Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/38309
Title: Final Environmental Impact Statement : Combined Operational Plan : Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe Counties, Florida
Authors: United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Jacksonville District
Keywords: Miami Metropolitan Area (Fla.)
Flood control
Environmental management
Environmental protection
Everglades (Fla.)
Wetland restoration
Publisher: United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Jacksonville District.
Abstract: The current extent of the Greater Everglades wetlands includes a mosaic of interconnected freshwater wetlands and estuaries located primarily south of the Everglades Agricultural Area. A ridge and slough system of patterned, freshwater peat lands extends throughout the Water Conservation Areas into Shark River Slough in Everglades National Park. The ridge and slough wetlands drain into creeks that flow through mangrove forests into Florida Bay. Declines in ecological function of the Everglades have been well documented. Construction of canals and levees by the Central and Southern Florida project has resulted in the creation of artificial impoundments and has altered hydroperiods, depths, and salinities within the study area. The result has been substantially altered plant community structures and reduced abundance and diversity of fish and wildlife resources. The purpose of the Combined Operational Plan is to define operations for the constructed features of the Modified Water Deliveries to ENP and Canal 111 South Dade project components. Under the COP, C&SF project infrastructure would be operated to deliver hydrologic benefits to the environment as defined by Alternative Q+ (the preferred plan). These hydrologic benefits are identified as five specific project objectives: 1) improving water deliveries (timing, location, volume) into ENP given current C&SF infrastructure; 2) maximizing progress toward restoring historic hydrologic conditions in Taylor Slough, the Rocky Glades and the eastern Panhandle of ENP; 3) protecting the intrinsic ecological values associated with WCA 3A and ENP; 4) minimizing damaging freshwater flows to Manatee Bay/Barnes Sound through the S-197 structure and increasing flows through Taylor Slough and coastal creeks; and 5) including consideration of cultural values and tribal interests and concerns within WCA 3A and ENP. Operations would also support a broad set of defined needs, including: flood control, water supply for agricultural, municipal, and industrial uses, regional groundwater control and prevention of saltwater intrusion, enhancement of fish and wildlife, and recreation. The MWD and C-111 South Dade Projects are part of the foundation projects for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, which identified a comprehensive suite of projects to modify structural and operational components of the C&SF project to achieve broad, system-wide restoration objectives to provide a sustainable south Florida ecosystem and to provide for the other water-related needs of the region (USACE 1999). Reference Figure ES-1 for the location of south Florida ecosystem restoration projects, including components of the CERP and pre-CERP foundation projects (the MWD project is marked as item “3” and the C-111 South Dade project is marked as item “5”). The Water Resources Development Act of 2000, which authorized CERP, said that no appropriation shall be made to construct the Water Conservation Area 3 Decompartmentalization and Sheetflow Enhancement Project until completion of MWD. The MWD features were necessary to fully meet the CERP objectives for hydrologically and ecologically reconnecting natural areas. The MWD project was designed to provide a system of water deliveries to ENP across the full width of the historic SRS flow-way. The C-111 South Dade project was designed to control groundwater seepage out of ENP and reduce damaging freshwater discharges to Manatee Bay/Barnes Sound, while maintaining flood risk management for agricultural lands east of the C-111 Canal. The implementation of CERP is progressing as outlined in the 2019 South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Delivery Schedule. The IDS is a periodically updated, forward-looking plan that identifies the anticipated timeline for Everglades’ restoration projects and provides the sequencing strategy for planning, designing, and constructing projects based on ecosystem needs, benefits, costs, and available funding. Construction of components of the MWD and C-111 South Dade projects are now complete. The COP is the last step to implement operational changes to convey water from WCA 3A to ENP using the constructed features of the pre-CERP foundation projects (i.e. MWD and C-111 South Dade projects) and would result in a change to the 2012 Water Control Plan for the WCAs, ENP, and ENP to South Dade Conveyance System. The COP redistributes the existing water budget in WCA 3A and ENP to balance the ecological objectives of the MWD and C-111 South Dade projects while adhering to project constraints.
Description: Environmental Impact Statement
Rights: Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/38309
Appears in Collections:Environmental Documents

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