WHAT'S KRAKEN?

    What's Kraken can create a personized treatment plan for the nuisance/exotic vegetation within stormwater ponds and wetlands within your community.  We use aquatically safe herbicides and/or algaecides at the appropriate application rate and volume necessary to solve your problem. 

In general treatments will be done in accordance with the product label to prevent toxifying the aquatic resource, and in a way that prevents  bank erosion, as bank erosion repairs are mandated by law when identified, and they they can be potentially bank expensive. The stormwater structures are observed as part of our routine maintenance and documented in our monthly service reports to the client. We can perform and submit all other inspection reports to the appropriate agencies in a timely manner to ensure you remain in compliance with all of the managing regulatory authorities

A new Florida’s was recently approved (Stormwater rule (62 - 6.001 F.A.C.), which requires developers and property managers to conduct analysis of both post-development nutrient loading, and pre-development nutrient loading, they compare the two to ensure that there isn’t an increase in levels. It is also meant to establish the minimum treatment standards for nitrogen and phosphorous, to request a routine maintenance schedule and cost estimate that be enforced and to implement approved Best Management Practices (BMPs) to ensure “at least 80% reduction of the average annual load of pollutants that cause or contribute to violations of State Water Quality Standards” particularly with respect to excess nutrient loading (suspended solids) in the form of total nitrogen & total phosphorus”. 

In general wetland buffers extend 25 feet from the existing wetland edges and have the same regulatory protection measures as the vegetation in the wetlands themselves. Because of this, the nuisance/exotic vegetation in these areas can only be disturbed/maintained by 1.) obtaining a miscellaneous activities permit from the Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), and

 2.) being specifically licensed and properly certified to discharge herbicides into designated wetland areas. 

There are currently NO specific regulatory requirements for the treatment of nuisance/exotic vegetation within areas designated as "floodplain compensation areas", as their function is simply to retain surface water on-site to prevent any flooding hazards on the Projects adjacent landowners. However, based on our experience it should be noted that failing to maintain the nuisance/exotic vegetation in these areas….at least on a minimum level, could lead to persistent complaints and a growing amount of frustration from future residents who live adjacent to these areas….and may have paid a premium for their lot with a beautiful wetland view. 

We have performed various ecological assessments such as vegetation monitoring, surficial hydrology assessments, land management activities and/or environmental permitting on nearly 1.3 million acres of land throughout the State of Florida (encompassing every natural community identified in the State of Florida), helping public land management agencies identify threats or impacts to wildlife habitat, such as the identification of point source contamination, the identification and spread of invasive exotic vegetation, and/or fire suppression. 

 Types of Ecological Assessments Performed:

- Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments,

 - Environmental Site Observations/ASTM Transaction Screens

-   Ecological/Biological Habitat Assessments

-  Vegetation Monitoring

-  Conservation Easement Baseline Documentation and Inventory

- Conservation Easement Monitoring

-  Prescribed Fire Plans 

- Public Herbicide Application

- Land Management 

- Threatened and Endangered Species Surveys

- Gopher Tortoise Survey and Relocation

-Wetland Delineations

- Env. Resource Permitting

We help our clients develop effective strategies for assessing, conserving, managing and restoring native wildlife habitat and ecosystems through the performance of various types of land management and ecological assessment activities such as prescribed fire, exotic species treatment/removal, etc. as well as various types of environmental assessments (due diligence, baseline inventory assessment, biological/ecological assessments, wildlife surveys, wetland delineations, surficial hydrology assessments, compliance and/or vegetation monitoring, environmental stewardship plans, conservation management plans, environmental permitting, cultural resource assessments, etc.).