Everglades Restoration A Program for Integrated Regional Management

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Everglades Restoration A Program for Integrated
Regional Management

• Garth W. Redfield, Ph.D.
• Chief Environmental Scientist,
• South Florida Water Management District

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Greater Everglades Ecosystem
Orlando
Kissimmee River
St. Lucie River and Estuary
Lake Okeechobee

Caloosahatchee River and Estuary
Water Conservation Areas
Big Cypress National Preserve
Miami
Biscayne Bay National Park
Everglades National Park
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
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The Everglades Ecosystem
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Historical ProblemsLeading to Construction of
CSF Project

• Hurricanes in 1926 and 1928 resulted in
  failure of the levee around Lake
  Okeechobee
• Hurricane in 1947 resulted in wide-spread
  flooding throughout South Florida
• State of Florida requested Federal
  assistance in 1947
• Congress authorized the CSF Project in
  1948

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Central Southern Florida Project

• River Channelization
• Herbert Hoover Dike
• Water Conservation Areas
• Protective Levees
• Everglades Agricultural Area
• Lower East Coast
• Drainage Network
• Salinity Structures

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Central and Southern Florida Project

• 2,800 kilometers of canals and levees
• 160 major drainage basins
• Over 2,000 water control structures
• 200 major structures
• 36 pump stations

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CSF Project Infrastructure
One of the worlds largest and most complex water
resource management systems
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System Modifications
Historic Flow
Current Flow
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Everglades Restoration Water Management
Challenges

• Climate is subtropical with extremes
• Regional system stressed by population land
  use
• Must balance
• Multiple water resource objectives
• Objectives often conflict

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An Ecosystem in Trouble.

• Too much or too little water for the South
  Florida ecosystem
• 6.4 million cubic meters of water per day is lost
  to the ocean
• Declining estuary health
• Massive reductions in wading bird populations
• Degradation of water quality
• Loss of native habitat to invasive exotic
  vegetation
• 70 Federally-listed threatened and endangered
  species

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Half of the Everglades Lost to Urban and
Agricultural Development
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CSF Project Comprehensive Review Study

• Study authorized by Congress in the Water
  Resources Development Act of 1992
• Study was initiated in June 1993
• Purpose of Study is to reexamine the CSF Project
  to
• Restore South Florida ecosystem
• Enhance water supplies
• Maintain flood control

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Interagency Team

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• South Florida Water Management District
• Federal agencies
• State agencies
• Miccosukee and Seminole Tribes
• Local governments

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On July 1, 1999, the Secretary of the Army and
the State of Florida presented the Plan to
Congress
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
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Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan

• Plan includes 68 components to be implemented
  over 35 years.

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Getting the Water Right
A Rational Premise or Risky Assumption
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Balancing Water Needs of the Ecosystem
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Primary Goal - Increase the Amount of Available
Water
Environment
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70
Environment
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Urban Agricultural
Current Deliveries 1.5 Billion Cubic Meters per
year
Urban Agricultural
Deliveries with CERP 3 Billion Cubic Meters
per year
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Wetlands Restoration
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Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program
Orlando
Kissimmee River

Lake Okeechobee
Wetland Restoration
West Palm Beach
Ft. Myers
Water Conservation Areas
Fort Lauderdale
Big Cypress National Preserve
185,000 acres (75,000 hectares)
Miami
Biscayne Bay
Everglades National Park
Florida Bay
Florida Keys
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Surface Water Storage Reservoirs
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Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
15 Surface Water Storage Reservoirs
Total Storage Capacity 1.8 billion cubic meters
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Aquifer Storage and RecoveryA Challenging
Approach
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Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
Aquifer Storage and Recovery

• 330 ASR Wells Possible
• 3 Pilot Projects in progress
• 10 wells being installed in the L.O.
  watershed
• Total ASR Capacity
• 6 million cubic meters per day

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Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
Seepage Management
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Stormwater Treatment Areas

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Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
Orlando
Kissimmee River
Stormwater Treatment Areas

Lake Okeechobee
West Palm Beach
Ft. Myers
Water Conservation Areas
Fort Lauderdale
Big Cypress National Preserve
Miami
22 Treatment Areas 18,000 hectares of wetlands
Biscayne Bay
Everglades National Park
Florida Bay
Florida Keys
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Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
Removing Barriers to Sheet Flow
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Estimated Cost

• 10.9 billion over 35 years to implement (2004
  dollars)
• More than 170 million per year to operate and
  maintain
• 10 million per year for monitoring and adaptive
  assessment
• Cost sharing depends on federal authorization
  process

Project Cost Sharing
50Federal
50State
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WRDA-2000 ProvisionsAssurance of Project Benefits

• Reservation of water for the natural system
• Savings Clause
• No elimination of existing legal sources
• No reduction in the level of service for flood
  protection

January 9, 2002
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Acceler8 ProgramAn Interagency Commitment
The Federal government agrees to expedite their
planning and permitting decisions
Oct 14, 2004
State of Florida commits to fund a 1.6 Billion
accelerated restoration effort
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Acceler8 ProgramEarly Restoration Benefits

• To be Constructed by 2010
• Over 500 million cubic meters of reservoir
  storage capacity
• Over 11,000 hectares of Stormwater Treatment
  Areas
• Over 35,000 hectares of natural areas restoration
  

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Everglades Agricultural Area Storage Reservoir
Future (2010)
Current (2005)
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Everglades RestorationPeer Review (CISRERP)

• National Academy of Sciences, first biennial
  review, 2006 concludes
• There are successes -
• Kissimmee Restoration has worked
• Water quality programs are effective
• Science is progressing
• MAP is ready for implementation
• Good adaptive management strategy

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Everglades RestorationPeer Review (CISRERP)

• National Academy of Sciences, first biennial
  review, 2006 concludes
• CERP Project Status
• Key projects have been delayed
• More federal funding is needed
• Improve project planning and funding
• Use an Incremental Adaptive Restoration approach
  to initiating and evaluating projects with large
  uncertainties

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Everglades RestorationObstacles Opportunities

• Obstacles
• Massive Scale of Effort Land Acquisition
• Funding Interagency Cooperation
• Technical Limitations
• Opportunities
• Restore Valued Regional Resources
• Provide Sustainable Balance of Management
  Objectives
• Contribute Information for Large-Scale
  Restoration Projects Worldwide

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www.evergladesplan.org
For more information, visit our Websites
www.evergladesnow.org
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Thank you
Questions ?