MISSION
STATEMENT
The mission
of the Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management
(ERM) is to establish, maintain, and implement programs for the protection,
preservation, and enhancement of the land and water resources of Palm Beach
County.
ERM’S HISTORY
On
October 1, 1987, the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners created
the Department of Environmental Resources Management and appointed Rich Walesky
as its first director, a position he has held ever since. At that time, ERM
consisted of the director and 38 staff positions. Fifteen positions were designated
to implement the new Wellfield Protection Ordinance and other environmental
programs; the remaining positions were transferred to ERM from two existing
County programs - Mosquito Control and Beaches. Over the next year, the Department's
mission statement and basic organization were approved; the Wetlands Protection
and Surface Water Quality Monitoring Programs were transferred from the Palm
Beach County Public Health Unit; and the Pollutant Storage Tank Clean-up and
Compliance Programs were created. In October 1989, the County Commission approved
20 new positions, including the first position for natural areas acquisition
and management.
Today, ERM administers nineteen
environmental programs and employs over 150 people organized in five divisions.
From Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic Ocean, ERM programs cover the County. If
you have dived on an artificial reef, walked a beach, or explored a natural
area, then you have enjoyed the fruits of ERM’s labor.
Coastal Resources