Page 15 - Abacoa Community News - December '19

Abacoa, Page 15
Town Of Jupiter News Northern Notes

By Ilan Kaufer, Town Of to our officers and all the employees of our department for all
Jupiter Councilman that they do. Aquatic Plants
Happy December, Fertilizer Reduction And Water Quality
I want to wish everyone In October, I asked that a resolution be drafted calling for By Katie Roundtree,
a wonderful and meaningful a reduction in the use of products containing glyphosate. The Finance Director,
holiday season. I hope your resolution emphasized the Town’s commitment to reducing Northern Palm Beach
holidays are filled with the use of potentially harmful chemicals that impact health County Improvement
warmth, happiness, and and water quality. I will provide an update next month on the District
fulfillment. Please find below results of the discussion, since the meeting will occur after the Northern Palm Beach
a few Town updates: publication date for this month’s entry. County Improvement
Police Contract Friends Of Jupiter Beach District manages over
In November the Town The Town celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Friends of 2,000 acres of preserves
Council approved a new contract between the Town and the Jupiter Beach. The Town thanked the volunteer organization for and approximately
Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association. The all they do to help keep the beaches clean and encourage best 370 water bodies in
contract represents a well bargained result that places Jupiter practices from our furry friends and their owners. its 128-square-mile
at competitive salaries with other local police departments. As always please contact me with any comments or jurisdiction. Each of
I am glad that the contract increases salaries for our officers questions at ilank@jupiter.fl.us and follow me on Facebook these areas is unique and has different kinds of aquatic
and believe the contract will ensure that the Jupiter Police at www.facebook.com/councilorkaufer or on Twitter @ plants growing within it depending on factors such as
Department will remain a high performing agency. Thank you Councilorkaufer. depth, size and location. Aquatic plants that can be
seen with the naked eye are generally called aquatic
macrophytes, to differentiate them from the much
smaller plants called algae. Aquatic plants are further
classified into three categories depending upon where
they grow.
Aquatic plants can be submersed, meaning that
they grow under the water, either rooted to the bottom
sediments or free floating. They come in all shapes
and sizes and occur in virtually all local water bodies.
Environmental factors such as light, water clarity,
temperature, pH, nutrient availability and sediment
2020 SPRING TRAINING stability affect where submersed plants will grow.
These plants are professionally managed and, as with
many native and nonnative plant populations, can
grow to nuisance levels if not maintained properly.
Excess nutrient levels from fertilizers and yard waste
can further increase the growth of these plants to a
nuisance level. Some advantages of submersed plants
are to provide habitats for fish and wildlife, increase
water clarity, filter nutrients and increase or decrease
dissolved oxygen levels.
Immersed plants are plants that are rooted in
water-saturated soils or submersed sediment near the
water’s edge, with their leaves and stems exposed.
They can grow from the water’s edge to about three
to 10 feet from the shore. This area is typically called
the littoral zone and may be composed of a shoreline
or wetlands. In our area, some of these areas were
man-made to attract wildlife to the littoral zone in
order to compensate for recently developed areas. In
periods of low water, debris from dying immersed
plants is a significant factor. Accumulated plant debris
can eventually result in the lake becoming shallower,
or even transitioning into a swamp or marsh. Some
advantages of immersed plants include providing bank
stabilization to reduce shoreline erosion, maintaining
habitat for fish and wildlife and providing food (seeds
and leaves) for birds.
Finally, free floating plants are not anchored to any
soil or sediment; they get their nutrients from the water
alone. Floating-leaved plants typically are rooted in
the sediments and have leaves that float on the water’s
surface. Native water lilies and duckweed are examples
of these kinds of plants. Floating and floating-leaved
plants occur in many Florida water bodies. Rooted
floating-leaved plants can grow completely across
shallow water bodies. The roots of floating-leaved
plants provide a stable surface for successful fish
spawning. Some advantages of free floating or floating-
leaved plants include providing bank stabilization to
reduce shoreline erosion and maintaining habitat for
fish and wildlife. However, if periods of low water
are followed by a rapid rise in water level, the roots
of dead floating-leaved plants can float to the surface,
block access, and hinder navigation. Nonnative water
hyacinth and water lettuce may completely cover the
surface of a water body and cause major problems for
fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, navigation, and
flood control. Floating and floating-leaved plants are
not generally considered a human health concern, but
they provide breeding habitat for mosquitoes. (Source:
University of Florida IFAS)
NPDES Tip: Please pick up after your pet. When
pet waste is washed into lakes or canals, the waste
decays, using up oxygen and sometimes releasing
ammonia. Low oxygen levels and ammonia combined
with warm temperatures can kill fish. Pet waste also
contains nutrients that encourage weed and algae
growth. Overly fertile water becomes cloudy and
rOROGERDEANCHEVROLETSTADIUM.COM green – unattractive for boating and fishing. Perhaps
most importantly, pet waste carries diseases which
make water unsafe.