A dispute between a local river advocate and Dunnellon officials has spilled into a state-ordered halt of a major cleanup project on the Rainbow River, with work expected to resume within days after corrective steps were taken. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a warning letter April 22 directing One Rake at a Time and contractor Sea & Shoreline to stop portions of the project following a wave of complaints submitted by Dunnellon Vice Mayor Tim Inskeep and Public Works Director Chad Ward.
Inskeep and Ward alleged ongoing permit violations, including missing turbidity barriers, sediment in the river and floating vegetation. State inspectors, who conducted a complaint-driven inspection April 10, documented what they classified as “significant non-compliance,” including discharges of turbid water, insufficient controls to contain sediment, possible unauthorized dredging activity and pipeline sections creating navigational hazards. The agency ordered work to cease until water quality standards and permit conditions are met.
Project lead Art Jones said the problems have since been fixed and tied the shutdown to the ongoing friction with city officials. “Whenever you have a project like this, there are going to be some issues that come up, but we’ve addressed all of the concerns and we’re ready to move forward,” Jones said. The project aims to improve the water quality of the spring-fed river in Marion County.
The One Rake at a Time project has been working to clean up the Crystal and Homosassa rivers and has now taken on the Rainbow River. The project’s goal is to improve the water quality of the river through various cleanup efforts.
Originally reported by Citrus County Chronicle – Crystal River
