within an aquatic preserve, the additional requirements of Chapter 258, the 

 Aquatic Preserve Act, are considered in permitting decisions. It is the 

 Department's policy that any dredge and fill project over 10,000 yd is pro- 

 cessed by the central office of the DER in Tallahassee, Florida. 



Water Quality Based Discharge Permits 



Chapter 403.087. and .088, F.S. implemented through Chapter 17-4.03, FAC . 

 The provisions of these statutes direct the department to issue technology- 

 based standards (such as 905^ treatment required for sewage treatment facili- 

 ties within the State), and effluent-based water quality wasteload allocations 

 that limit the discharge for a particular facility up to the point of ambient 

 water quality standards. 



Air Quality Permitting Activities, Legislative Authority Chapter 403.087 



Implemented through the provisions of Chapter 17-2, FAC. Emission levels 

 are set through technology-based standards and ambient-based standards depend- 

 ing upon the nature of the source seeking the permit. The authority for all 

 air quality permitting activities is enacted through Chapter 17-2, FAC. These 

 restrictions include those for nonattainment areas, technology standards such 

 as new source performance standards and best available control technology, and 

 other State Implementation Plan authorities such as Best Available Control 

 Technology determination and prevention of significant degradation. 



DATA GAPS 



One of the major problems in any environmental assessment is the lack of 

 adequate and standarized infomation. Monitoring air, surface, and ground 

 water conditions is designed to identify existing or potential problems. Mon- 

 itoring of point sources pollution gives only a single view that is distorted 

 if generalized to a broader area or time frame. Conversely, poorly placed 

 monitors easily miss major environmental degradation and rate the quality too 

 high. The complexity of interacting forces and a lack of useful measurement 

 techniques may lead to bias in the final data. 



Because of the lack of funding, monitoring equipment is frequently not 

 placed in non-problem areas. In many areas of the State meaningful baseline 

 air quality data are lacking. For example, air and water monitoring stations 

 are located outside of major urban or industrial sites. Florida's ground 

 water aquifer system has not been adequately monitored and the extent of 

 potential risk from hazardous waste sites is not well understood. 



Summary of Federal and State Dredge and Fill 

 and Discharge Permit Requirements 



The DER and the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) have a joint pennitting 

 agreement that authorizes an applicant to submit one basic application to both 

 agencies for dredge and fill proposals. This joint application will be sepa- 

 rately reviewed by the DER and COE to determine which agency has jurisdiction. 

 .The COE typically has broader authority in the headwaters of navigable 

 streams. The general authority for COE is issuance of dredge and fill permits 



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