe havens" is to provide areas for feeding, shelter, and birthing associated with warm water refuge sites. Seagrass density and manatee abundance increase just south of the South Relief Canal outfall, and combined with the abundance associated with the Power Plant increase, the probability of manatee impacts with watercraft in Zone 9. Therefore, the existing maximum 1:100 powerboat to shoreline density ratio should be retained for Zone 9. In addition to zones, specific criteria found in the Action Plan section will be applied to each request for a new boat facility or for the expansion, rearrangement, or conversion of an existing_boat facility. These site-specific criteria have been designed to account for site- specific issues related to manatee protection. These site-specific criteria will be in addition to the boat facility siting zone requirements and criteria. Siting of Boat Ramps The FWC siting factors/considerations for multi -slip dock facilities also provide a basis for developing criteria for the siting of new boat ramps, or for the rearrangement, or expansion of an existing boat ramp. In order to minimize adverse impacts to manatees and the resources of the IRL, boat ramps are best located: • in areas with few natural resources; • in areas where water depths are appropriate for the type of vessels using the boat ramp; • in areas with low manatee abundance; and • in areas with low manatee mortality. Based on analysis of maps of the IRL depicting natural resources, water depths, existing boat ramp facilities, manatee abundance, and manatee mortality, specific criteria should be applied to each application for a new boat ramp or for the expansion, rearrangement, or conversion of IRC Environmental Planning Section Page 54 August 2004 167