1. ERDC Knowledge Core
2. United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
3. South Atlantic Division
4. Jacksonville District
5. Environmental Documents

Title:	Central and Southern Florida Project, Indian River Lagoon - South : Final Integrated Project Implementation Report, Environmental Impact Statement
Authors:	United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Jacksonville District. South Florida Water Management District (Fla.)
Keywords:	Indian River (Fla. : Lagoon) Restoration ecology Hydrology Environmental protection Environmental management
Publisher:	United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Jacksonville District.
Abstract:	This Final Integrated Project Implementation Report (PIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) documents the selection of a plan, Alternative 6, for restoration of the southern Indian River Lagoon and the St. Lucie Estuary ecosystem in Martin, St. Lucie and Okeechobee Counties, Florida. The recommended plan was described in the Draft Project Implementation Report and Supplement to the Final EIS, circulated between December 19, 2003 and February 10, 2004. The southern Indian River Lagoon estuary system has been degraded by large and frequently occurring discharges of freshwater, and by an excessive accumulation of muck in estuary and lagoon bottoms. Together these stressors have reduced water clarity and exceeded the salinity tolerances of submerged vegetation and benthic animals. Alternative 6 is the recommended plan and the environmentally preferable alternative. The recommended plan includes building and operating approximately 12,600 acres of new reservoirs, approximately 8,700 acres of new stormwater treatment areas, restoring natural hydrology on approximately 92,000 acres in the watershed, restoring approximately 3,100 acres of floodplain wetlands in the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, and muck removal and habitat restoration actions inside the estuaries. The plan includes building pumps, levees, canals and other water control structures to operate and interconnect project features and provide a mechanism for re-directing freshwater discharges. These features would significantly reduce harmful discharges into the estuaries, provide water quality treatment, restore native wetland and upland habitat in the watershed, and provide an additional source of agricultural water supply, while maintaining current Central and Southern Florida Project purposes. The recommended plan will also improve habitat for natural populations of flora and fauna, including threatened and endangered species. This Final Integrated Project Implementation Report and Environmental Impact Statement describes public and agency comment and response, clarifies the plan formulation and alternative selection process, and documents recommended plan features, costs and environmental benefits.
Description:	Integrated Project Implementation Report and Environmental Impact Statement
Rights:	Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited
URI:	https://hdl.handle.net/11681/40944
Size:	2085 pages / 83.53 MB
Types of Materials:	PDF
Appears in Collections:	Environmental Documents