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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-08-2021 IPM MinutesINTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1225 MAIN STREET, SEBASTIAN, FL MARCH 8, 2021 Call to Order — The meeting was called to order by Mr. Benton at 2:00 p.m. It. Pledae of Allegiance was recited by all. III. Roll call Present Mr. Carrano Mr. Griffin Mr. Stadelman Dr. Cox Ms. Munroe -- -- (Zoom) Late arrival (Zoom) Late arrival Also Present: Brian Benton, Leisure Services Director Kim Haigler, Environmental Planner Barbara Brooke -Reese, MIS Manager Janet Graham, Technical Writer (Zoom) IV. ADDroval of Minutes — February 22.2021 Chairman Benton asked if everyone had a chance to review the Minutes as presented. All indicated they had. Hearing no changes/corrections, Mr. Benton called for a motion. A motion approving the February 22, 2021 Minutes as presented was made by Mr. Carrano, seconded by Dr. Cox, and approved unanimously via voice vote. Aaenda Modifications Ms. Haigler proposed an agenda modification as follows: Under New Business, Item B, Review of Proposed Extended Meeting Schedule for the Committee. Mr. Benton called for a motion to add Item B, Proposed Extended Meeting Schedule. Motion was made by Mr. Griffin, seconded by Carrano, and approved unanimously via voice vote. VI. Announcements — None VII. Public Input INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING Bob Stephen, 150 Concha Drive, Sebastian. He thanked the Sub -Committee for its work. He asked the members to please think about their grandchildren and their children regarding these waterways. Are we going to have waterways with habitats in them? That has to be considered. He also stated that this Sub -Committee and its plans and discussions are being watched by others. Seeing no one else in chambers and hearing no one on Zoom, Mr. Benton closed Public Input on this item and moved to the next item on the agenda. VII. New Business A. Non -Chemical Methods Suggested at the Last Meeting Discuss the pros and cons of each Ms. Haigler reviewed at the last meeting Sub -Committee members proposed some new items to the Non -Chemical Controls tables. She researched these methods, and she wanted to discuss some of them so that everyone can understand why they would or would not be a good fit for the City's system. She began with discussing carp. It was taken out of the table, and there was some discussion that we should not count it out yet. Carp has been one of the most effective biological controls of hydrilla, but carp are not a specialist. They will eat plants until they deplete them, and they live 25 years. Their range must be restricted to get permitted from FWC for them to be used, and it requires that the connected water bodies altogether be less than 500 acres. So that and the fact that the entire stormwater system is not less than 500 acres, and it cannot be guaranteed they will not escape to the San Sebastian River or to any other natural waterways. For those reasons, Sebastian would not qualify for an FWC permit as its system is designed. The other suggestion was stocking with native fish. There are no native fish that significantly control algae or aquatic plants. Native fish are already present and exist at carrying capacity. There is no native fish stocking that is significantly going to have any effect. There was also mention of a dry ice system. It is a blast of dry ice. It is highly pressurized and requires specialized equipment, but it is really for small terrestrial weeds. It has to freeze to the plants' root systems, or it acts just like a cold spell on them. Understandably, that is impossible with aquatic weeds. It would not be possible to freeze the root system as they are much deeper, and the wet soil is not going to be frozen as easily as the dry soil. So that is not recommended to be added to the table. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING Another system that was interesting was the DASH, the diver -assisted suction harvesting, which is where the plants and roots are sucked up by the diver and deposited on upland sites. She looked at the site factors that would qualify for this system, and it is used in fast-moving, clearwaters like springs. Visibility is required, and the visibility in Sebastian's stormwater system is not very good, and as soon as they start vacuuming that really fine silt will suspend, and they will not be able to see what they are vacuuming anymore. That was the state recommendation, and it has only been used on four different waterways in Florida. It is used around docks and launch areas, but those are all private in the City's stor mwater system. Another system that was suggested was a skimmer device. There are skimmer devices that can be purchased for ponds. They are costly, but they are easily movable between ponds. They pump the water and material through, sort of like an on -shore filtration unit that has a conveyor belt which deposits all that vegetation in a pile on the shore, and then it is scooped up and taken away. It is left in place until the problem has been eliminated in that pond, and then it can be moved to another pond or it can be stored until it is needed again. There was actually an ad for it in "National Geographic." The City does not very often treat the types of floating species which this system addresses. She recommends that this be put on the 'future" list because if those items become a bigger problem, the City should definitely look at this skimmer device. She did more research into the pathogens. The pathogens and bacterial enzymes that attack are aerobic. Aeration has to be added for them to work. They already exist in soils, but you need to supplement them. So besides the aeration, it requires still water. The best candidates are ponds during periods of in- and outflow which also have fountains. So the ponds that have fountains have only been treated for cattails for the most part, and the pathogens that are added must be tailored to the exact site conditions. The City is not in an area where it is predictable. The fluctuations vary a lot, but the soils must be constantly assessed. They only treat the algae and the muck. In the two years that there are data from Applied Aquatics she counted 31 times that brush and grasses were treated, and there were 9 times that algae were treated, and that was at Hardee, which is not a lake or a pond; it is really a canal, and it has a lot of flow. The main thing she found in the research is that it is showing the same effects of the pathogens as adding aeration. Adding air is adding more of what the existing bacteria and pathogens need to grow. So it makes them more active and increases their population. Since the City has some ponds that have been treated for these items, she suggests that the first recommendation to put in the plan that is open for discussion is adding fountains to some of those ponds that do not have fountains. Then when these things become a problem, to look at increasing the pathogens. The first step to that is increasing the aeration in INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING these ponds, so that is why she put pathogens as a future recommendation —something to look at as the plan is reviewed every year. Those were all the items that were mentioned at the last meeting. Ms. Haigler then called for questions/comments from the Sub -Committee members. Mr. Griffin: Asked if her recommendation is that the City could have a need in the future for aeration. There are a number of ponds in which that might be applicable, ponds that there is not now aeration in. Ms. Haigler stated yes. Currently, there is aeration at Garden Club Park, Easy Street Park, the historic Schumann Lake Park, and Blossom Pond. In discussion with staff, she asked what would be the next ones that would be recommended where there are some of these pest problems. Through the research, staff looked at Periwinkle, Cheltenham, and Tulip as being the next ones that have problems with these pests. But she suggested that aeration be the first thing to use. Questioned Ms. Haigler if her thoughts are that much of this information, especially that which appears to be feasible or feasible in the future, is going to be included in the plan itself. Ms. Haigler explained that there is a whole section of future considerations, and she plans to discuss where these other options are going to be listed. Mr. Griffin stated that he then can develop a budget request that reflects some of those future systems so that funding can be considered for some of those so that we actually make some of them happen. Ms. Haigler stated that is how it was done in the Parks and Properties IPM Plan as well. Dr. Cox: Regarding the carp, he suggested there is a need for a botanical survey. He wants to know where the hydrilla is. Is it in all parts of the system, or is it in specially located areas under certain circumstances? We really do not know. He opined that the Sub -Committee is "flying blind" when it dismisses things without being able to say that such -and -such a plan is going to be effective. He is not yet convinced that carp is a bad idea. Ms. Haigler stated she did not say it was a bad idea. It is very effective against hydrilla. But adding them into the City's system requires an FWC permit, and when she read the requirements for that permit, the City's system does not meet their requirements. Actually, carp have only been approved in 80 of Florida's public waters. Eighty is not very many. There is a long list of criteria that have to be met, which includes being an isolated water body and being able to guarantee the carp do not escape into any natural water INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING body, and Sebastian just does not meet those requirements. Dr. Cox stated that, since he has been told by several people that carp do work, he would like to see that there is a note in the plan that the Sub -Committee looked at carp. Some things that we look at might not work right now and may never work. But we need to know what they are so that we are not going to be criticized later by saying that we did not consider so-and-so when we did. We need to know more as time goes on. Regarding the probiotic suggestion, he is Intrigued that Martin County and Port St. Lucie are willing to invest $100,000.00 in a machine to generate whatever it is for raw material or probiotics. He is going to pursue that on his own just to see how it works and whether it would work. He prefers not to dismiss something that may have some value. Regarding the pathogens, Ms. Haigler stated she is not eliminating them. She wants to leave them on the list for future consideration so that every year the feasibility of them is being looked at. Regarding diver -assisted vacuuming in a lake far away in totally different circumstances, like Lake George, it was found that in all the coves they have been overwhelmed by Eurasian milfoil. They went for years putting rubber mats down to kill it to find that it was only partially effective. For the last two or three years they have been using divers to go down with a vacuum device. This is in the shallow coves where they have been doing this, and it is the only thing that has let them get Eurasian milfoil under control. He suggested including the diver - assisted vacuuming be included in order to say that the Sub -Committee looked at this, and it is not something that was dismissed out of hand. Ms. Haigler stated there are several methods that are options that have been eliminated because they do not fit our stornwater system. He appreciates all the work that Ms. Haigler is doing regarding these matters. Mr. Carrano: Stated that a few years ago when he spoke with a company who did diver -assisted suction harvesting, visibility was not a concern because they normally worked in zero visibility conditions. As soon as you start suctioning anyplace or anywhere, you kick up so much sediment that you cannot see. If that is a problem because we could be kicking sediment downstream, he understands that. But if it is stated to be a problem because the divers cannot see, they set up guidelines and that is not an issue. Ms. Haigler stated that was in the data that she read. She said that the data said that it was only recommended in the springs: fast-moving, clear waters. Regarding the carp question, Sebastian is not isolated as its waterway system is INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 6 MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING designed presently. In the future, who knows what can happen, but right now the City's water system is not designed to hold carp within the system Mr. Benton asked Ms. Haigler if there is a contact that staff can contact at FWC to discuss With them the carp scenario. That way we at least have some documentation that we can then say in this IPM that we have documentation on file that shows that carp would not be approved in our system. Ms. Haigler stated that can be done. Mr. Benton asked Dr. Cox that, in his mentioning probiotics, he said that in Martin County and Port St. Lucie probiotics have been shown to be successful. Dr. Cox said yes. Mr. Benton asked if Dr. Cox knows how much those entities reduced their spray contracts by due to the success of the probiotics. Dr. Cox said he does not know, but he will ask about that. Mr. Benton asked if those entities were able to provide any recent data or any baseline data. Dr. Cox said no, but he will follow up on that. Dr. Cox recalled that the person he spoke to said that the $100,000.00 invested in the machinery to do this is a worthwhile investment. Dr. Cox will follow up on that also. Ms. Haigler added that with this device it involves dedicated staff because they have to be raised and inoculated into the system daily. There being no further questions/comments from Sub -Committee members, Mr. Benton opened the meeting to public input on this item. Bob Stephen, Sebastian. Regarding Item A, all the discussion has been on the negatives, and he asked where are the positives. He suggested a roundtable with some scientists and people who have done successful things to teach us what works, and then try the things that work instead of calling attention to what does not work so that spraying can be continued. Nothing was said about steam or aboutmechanical methods. Mr. Benton interjected that there was a long discussion and PowerPoint presentation at the last meeting showing the mechanical method that the City used. There being no one else in chambers and no one on Zoom who wished to speak, Mr. Benton closed public input and moved to the next item on the agenda. B. Proposed Extended Meeting Schedule Mr. Benton stated that the previous meeting schedule expired as of this meeting. Staff is proposing to continue these meetings, to be continued through the beginning of May. The next dates will be March 22nd, April 5th, and May 3rd. The second meeting in April is being skipped because that is close to the time of the Arbor Day and Earth Day celebration, and Ms. Haigler has a lot of responsibility surrounding that event, as well as some of the members of this Sub -Committee. Mr. Benton called for a motion. A motion extending the meeting schedule as outlined above until May 3rd was made by Mr. Carrano, seconded by Mr. Griffin, and approved unanimously via voice vote. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 7 MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING Vill. Old Business A. Section 11, Structures Review and discussion Ms. Haigler reviewed that this item was first proposed two meetings ago, and it was decided to break it dawn in order to move a little slower with each section. At this meeting she would like to address structures. The stormwater assets classified as structures include the dams, weirs, spillways, catch basins, baffle boxes, culvert pipes, inlets, outlets, outfalls, etc. There are over a hundred structures like this across the stormwater system, and these assets have virtually zero tolerance for pests. They need to stay clear of vegetation and debris at all times in order to function. The do-nothing option on this means that the operation of the management structures can be interfered with. Each one is unique in its design and purpose, so the overgrowth of vegetation around these structures can impede the flow of water, block the gates open or closed, and often when the operation of these structures is most critical is when this happens. The damage caused to the structures and the resulting problems can become very costly to repair. In order to eradicate the vegetation, the following cultural and mechanical methods are conducted routinely as part of standard proactive maintenance procedures, which are vacuum removal and manual removal. She described these methods and how often these methods are performed. Mr. Benton then asked for comments/quest ons from Sub - Committee members. Dr. Cox: Regarding non -chemical methods for structures, he suggested adding a sentence that says, "Reconstruction where the structure is found defective or past its efficient use, and it should be replaced with a better -designed structure." He cited the example of what is being done at the Concha Dam. He asked if that should be put in here, or does that language belong somewhere else. Ms. Haigler stated that is more of a stormwater master plan item to replace the infrastructure. She stated there is no way to build it that it will have the capacity to handle vegetation, that it would not get blocked by vegetation. Mr. Griffin stated the structure at Concha Dam is planned to be replaced as it is near its end of life. Mr. Benton stated that language can be included here. He emphasized that it is not something that the City would do unless the structure's useful life has run out or other means have caused it to decay. Ms. Haigler added that this was one of the items that were INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 8 MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING listed in a lot of research she did regarding aquatic plants around these structures. As these structures are replaced, the replacements are completely different because of technology, etc. Mr. Griffin stated he will consider that comment as the City moves forward with the Concha Dam project. He stated that hopefully that project will be funded this year, and the Stormwater Department will move forward with it. • Dr. Cox stated that in his earlier notes, he added backhoe for manual removal. Mr. Griffin stated that the principal piece of equipment used for mechanical removal is a track hoe, of which the City has three sizes. The City also has an excavator that is part of a skid steer, which gets inside the smaller ditches. Basically, it is functioning as an excavator, but sometimes a backhoe is used. Mr. Benton suggested adding mechanical removal to the other two non -chemical methods. Ms. Haigler stated she would add that. Mr. Carrano: He stated that when looking at these structures such as dams, weirs, and spillways, he cannot imagine ever spraying chemicals anywhere near any of those because, by the time it is sprayed, it is downstream already. The easiest and quickest way to remove vegetation that gathers upon these structures is going to be some sort of mechanical, by -hand removal. Vegetation near those structures will have to be removed cyclically in some way. Ms. Haigler stated that at some of the inlets and outlets at the ponds, there is no way to reach them, as there is private property involved. Mr. Carrano stated that some of these structures are old and need to be repaired. They are too small, they catch sediment. He understands the cost, but he suggested that some of them were not designed properly, and if they were bigger and improved, there might not be the need for spraying. Mr. Griffin stated that 100% of the time the staff is using mechanical removal on these structures. He cited a history of an accident when an excavator was attempted to be used at the Concha dam, which caused a massive failure of the dam, massive flooding, lawsuits against the City, and a very expensive and difficult reconstruction project. Mr. Benton emphasized that chemical spraying at any structure is very minimal, and it is only done when it is deemed a safety hazard for potential flooding if the Concha dam area gets a heavy rain, etc. Mr. Griffin stated the mechanical removal works very well for the catch basins, baffle boxes, and many other structures, and it is done all the time. The progress is monitored and reported to the City Manager and to City Council as well. Mr. Carrano stated it should be emphasized in implementing this plan that certain structures do not lend themselves to spraying except under extreme circumstances. Mr. Benton stated INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 9 MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING that verbiage would be added and will come back to this group for final approval. Mr. Benton, hearing nothing more from the Sub -Committee members, opened the meeting to comments from the public. There being no one in chambers and no one on Zoom, Mr. Benton moved to the next item on the agenda. B. Section IV, Ponds Review and discussion Ms. Haigler reviewed that there are 17 stormwater ponds throughout the City. Pond vegetation is important ecologically and has an aesthetic benefit with the ponds. If left to grow uncontrolled, the flood control and safety of the properties surrounding them can be impaired. The do-nothing option can very quickly reduce the stormwater capacity more than any other body of water. That is because the brush and grasses that grow in from the shoreline can quickly accumulate the sediments in the ponds. The invasive aquatic vegetation grows quickly, and it is constantly shedding vegetation. Native vegetation does not do that like the invasive vegetation does. All of the stormwater ponds are connected to the entire conveyance system, and the aquatic vegetation can also block the waterflow in and out of the ponds. Many species of tall grasses growing around the pond edges can create dense thickets which hide dangerous wildlife and prohibit police and park visitors from seeing beyond them. This creates serious safety concerns because of the dangerous wildlife that can hide in those thickets. Four of the City's ponds also contain fountains for aeration and algae control. The dense vegetation can damage the fountains by clogging their pump systems or blocking the spray. So the tolerance threshold for pest activity before action is taken is considered high for these assets. She clarified that what was meant by stating "before action is taken" means before spraying is begun. Ms. Haigler reviewed that the primary non -chemical methods for use in the ponds is dredging when the ponds are at their lowest levels so the City can access the ponds' bottoms and edges with equipment to mechanically remove the vegetation and accumulated sediment. Ms. Haigler stated there is mechanical removal by a contractor when needed. The fountains can cause a lot of circulation, which is great for the whole pond in a number of ways. It inhibits vegetation growth significantly and increases the habitat quality. Planting native emergent vegetation is another way where the sod goes right up to the edge of the water. Putting in a buffer of vegetation helps maintain a healthy shoreline as well as acts as a filter and reestablishes and enhances the habitat and aesthetic quality of the ponds. Mr. Benton called for questions/comments from the Sub - Committee members. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 10 MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING Mr. Carrano: • inquired if it is possible in this section to separate those ponds that are isolated from actual bodies of water from those that are connected to natural bodies of water. Ms. Haigler said no ponds are connected to natural bodies of water. They are all connected to the interconnected stormwater system. There are no ponds that have a direct outfall to the San Sebastian River. Mr. Griffin stated they are all part of the stormwater system which exits to the canal, which exits to the river. Dr. Cox: Questioned some text in the overview where it says there are dozens of ponds, and he referred to Ms. Haigler stating today that there are 17 ponds. Ms. Haigler clarified what was meant, and she has since revised the text to say there are 17 stormwater ponds. Regarding the planting native emergent vegetation, he stated in the context of ponds he thinks it will work; in the bigger context such as along the sides of the canals, this is a major human resources endeavor, to keep planting native vegetation and hope that it overtakes the non-native, invasive species. Mr. Griffin suggested that for effective plantings it is a combination of timing and selection of the right herbicides with the timing and selection of the right natives. It is a coordinated, multiple phase approach. He believes it can work. He stated that one of the goals with the large grant that has been applied for in terms of reconstructing the canal is that high -quality native vegetation be established on both sides of the canal that would be self -maintaining. Part of the vision that stormwater staff has is building a littoral shelf. He further stated that grant money would be necessary for the work that the City hopes to do. The grant application that he put in for is a $24 million project. He is hoping to hear soon about that. Ms. Haigler added that creating a littoral shelf has been successful in some of the City's waterways. She stated it is a very tedious job and is its own specialty. Thus, staff defers to the professionals on this subject. Regarding the pond on the north side of Schumann Drive and U.S. Highway 1, that pond has a fountain in it for aeration. Two residents have photographs that show a serious bloom of what Dr. Cox thinks is blue-green algae. Despite the aeration, it took over the top of that pond and produced all sorts of problems. Mr. Griffin stated he would take a look at it. Ms. Haigler stated that when aquatic macrophytes are removed algae take over as the primary producer. That is just a natural effect, and depending on the size of the water body, it is expected naturally to balance back out. Even if you mechanically remove it, algae take over as the primary producers, but it balances out within a week. Dr. Cox stated that all of the cattails INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 11 MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING around it died. He is not sure whether they died naturally or they were sprayed with something. So all of the cattails around that pond do not look healthy. Ms. Haigler said that is the problem with invasive vegetation like the hyacinths. That vegetation is constantly growing and dying and dying and growing and throwing off this dead organic material. That is one of the problems with them and why they need to be controlled. Mr. Benton stated that what was in the Historical Park pond on the north side of Schumann was identified as planktonic algae, which are microscopic plants that live in pond water and are extremely important to the aquatic ecosystem. It is the basis for the food chain and is essential because it produces oxygen and food for the animals that live in the pond. It was identified as not being blue-green algae. Hearing no further commentslquestions from the Sub -Committee members, Mr. Benton opened the meeting for public input on this item alone. Bob Stephen, Sebastian. He stated he has photos of the Schumann Drive pond, and he can send them to Mr. Benton if he wants to see them. He stated that three scientists he talked with in the Department of Health all agreed that this was probably a blue-green algae bloom, but because of the rapid temperature drop at night it goes to the bottom. It comes up quickly and is fed by herbicides, and it was a milky green, a rather strange appearance. Mr. Benton asked that Mr. Stephen send the photos or copies of the photos to him. Ms. Haigler stated she visited the day after that was reported She saw a variety of algae but no blue-green. Mr. Stephen said blue-green algae comes from algae. Mr. Carrano stated no, it does not. Blue-green algae are bacteria. Algae are not. Seeing no one else in chambers who wished to speak and hearing no one on Zoom, Mr. Benton moved to the next item on the agenda. IX. Sub -Committee Member Matters — None X. Staff Matters — None XI. Items for the Next Aaenda A. Section V, Ditches/Rights-of-Way/Dry Retention Areas B. Section VI, Further Non -Chemical Recommendations XII. Adioumment There being no further business, Mr. Benton called for a motion to adjourn. A motion to INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING PAGE 12 adjourn the meeting was made by Mr. Griffin, seconded by Mr. Benton, and approved unanimously via voice vote. The meeting was adjourned at 3:02 p.m. Date:— / A