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Introduction
The Florida Everglades, formerly a large and diverse aquatic ecosystem, has been dramatically altered over the past century by an extensive water control infrastructure designed to increase regional economic productivity through improved flood control, urban water supply, and agricultural production (Davis and Ogden, 1994; NRC, 2005). Shaped by the slow flow of water, its vast terrain of sawgrass plains, ridges, sloughs, and tree islands used to support a high diversity of plant and animal life. This natural landscape also served as a sanctuary for Native Americans. However, large-scale changes to the landscape have diminished the natural resources, and by the mid- to late-20th century, many of the area’s defining natural characteristics had been lost. The remnants of the original Everglades (see Figure 1-1 and Box 1-1) now compete for vital water with urban and agricultural interests, and contaminated runoff from these two activities impairs the South Florida ecosystem.
Recognition of past declines in environmental quality, combined with continuing threats to the natural character of the remaining Everglades, led to initiation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) in the late 1990s. This unprecedented project envisioned the expenditure of billions of dollars in a multi-decadal effort to achieve ecological restoration by reestablishing the hydrologic characteristics of the Everglades, where feasible, and to create a water system that simultaneously serves the needs of both the natural and the human systems of South Florida. Within the social, economic, and political latticework of the 21st century, the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem is now under way and represents one of the most ambitious ecosystem renewal projects ever conceived. This report represents the third independent assessment of the CERP’s progress by the Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress (CISRERP) of the National Research Council (NRC).
THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL AND EVERGLADES RESTORATION
The NRC has been providing scientific and technical advice related to the Everglades restoration since 1999. The NRC’s Committee on the Restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem (CROGEE), which operated from 1999 until 2004, was formed at the request of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (Task Force), an intergovernmental body established to facilitate
BOX 1-1 Geographic Terms To minimize confusion, this box defines some key geographic terms used throughout this report.
The following represent legally defined geographic terms used in this report:
Many maps in this report include shorthand designations that use letters and numbers for man-made additions to the South Florida ecosystem. For example, canals are labeled C-#; levees and associated borrow canals as L-#; and structures, such as culverts, locks, pumps, spillways, control gates, and weirs, as S-#. |
coordination in the restoration effort, and the committee produced six reports (NRC, 2001, 2002a,b, 2003a,b, 2005). The NRC’s Panel to Review the Critical Ecosystem Studies Initiative produced an additional report in 2003 (NRC, 2003c; see Appendix A). The Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (WRDA 2000) mandated that the U.S. Department of the Army, the Department of the Interior (DOI), and the state of Florida, in consultation with the Task Force, establish an independent scientific review panel to evaluate progress toward achieving the natural system restoration goals of the CERP. The NRC’s Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress was therefore established in 2004 under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). After publication of each of the first and second biennial reviews (NRC, 2007, 2008; see Appendix A for the report summaries), some members rotated off the committee and some new members were added.
The committee is charged to submit biennial reports that address the following items:
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An assessment of progress in restoring the natural system, which is defined by section 601(a) of WRDA 2000 as all of the land and water managed by the federal government and state within the South Florida ecosystem (see Figure 1-2 and Box 1-1);
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A discussion of significant accomplishments of the restoration;
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A discussion and evaluation of specific scientific and engineering issues that may impact progress in achieving the natural system restoration goals of the plan; and
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An independent review of monitoring and assessment protocols to be used for evaluation of CERP progress (e.g., CERP performance measures, annual assessment reports, assessment strategies, etc.).
Given the broad charge, the complexity of the restoration, and the continually evolving circumstances, the committee did not presume it could cover all issues that affect restoration progress in any single report. Instead, this report covers restoration progress since 2008, high-priority scientific and engineering issues that the committee judged to be relevant to this timeframe, and other issues that have impacted the pace of progress. The committee focused particularly on issues for which the “timing was right”—that is, where the committee’s advice could be useful relative to the decision making timeframes—and on topics that had not been fully addressed in past NRC Everglades reports. The committee also identified some perspectives on the changing context for restoration 10 years after the launching of the CERP in WRDA 2000, taking into account major recent developments that affect the future of CERP, such as the purchase of land from the U.S. Sugar Corporation and the recently announced
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) numeric nutrient criteria for surface waters outside of the Everglades Protection Area.
Interested readers should look to past reports by this committee (NRC, 2007, 2008) to find detailed discussions of important topics, such as the human context for the CERP, climate change, Lake Okeechobee, Modified Water Deliveries to Everglades National Park, and incremental adaptive restoration, which are not repeated here. Some important issues, such as the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill, were still unfolding at the time of the report’s preparation, but these topics can be addressed in detail in future reports of this committee.
The committee met six times during the course of this review; received briefings at its public meetings from agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in the restoration, as well as from the public; and took several field trips to sites with restoration activities (see Acknowledgments) to help it evaluate restoration progress. In addition to information received at the meetings, the committee based its assessment of progress on information in relevant CERP and non-CERP restoration documents. The committee’s conclusions and recommendations also were informed by a review of relevant scientific literature and the experience and knowledge of the committee members in their fields of expertise. The committee was unable to consider in any detail new materials received after February 2010.
REPORT ORGANIZATION
In Chapter 2, the committee provides an overview of the CERP in the context of other ongoing restoration activities and discusses the restoration goals that guide the overall effort. The changing context for the CERP is also discussed, considering the 10 years that have elapsed since the CERP was officially launched in response to WRDA 2000.
In Chapter 3 the committee analyzes the progress of CERP implementation, including recent developments at Picayune Strand, the C-111 Spreader Canal, and several pilot projects that are under way. Also discussed in the chapter are programmatic progress and issues.
In Chapter 4, the committee discusses the challenges of restoring water flow and distribution and the necessity of some tradeoffs in the restoration of the remnant ecosystem. To better illustrate these issues, the committee examines the hydrology and water management of WCA-3, which was chosen because of its central location in the restoration of the remnant Everglades ecosystem.
In Chapter 5, the committee focuses on “getting the water quality right.” The chapter contains an overview of the regulatory and legal context for water quality in the Everglades and includes analysis of the current approaches for addressing water quality and opportunities for further improvements.
In Chapter 6, the committee discusses the contributions and use of science
for CERP decision making. The chapter includes analysis of recent scientific advancements, current modeling, and the use of ecosystem services valuation for Everglades restoration. Current progress and challenges in adaptive management are also reviewed, along with evaluations of recent monitoring and assessment plan reports.