Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades The Fifth Biennial Review: 2014 (2014) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
4 Implementation Progress
4 Implementation Progress
Pages 71-130
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 71... ...
. 2 WRDA 2000 included authorizations for 10 initial Everglades restoration projects (pending congressional approval of the project implementation reports [PIRs]
|
From page 72... ...
In May 2014, Congress passed the Water Resources Reform and Develop ment Act (WRRDA) , which authorized four additional projects (C-43 Reservoir, C-111 Spreader Canal, Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands, Broward County Water Preserve Areas)
|
From page 73... ...
Authorization Planning/ Testing Status for Project or Component Name Date Date Status Status Design Pilots PILOT PROJECTS Hillsboro ASR Pilot 2002 Not specified PPDR Final Authorized in Completed Completed, 2013 (Fig.
|
From page 74... ...
Authorization Planning/ Testing Status for Project or Component Name Date Date Status Status Design Pilots RESTORATION PROJECTS -- Generation 1 Picayune Strand Restoration 2005 Merritt: 2012 Submitted to Construction Completed Prairie Canal (Fig.
|
From page 75... ...
NOTES: Projects in Table 4-1 reflect those CERP projects or pilot projects deemed by the committee to be relevant to CERP progress. This table does not include non-CERP foundation projects.
|
From page 76... ...
76 Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades FIGURE 4-1 Locations of CERP and CERP-related projects and pilots listed in Table 4-1. Projects under active construction are noted with a green circle.
|
From page 77... ...
Those trends and potential bottlenecks are explored in more detail in subsequent sections. CERP Spending Figures reported by the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (Task Force)
|
From page 78... ...
Among the larger items included in federal non-CERP expenditures over the 5-year period FY 2010 to FY 2014 are $470 million by the Natural Resources Conservation Service for agricultural programs; $149 million by the National Park Service for Everglades National Park management; and over $100 million for Kissimmee River Restoration. FIGURE 4-3 Federal and state spending related to South Florida ecosystem restoration activities, including CERP and non-CERP projects and related expenditures.
|
From page 79... ...
The Corps' construction budget has declined, and the South Florida ecosystem restoration share of that budget is declining. SFWMD Financial Resources The SFWMD's capacity to undertake new CERP projects and possibly complete authorized projects is hampered by its obligations to fund the Restoration Strategies, an $880 million project mandated under a consent order to remedy phosphorus exceedances in the Everglades Protection Area (see Chapter 2; also discussed later in this chapter)
|
From page 80... ...
) and $348 million for the Restoration Strate gies project and other water quality-related non-CERP projects.
|
From page 81... ...
. FIGURE 4-6 Overall SFWMD expenditures, including but not limited to South Florida eco system restoration, FY 2008 through FY 2012.
|
From page 82... ...
. For FY 2014, the SFWMD budgeted approximately $45 million for authorized CERP projects, including $29 million for the C-44 Reservoir and $16 million for Picayune Strand (SFWMD, 2014b)
|
From page 83... ...
Recent federal Everglades restoration funding through the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of January 2014 was reduced to $46 million, down from prior discussions of $80 million, because the USACE indicated it could not spend the money (Scott, 2014) due to a combination of policy, authorization, and costsharing issues (Tipple, USACE, personal communication, 2014)
|
From page 84... ...
. Much uncertainty remains over how new authorizations and lack of authorization for the Central Everglades Planning Project will affect the overall implementation schedule.
|
From page 85... ...
? What is the priority of non-CERP projects, such as the Modified Water Deliveries, Kissimmee River Restoration, C-111-South Dade, or Tamiami Trail Next Steps projects, relative to the CERP Generation 1 and 2 projects?
|
From page 86... ...
1,450 365 55 1,030 Site 1 Impoundment (Phase 1) 85 8 68 9 Melaleuca Eradication Project and Other Exotic Plants 25b 0.212 4.3 20.5b 2nd GENERATION CERP PROJECTS C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir 570 90 35 445 Broward County WPAs 870 260 60 550 C-111 West Spreader Canal 85 64 12 9 Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (Phase 1)
|
From page 87... ...
The location of the various projects is shown in Figure 4-1. Generation 1 CERP Projects Generation 1 projects are those authorized by Congress in WRDA 2007 (Picayune Strand Restoration, Site 1 Impoundment, and Indian River LagoonSouth)
|
From page 88... ...
. There has been considerable progress in constructing the Picayune Strand Restoration Project, with approximately $480 million expended to date on the project by the state and federal governments.
|
From page 89... ...
Because one phase of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project (Prairie Canal) was completed in 2007, there has been sufficient time to collect and assess environmental data to determine what natural system benefits associated with the completed work have been observed.
|
From page 90... ...
. These monitoring data show that the restoration of the Prairie Canal area is having clear positive effects on the area by adjusting water levels and hydro periods toward pre-drainage conditions, although neighboring canals not yet filled by the project continue to affect the area hydrology.
|
From page 91... ...
. FIGURE 4-10 Freshwater wetland in an area that was once a canal in the Picayune Strand restoration area.
|
From page 92... ...
In the period after the completion of the Prairie Canal component of the restoration project, water levels have become similar to a relatively undisturbed reference area during the wet period of the year, but are still about 3.5 feet lower than the reference during dry eriods. p This shortcoming is probably related to the fact that the canal immediately to the west of the Prairie Canal is not yet fully plugged, so it affects its neighbor's water levels.
|
From page 93... ...
. Indian River Lagoon-South The Indian River Lagoon and St.
|
From page 94... ...
94 FIGURE 4-11 Phase 1 and 2 project elements of the Site 1 impoundment.
|
From page 95... ...
Implementation Progress 95 FIGURE 4-12 Components of the Indian River Lagoon-South restoration project.
|
From page 96... ...
Generation 2 CERP Projects Four second-generation CERP projects were authorized in June 2014 as part of WRRDA 2014 (Table 4-1)
|
From page 97... ...
, and Phase 2, which is not yet specifically planned. The three components of the Deering Estates Flowway -- a spur canal extension, spreader canal, and pump station -- were completed and became operational in December 2012; the two culverts in the L-31E canal designed to divert flows into coastal wetlands were finished in June 2010.
|
From page 98... ...
98 Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades FIGURE 4-13 Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project area in southeast Florida.
|
From page 99... ...
Designed to provide drainage and an outlet for confined flood flows, the C-111 also eliminated sheet flow from the Southern Glades and drained water from Taylor Slough in Everglades National Park. The C-111 Spreader Canal project promises increased flow volumes in Taylor Slough through seepage control, return of sheet flow to wetlands, and improved salinity regimes in western Florida Bay.
|
From page 100... ...
. The C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project is critical to the restoration of Taylor Slough in Everglades National Park and Florida Bay and was largely completed in February 2012 as described in NRC (2012a)
|
From page 101... ...
An important complication in interpreting the changes is that it is difficult to separate and identify benefits from the C-111 Spreader Canal project from the benefits of the closely related C-111 South Dade project. The C-111 South Dade detention areas, also designed to rehydrate Taylor Slough, were completed in 2009, and improvements in flows in Taylor Slough are likely to be connected to that project.
|
From page 102... ...
Below, we briefly review the Aquifer Storage and Recovery, Decomp Physical Model, and Seepage Management pilot projects. Aquifer Storage and Recovery Everglades restoration relies on increasing freshwater storage.
|
From page 103... ...
technology, but it had not been widely tested in South Florida. Therefore, the CERP ASR Pilot Project was conducted to address uncertainties and concerns regarding the efficacy and feasibility of ASR, particularly given the high costs of its implementation at the scale proposed by the CERP.
|
From page 104... ...
More than 1 billion gallons of water were stored for a 1-year period during the fourth cycle test of the Kissimmee River ASR pilot, making this test one of the largest single-well recharge events conducted in Florida. Findings from the pilot projects are generally encouraging from the stand point of operational efficacy, and most problems that emerged during cycle testing were resolved.
|
From page 105... ...
This regional-study report is likely to address several outstanding issues that are needed to evaluate the feasibility and appropriateness of large-scale implementation of ASR within South Florida. These issues include, but are not limited to, overall costs for construction, operation, and monitoring; systemwide energy demands associated with the conveyance and treatment of large volumes of water; and the potential effects of large-scale ASR operations on regional groundwater flow patterns, water supply, and water quality.
|
From page 106... ...
The experiment involves measuring biophysical responses to canal and levee modifications and is intended to address the following questions: • Sheet flow questions: To what extent do entrainment, transport, and settling of sediments differ in ridge-and-slough habitats under high- and low flow conditions? Does high flow cause changes in water chemistry and con sequently changes in sediment and periphyton metabolism and organic matter decomposition?
|
From page 107... ...
Implementation Progress 107 FIGURE 4-18 Map of the Decomp Physical Model located in "the pocket" between L-67A and L-67C. SOURCE: Sklar (2013)
|
From page 108... ...
108 Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades FIGURE 4-19 Distribution of fluorescein dye within the ridge and slough at 1 hour (top) and 1,300 hours (bottom)
|
From page 109... ...
During the wet season in particular, the L-31N Canal diverts groundwater, drawn primarily from the northeastern portion of Everglades National Park, to the C-111 basin in south Miami-Dade County. The seepage barrier is intended to reduce this groundwater discharge to the L-31N Canal, thereby increasing water levels and promoting greater sheet flow in northeast Shark River Slough.
|
From page 110... ...
The performance of the L-31N seepage barrier is being evaluated through an ongoing monitoring program including automated measurements of hydraulic head in six pairs of groundwater monitoring wells. The four, northernmost pairs consist of wells on the upgradient and downgradient sides of the seepage barrier.
|
From page 111... ...
Based in part on these encouraging observations of seepage reduction, Everglades National Park is supporting a proposal for a 3-mile southward extension of the seepage barrier that is currently under review by the Lake Belt Committee (Figure 4-20; R Johnson, NPS, personal communication, 2014)
|
From page 112... ...
Four important non-CERP efforts with new information on their restoration progress are reviewed in this section: the Modified Water Deliveries Project, the Everglades Restoration Transition Plan, the Kissimmee River Restoration Project, and the Seminole Big Cypress Water Conservation Plan. Progress on the C-111 South Dade project was discussed previously in the context of the related CERP C-111 Spreader Canal project.
|
From page 113... ...
These higher levels provide an increased head (height differential between the canal surface in WCA-3B and Shark River Slough in Everglades National Park) that results in peak flows of 1,848 cfs into the park, an increase of 47 percent over FIGURE 4-22 The newly constructed 1-Mile Tamiami Trail bridge, showing conveyance area beneath the newly elevated highway.
|
From page 114... ...
. Everglades Restoration Transition Plan Water control for WCA-3 influences surrounding lands, including Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve, as well as the distribution of water within the 921-square-mile Water Conservation Area.
|
From page 115... ...
Implementation Progress 115 FIGURE 4-23 Snail kite, an endangered species likely to be benefited by the Everglades Restoration Transition Plan. SOURCE: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/SharedMedia/saj/2012/Nov/1/121022-A-CE999-001.
|
From page 116... ...
, reducing stages in northern and central WCA-3A relative to the IOP schedule. Under the new arrangements, there will be no mandatory seasonal closure of the S-12C gate to allow more water to flow southward into Everglades National Park in cases of unusually high water in Southern WCA-3A (USACE, 2011a)
|
From page 117... ...
. Deviations in dry- and wet-season water levels were sufficient to exceed levels of incidental take of endangered species specified in the Biological Opinion of the ERTP (FWS, 2010)
|
From page 118... ...
One cannot, however, expect the ERTP to produce significant changes in those conditions, such as a shift in the distribution of water from western to northeastern Shark River Slough or more flow into Everglades National Park and Florida Bay, that the CERP is designed to achieve. State Water Quality Treatment Projects As part of its Long-Term Plan for Achieving Water Quality Goals, the state has completed construction of STA Compartments B and C, and now has approximately 57,000 acres of STAs that are permitted to operate (Figure 4-25)
|
From page 119... ...
associated with the Restoration Strategies plan. SOURCE: http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xrepository/sfwmd_repository_jpg/map_restoration_ strategies.jpg.
|
From page 120... ...
120 Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades flow-weighted TP concentrations ranging from 14 to 36 μg/L (Table 4-8)
|
From page 121... ...
. As described in Chapter 3, water from the STAs cannot be redistributed in the Central Everglades Planning Project unless it meets the water quality-based effluent limitation (WQBEL)
|
From page 122... ...
While the committee recognizes the need to comply with all applicable law, including federally approved water quality standards and the WQBEL set forth in the NPDES permit, the agencies may be unnecessarily constraining themselves (and restoration progress) by concluding that all STA discharges must comply with the WQBEL before any water from any STA can be released to the Everglades.
|
From page 123... ...
Of all the projects described in this chapter, the Kissimmee River restoration is probably the most advanced in demonstrating substantial restoration of the natural system, and the long-term monitoring of restoration progress is a useful example for many CERP projects. Jones et al.
|
From page 124... ...
• Organic deposits on the river bottom decreased by 71 percent, reestab lishing sand bars and providing new habitat for shorebirds and invertebrates, including native clams. FIGURE 4-27 A functional wetland restored to an area that once was a pasture on the floodplain of the Kissimmee River.
|
From page 125... ...
Restoration progress on the Kissimmee River restoration (and the C-111 South Dade project) had been delayed for about 2 years by cost-sharing issues between the SFWMD and the USACE.
|
From page 126... ...
126 Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades FIGURE 4-28 The Western Glades and the L-28 levee system at the northwest corner of WCA-3A. SOURCE: Florida Gulf Coast University, http://www.fgcu.edu/bcw/Restore/History/History_L28.htm.
|
From page 127... ...
Seven years have elapsed since the last WRDA was passed, and four Generation 2 CERP projects with approved project plans awaited congressional authorization between 2012 and June 2014 when WRRDA 2014 was signed into law. Additionally, two of the previously authorized CERP projects require reauthorization due to cost escalations; thus, prior to WRRDA 2014, only one CERP project -- Indian River Lagoon-South -- was eligible for sizeable (>$25 million)
|
From page 128... ...
Ecosystem responses have been detected after phased imple mentation in the Picayune Strand, Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands, and C-111 Spreader Canal projects, although many of these improvements are limited. In some cases, such as Biscayne Bay, the scope of the restoration increment to date is simply so limited in area that ecological responses are equally small.
|
From page 129... ...
Implementation Progress 129 Restoration Strategies project are likely to further reduce loading rates and outflow concentrations. Continued adaptive management, including implementation of new strategies developed through ongoing research, is needed to meet water quality standards and maintain sustained performance of these treatment systems.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.