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fo^A^6/6^ i «-
THE SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM
AND
EVERGLADES RESTORATION ISSUES
LIBRARY
US EPA Region 4
AFC/9th FL Tower
61 Forsyth St. S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30303-3104
USEPA
REGION IV
WATER MANAGEMENT DIVISION
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
JANUARY, 1995
COMPILED BY
D. SCHEIDT
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. SOUTH FLORIDA 1900
II. THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT
III. SOUTH FLORIDA 1995
IV. SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM AND EVERGLADES RESTORATION ISSUES
« FEDERAL TASK FORCE AND INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT ON
SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
• DEVELOPMENT OF A WETLAND CONSERVATION PLAN FOR THE
SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM
• WATER SUPPLY CONFLICTS
• NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT OF THE EVERGLADES AND THE
EVERGLADES FOREVER ACT
• MERCURY CONTAMINATION OF EVERGLADES BIOTA
• FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY WATER
QUALITY PROTECTION PROGRAM
• FLORIDA BAY
• EAST COAST BUFFER CONCEPT/WATER SUPPLY PRESERVES
• WADING BIRD DECLINES AND ECOLOGICAL COLLAPSE
• U. S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS' PROJECT REVIEW OF THE
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT
• HYDROLOGIC RESTORATION OF SHARK SLOUGH
© HYDROLOGIC RESTORATION OF TAYLOR SLOUGH AND C-111
• KISSIMMEE RIVER RESTORATION
• EXOTIC PLANTS
V. A CHRONOLOGY OF SOME EVENTS PERTINENT TO SOUTH FLORIDA
ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
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SOUTH FLORIDA
ISSUE STATEMENT: The South Florida region is home to the Kissimmee River, Lake
Okeechobee, Big Cypress, the Everglades, Florida Bay, the Keys and adjacent
estuaries and near-coastal waters of the Atlan+;c and the Gulf of Mexico.
These sensitive natural resources must coexist with an expanding urban population
of over 5 million and extensive agricultural production. The region faces a growing
myriad of complex environmental issues.
SIGNIFICANCE TO AGENCY: The South Florida region contains resources of
national and international significance, and environmental issues in the area are of
extremely high visibility. South Florida contains 3 National Parks, one National
Preserve, 12 National Wildlife Refuges, 2 National Marine Sanctuaries, and other
extensive protected State areas. This region is home to 56 species that are listed by
the USFWS as endangered or threatened with another 29 species under consideration.
The South Florida ecosystem is also the principal nursery area for the largest
commercial and sport fisheries in Florida, home of the largest wilderness east of the
Mississippi River, the location of the only living coral reef adjacent to the United
States, the most significant breeding ground for wading birds in North America, the
predominant producer of the nation's winter vegetables, and a major tourist region.
Addressing environmental issues often involves attempting to resolve complex
conflicts between urban, agricultural, and natural resource interests.
CURRENT STATUS: An awareness of the varied and complex environmental issues
faced in South Florida led EPA region IV to establish the South Florida Geographic
Initiative in 1992. A goal of the initiative is to plan and coordinate activities and
strategies among federal and state agencies to protect and restore the South Florida
environment. The focus of this Initiative to date has been the development of a Water
Quality Protection Plan for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and the
development and initiation of multi-disciplinary, multi-media comprehensive
interagency study to address the mercury contamination issue that the Everglades and
Big Cypress region faces. In September of 1993 an Interagency Agreement on South
Florida Ecosystem Restoration was signed by six federal agencies, including EPA.
This agreement created a Task Force composed of Assistant Secretaries representing
the six agencies that is to develop and implement a comprehensive program to restore
the South Florida ecosystem. The focus of recent federal efforts in South Florida is
directed toward an ecosystem based approach, rather than programmatic or media
based approaches.
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BACKGROUND: The South Florida region has been greatly affected by human
activities since 1900. Vast areas of South Florida have been set aside as protected
public areas, yet symptoms of ecological decline continue to increase throughout
remaining natural portions of the region. Critical portions of the watershed have been
developed or are not protected. Half of the historic Everglades has been drained and
converted to other land uses. Populations of native biota such as wading birds have
declined markedly. Florida Bay is showing increasing symptoms of ecosystem
degradation in terms of productivity of living resources, biodiversity and stability, most
notably manifested by an extensive seagrass dieoff and algal blooms. The federal and
state governments have initiated components of restoration activities that will require
the expenditure of over $1 billion. These include restoration of a portion of the
Kissimmee River, reducing nutrient loading from dairies into Lake Okeechobee,
reducing nutrient loading from the Everglades Agricultural Area into the public
Everglades, and expansion of Everglades National Park and initial structural
modifications in order to provide the capability to restore water deliveries to the Shark
Slough portion of the Park.
Other major environmental issues the region faces include planning for regional
population growth (projected to exceed 15 million by 2050) and its impacts;
competition for a finite water supply among an expanding urban population,
agricultural interests and remnant natural resources; defining and implementing
structural and operational modifications to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Central
and Southern Florida Flood Control Project that will facilitate ecosystem restoration;
nutrient enrichment of the Everglades by agricultural drainage waters or urban water;
declining health of the coral reef system; permitting and mitigation programs and the
loss of remaining natural lands to urban or agricultural development; purchase of and
placing in public ownership critical unprotected lands in the South Florida watershed;
extensive mercury contamination of freshwater fish and other biota throughout the
Everglades and Big Cypress; spread of exotic plants and animals; loss of native
species and populations of flora and fauna; natural resource compatible recreational
access by residents and visitors; lack of a consensus on the causes of and solutions
for some symptoms of ecosystem degradation; lack of a coordinated assessment and
indicator monitoring program and research program for the South Florida ecosystem;
lack of a consensus on what is required for ecosystem restoration, and an adequate
financial commitment to accomplish restoration.
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SOUTH FLORIDA 1900
The Pre-Drainage Landscape. Before major drainage activities began early in
this century, the Everglades consisted of an immense subtropical wetland that covered
much of South Florida, making it one of the largest marshes in the world. The
Everglades watershed began near Orlando and extended to the south for 200 miles
before reach;nri its *?rminus in Florida Bay. The Immokalee Ridge and the Atlantic
Coastal Ridge generally marked the western and eastern hydrologic boundaries of the
Everglades. Flow connections brought water into the Everglades from Big Cypress
Swamp to the west and some Everglades overflow moved eastward through the
Miami and North New Rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. During wet periods water would
overtop the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee and move southward as overland
sheetflow through the 4000 square mile Everglades marsh. Freshwater flow from the
mainland was critical for maintaining estuarine systems such as Florida Bay.
The system contained a mosaic of upland, wetland, and estuarine habitats
supporting a wide variety of flora and fauna. Major physiographic landscapes that
dominated the pre-drainage Everglades included sawgrass plains, wet prairie/slough-
tree island-sawgrass marsh mosaic, sawgrass dominated mosaic, southern marl
forming marsh, swamp forest, cypress strand, and peripheral wet prairies. These
latter three landscapes have been nearly eliminated. These varied landscapes worked
in concert to provide habitats and food chains that supported diversity of temperate
and sub-tropical plants and the spectacular populations of animals for which the
region became known. Wading bird populations are said to have been in the millions.
The Human Element. Settlement of the Everglades region in the 1800's was
largely limited to the Seminole Indian Tribe and the Miccosukee Indian Tribe. Flooding
and hurricanes limited urban development and agriculture in the region. Development
was limited to areas that were naturally well-drained, such as the Atlantic Coastal
Ridge. In 1890 the population of the area presently encompassed by Dade, Broward
and Palm Beach Counties was 861, while nearly all of the lower west coast population
of 20,200 was located in Key West.
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EV IDENC E OF EARLY
INDIAN SETTLEMENTS
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EVERGLADES
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THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT
History. The first efforts to drain portions of South Florida began as early as
the late 1800s. In the early 1900s Florida created the Everglades Drainage District
to encourage new settlers to drain the Everglades for agricultural and urban
development. By 1929 440 miles of canals and levees had been constructed,
including four major canals from just south of Lake Okeechobee draining
southeastward tc the Atlantic Ocean. These canals allowed for agricultural
development south of the Lake in the present Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). In
1926 a hurricane swept water from Lake Okeechobee southward killing 400 to 500
people. In 1928 another hurricane killed 2400 people living in farming communities
within the EAA. Consequently the federal government built the Hoover Dike around
Lake Okeechobee in the 1 930s. Drought, and subsequent fires, prevailed throughout
the 1930s and 1940s until 1947, when two hurricanes inundated the region.
Floodwaters lingered on coastal cities for days and on farm fields for months, causing
about $60 million of property damage.
The U. S. Congress decided that there was a need for a regional master plan
that would balance the demands for flood control and water supply protection. In
1948 Congress authorized a comprehensive state-federal water control program
known as the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project (C&SF) to be built
by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. Congress authorized $208 million for the
C&SF system, which would cover 15,000 square miles of central and south Florida.
The C&SF Project presently includes 990 miles of levees, 978 miles of canals,
30 pumping stations, and 212 flood control or water diversion structures. Its cost to
date is estiomated as approaching $1 billion, with most of the construction completed
during the 1950s and 1960s. The historic Everglades has been sectioned into the
Everglades Agricultural Area, three Water Conservation Areas including Arthur R.
Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (WCA1), Everglades National Park
(ENP), and other areas drained for urban and agricultural development. Today about
50% of the historic Everglades remain. Authorized purposes of the Project include
flood control, water supply, drainage, preservation of fish and wildlife, ENP water
supply, recreation, navigation, and prevention of saltwater intrusion.
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CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT
• PROJECT WAS DESIGNED AND BUILT BY THE U. S. ARMY CORPS OF
ENGINEERS (COE). PROJECT IS OPERATED AND MAINTAINED BY THE
COE AND THE LOCAL SPONSOR. THE SOUTH FLORIDA WATER
MANAGEMENT DISTRICT.
• MAJOR FEATURES:
- ABOUT 1000 MILES OF LEVEES. 1000 MILES OF CANALS, 30
PUMPING STATIONS. AND OVER 200 WATER CONTROL
STRUCTURES.
- EAST COAST PROTECTIVE LEVEE EXTENDING FROM HOMESTEAD
NORTHWARD ABOUT 130 MILES TO THE EASTERN SHORE OF LAKE
OKEECHOBEE PROVIDES FLOOD CONTROL FROM THE EVERGLADES
FOR THE URBAN EAST COAST.
- THREE MULTI-PURPOSE WATER CONSERVATION AREAS (1337
SQUARE MILES) IN THE EVERGLADES WEST OF THE EAST COAST
PROTECTIVE LEVEE WITH CONTROL STRUCTURES TO EFFECT
WATER TRANSFER. INCLUDING TRANSFER TO EVERGLADES
NATIONAL PARK.
- LOCAL PROTECTIVE WORKS ALONG THE DEVELOPED LOWER
EAST COAST.
- ENCIRCLEMENT OF THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA
(1000 SQUARE MILES) BY CANALS AND LEVEES. PUMPING
STATIONS TO PROVIDE FORCED DRAINAGE.
- A LEVEE SURROUNDING LAKE OKEECHOBEE (730 SQUARE
MILES). WITH CONTROL STRUCTURES, PUMPING STATIONS AND
HURRICANE GATES.
- CHANNELIZATION OF THE KISSIMMEE RIVER (56 MILE CANAL),
WITH CONTROL STRUCTURES.
• FEDERAL COST FROM 1948 TO 1987 WAS $356 MILLION.
• AUTHORIZED PROJECT PURPOSES:
- FLOOD CONTROL
- WATER SUPPLY
- DRAINAGE
- PRESERVATION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
- ENP WATER SUPPLY
- RECREATION
- NAVIGATION
- PREVENTION OF SALTWATER INTRUSION
INITIATED BY U. S. CONGRESS IN 1948
- HURRICANE OF 1926 (500 DEATHS)
- HURRICANE OF 1928 (2400 DEATHS)
- DROUGHT OF 1930S AND 1940S, FIRES
- HURRICANE OF 1947, EXTENSIVE FLOODING AND PROPERTY
DAMAGE.
SOUTH FLORIDA HYDROLOGY AND HYDRAULICS:
- HIGH EVAPOTRANSPIRATION RATES
- OVERLAND FLOW
- SUBSURFACE FLOW IN HIGHLY TRANSMISSIVE AQUIFER
- TROPICAL STORMS. HURRICANES
- PRONOUNCED WET AND DRY SEASONS
- PERIODS OF EXTREMELY INTENSE RAIN. AND DROUGHT
- LOW COASTAL ELEVATIONS
- INTERMEDIATE DRAINAGE DIVIDES
- EXTREMELY FLAT GROUND RELIEF AND HYDRAULIC GRADIENTS
ASPECTS OF MULTI-PURPOSE WATER RESOURCE PROJECTS
- PLAN IS DEVELOPED THAT PERMITS REASONABLY EFFICIENT
OPERATION FOR EACH PURPOSE ALTHOUGH MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY IS
NOT OBTAINED FOR ANY SINGLE PURPOSE.
- PURPOSES OFTEN ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH EACH OTHER.
- COMPROMISE IS A BASIC FACTOR IN MULTI-PURPOSE PROJECT
DESIGN AND OPERATION.
DEMANDS PLACED ON THE PROJECT BY PRESENT URBAN AND
AGRICULTURAL ENTITIES. AND THE NATURAL RESOURCE. EXCEED THE
SYSTEM DESIGN. MANY MAJOR FEATURES WERE DESIGNED IN THE 1950S
AND BUILT DURING THE 1960S AND 1970S BASED ON THE EXISTING AND
PROJECTED LAND USES AND POPULATION PROJECTIONS.
PROJECT HAS FOSTERED TREMENDOUS AGRICULTURAL AND URBAN
GROWTH, BUT AT ENORMOUS COST TO THE NATURAL SYSTEM. THE
PROJECT HAS RESPONDED TO POLICY PRIORITIES AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF
THE TIME. THE LAST TEN YEARS HAS SEEN AN INCREASED ECOLOGICAL
UNDERSTANDING AND INTEREST.
REGION HAS INHERITED MAJOR ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AS A RESULT OF
WATER MANAGEMENT DECISIONS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS.
THE CHALLENGE IS TO RECONFIGURE OR PERHAPS FUNDAMENTALLY
REDESIGN THE C&SF PROJECT WHILE MAINTAINING SERVICES FOR SOUTH
FLORIDA RESIDENTS.
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NOTE
MANAGED SYSTEM
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SOUTH FLORIDA 1995
The Natural System. The Everglades ecosystem and watershed of 1 995 are vastly
different than the historic system. About 20% of the original Everglades is protected as
Everglades National "ark and 33% is in the public Everglades Water Conservation Areas,
including 5% that is contained with WCA1, the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National
Wildlife Refuge. About 47% of the historic Everglades have been drained and converted
to agriculture or urban development. The hydrology of the remaining Everglades has
been altered by the C&SF Project. What once function^ o,:- a single hydrologic unit has
been compartmentalized by canals and levees into 7 distinct units that have each been
exposed to different managed water regimes in recent decades. The hydroperiod in the
remaining Everglades system has been altered such that much of the system has a
shorter hydroperiod than occurred historically, while smaller portions of the system have
been exposed to longer hydroperiods. The quantity of water delivered to Everglades
National Park and Florida Bay has been reduced from historic amounts. Water
distribution, the timing of hydrologic responses, and the quality of Everglades water have
all been altered human activities in the last 100 years.
Increasing symptoms of ecological degradation have been observed throughout
the system in recent decades. The population of wading birds in the Everglades has
been greatly reduced from historic populations, with some information indicating a 90%
reduction this century. As of 1992 22 species of animals found south of Lake
Okeechobee were listed by the USFWS as endangered and 11 others were listed as
threatened. Major threats to the Everglades that have been identified include the altered
hydrology, a watershed that.is not protected or preserved, fragmentation and the
continuing loss of wetland habitat including critical peripheral wetlands, nutrient
enrichment and the resulting loss of marsh ecological integrity, the invasion of exotic
plants (schinus, melaleuca and casuarina), mercury contamination of biota, and water
rights conflicts among urban, agricultural and natural resource interests.
In the last ten years a consensus has emerged that a cornerstone to Everglades
restoration is the restoration of historic water regimes and water quality. The challenge
faced by managers and scientists trying to restore the remaining Everglades is how to
restore the hydrology of the Everglades in a region that accommodates an expanding
urban population exceeding 6 million that demands drinking water and flood, control along
with extensive areas of agricultural production upstream in the watershed.
The Human Element. Comprehensive flood control has allowed rapid development
and population growth along the region's east and west coasts. The population of the
lower east coast was about 21 5,000 in 1 930, 694,000 in 1950, 2.2 million in 1970 and
4.0 million in 1990, with 5.3 million projected for 2010. Human growth and
development in the region and consequent demands have outpaced the C&SF Project's
design specifications. In early years agriculture dominated the Project's water use. The
present demands made by urban and agricultural development are more than double what
the system was designed to satisfy. Complex water quality demands as well as
increased environmental awareness in recent years continue to shape how the Project
is used, and it has become increasingly difficult to resolve conflicts in this system.
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SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION ISSUES
• REGIONAL POPULATION GROWTH AND ITS IMPACTS
• COMPETITION FOR A FINITE WATER SUPPLY AMONG REMNANT NATURAL
RESOURCES, AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS, AND AN EXPANDING URBAN
POPULATION
• RESTORATION OF NATURAL WETLAND FRESHWATER DISCHARGE, GRADIENTS,
HYDROPATTERNS AND TIMING, INCLUDING FLOW TO ESTUARINE AREAS
• PERMITTING AND MITIGATION PROGRAMS AND THE INCREMENTAL CONVERSION
OF REMAINING NATURAL UPLANDS AND WETLANDS TO URBAN OR
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
• SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT IS SENSITIVE TO ENVIRONMENTAL
CONCERNS AND COMPATIBLE WITH ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
• PURCHASE OF AND PLACING IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP CRITICAL UNPROTECTED
LANDS IN THE SOUTH FLORIDA WATERSHED
• STRUCTURAL AND OPERATIONAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE U. S. ARMY CORPS OF
ENGINEERS' CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT THAT
WILL FACILITATE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION WHILE PROVIDING FOR OTHER
PROJECT PURPOSES
• NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT OF THE EVERGLADES AND OTHER AREAS BY
AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE WATERS OR URBAN WATER
• SYMPTOMS OF ECOLOGICAL DEGRADATION OF FLORIDA BAY INCLUDING EXTENSIVE
ALGAL BLOOMS AND SEAGRASS DIEOFF
• MERCURY CONTAMINATION OF FRESHWATER FISH AND OTHER BIOTA THROUGHOUT
THE EVERGLADES AND BIG CYPRESS
• DECLINING HEALTH OF THE CORAL REEF SYSTEM
• SPREAD OF EXOTIC PLANTS AND ANIMALS
• DECLINE IN NATIVE SPECIES OF FLORA AND FAUNA SUCH AS WADING BIRDS
• NATURAL RESOURCE COMPATIBLE RECREATIONAL ACCESS BY RESIDENTS AND
TOURISTS
• LACK OF A CONSENSUS ON THE CAUSES OF AND SOLUTIONS FOR CERTAIN
SYMPTOMS OF ECOSYSTEM DEGRADATION
• LACK OF A COORDINATED LONG-TERM ASSESSMENT AND INDICATOR MONITORING
PROGRAM AND RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR THE SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM
• LACK OF A CONSENSUS ON WHAT ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION IS, AND WHAT
MEASURES ARE REQUIRED
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FLORIDA EVERGLADES
HISTORIC AREA 4000 SQUARE MILES
PRESENT AREA 2000 SQUARE MILES
SUBTROPICAL
MOSAIC OF UPLAND, WETLAND, AND ESTUARINE
COMMUNITIES
DIVERSITY OF ENDEMIC FLORA AND FAUNA
ANNUAL PRECIPITATION 50-60 INCHES
DISTINCT WET AND DRY SEASONS
SUBTLE GROUND RELIEF
SOILS - PEAT AND MARL
MAJOR NATURAL FORCES - DROUGHT, FIRE,
FROST, TROPICAL CYCLONES, HURRICANES
PRESENT HYDROLOGIC SYSTEM HIGHLY MANAGED FOR
SOMETIMES CONFLICTING PURPOSES
COEXISTENCE OF SENSITIVE NATURAL RESOURCES
WITH AN EXPANDING URBAN POPULATION AND
EXTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
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\
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\
SOUTH FLORIDA
1900
(ADAPTED FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, JULY, 1990)
I#/
Key West •jlf ^
SOUTH FLORIDA
1990
(ADAPTED FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, JULY, 1990)
Land-use pattern
P' J CojsVaI vogetatlor nnd mangrove
iw
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| • | Wetlands—march and cyproM
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South Florida today
or decpwator ecoiystem)
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Protection Agency Suporfund SIUI
C-3* flood centre! and water-wpply canal
Saltwater Intruilon
South Florida 1900
3lsston construction program
:l8e-!894!
Now channel eonjtructlon
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Everglades Protection
Area and
Surrounding Areas
West
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Area
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; Generalized Boundary of the Historic
Everglades Ecosystem (c. 1900)
Current Everglades System
Generalized Areas of Cattail Infestation
y/////y Generalized Area of Altered Salinities and
yy Freshwater Inflows
Change in the Ecosystem over 100 Years
Key Wait
The following maps
are not to scale
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SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM
• 3 NATIONAL PARKS
• 12 NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES
• 1 NATIONAL PRESERVE
• 2 NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES
• NUMEROUS OTHER AREAS UNDER STATE OR LOCAL OWNERSHIP OR PROTECTION
• 56 SPECIES LISTED BY USFWS AS ENDANGERED OR THREATENED
• THE LARGEST WILDERNESS AREA EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
• LOCATION OF THE ONLY LIVING CORAL REEF ADJACENT TO THE U. S.
• AN IMPORTANT NURSERY AREA FOR COMMERCIAL AND SPORT FISHERIES
• MOST SIGNIFICANT BREEDING GROUND FOR WADING BIRDS IN NORTH AMERICA
• AN IMPORTANT PRODUCER OF WINTER VEGETABLES AND SUGARCANE
• A MAJOR TOURIST REGION
• EXPANDING HUMAN POPULATION OF OVER 6 MILLION
SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION 1890-2010
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
~
NORTH: 11 COUNTIES
EAST: DADE, BROWARD,
PALM BEACH COUNTIES
WEST: LEE, HENDRY, COLLIER
MONROE COUNTIES
8,939
7,712
6,345
4,750
3,219
2,220
1,077
53 66 114 ,187,
426
647
1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
YEAR
(U.S. CENSUS; STATE OF FLORIDA)
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SOUTH FLORIDA ENDANGERED OR THREATENED FAUNA
ENDANGERED SPECIES (22)
FLORIDA PANTHER
WEST ifauiAN MANATEE
KEY DEER
KEY LARGO WOODRAT
KEY LARGO COTTON MOUSE
LOWER KEYS RABBIT
RICE HAT
AMERICAN CROCODILE
HAWKSBILL SEA TURTLE
GREEN SEA TURTLE
LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE
RIDLEY SEA TURTLE
PEREGRINE FALCON
WOOD STORK
SOUTHERN BALD EAGLE
EVERGLADE SNAIL KITE
RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER
CAPE SABLE SEASIDE SPARROW
FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
SHAUS SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY
BACHMAN'S WARBLER
KIRTLAND S WARBLER
(50 CFR 17.11; USFWS, 1992)
THREATENED SPECIES (11)
AUDUBON'S CRESTED CARACARA
AMERICAN ALLIGATOR
LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE
EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE
ATLANTIC SALT MARSH SNAKE
FLORIDA SCRUB JAY
ROSEATE TERN
BLUE-TAILED MOLE SKINK
SAND SKINK
STOCK ISLAND TREE SNAIL
SOUTHEASTERN BEACH MOUSE
UNDER REVIEW (11)
FLORIDA PINE SNAKE
GOPHER FROG
WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON
REDDISH EGRET
SWALLOW TAILED KITE
EVERGLADES MINK
FLORIDA MOUSE
SOUTHEASTERN KESTREL
FLORIDA BLACK BEAR
BARTRAM S HAIRSTREAK
BUTTERFLY
MANGROVE FOX SQUIRREL
1990 EVERGLADES LAND USE
WCA 28.0%
WILDLIFE REFUGE 5.0%
NATIONAL PARK 20.
URBAN/AGRICULTURE 47.0%
(APPROXIMATE)
-------
SOUTH FLORIDA PROTECTED AREAS
FEDERAL
NATIONAL PARKS (NPS)
NATIONAL PRESERVES (NPS)
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES (USFWS)
NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES
(DOC)
EVERGLADES
BISCAYNE
FORT JEFFERSON
BIG CYPRESS
ARTHUR R. MARSHALL
LOXAHATCHEE
HOBE SOUND
FLORIDA PANTHER
KEY DEER
GREAT WHITE HERON
CROCODILE LAKE
KEY WEST
J. N. DING DARLING
MATLACHA PASS
CALOOSAHATCHEE
PINE ISLAND
10,000 ISLANDS
LOOE KEY
FLORIDA KEYS
SOUTH FLORIDA PROTECTED AREAS
STATE
STATE WILDLIFE MANAGMENT AREAS (FGFFC) EVERGLADES
ROTENBERGER
HOLEYLAND
BROWN'S FARM
J. W. CORBETT
CECIL WEBB
LYKES BROTHERS
STATE RECREATION AREAS (FDEP) PAHOKEE
WIGGINS PASS
HUGH TAYLOR BIRCH
JOHN U. LLOYD BEACH
BILL BAGGS CAPE FLORIDA
LONG KEY
BAHIA HONDA
STATE PARKS (FDEP) COLLIER SEMINOLE
PENNEKAMP CORAL REEF
JONATHAN DICKINSON
JOHN D. MacARTHUR BEACH
-------
Public Lands
^ Figure 5 Distribution of public lands
\
in the restoration area (source
South Florida Water Management
District.)
Public Lands
Native American Lands
All Other Lands
-------
SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION COST
ONGOING:
• KISSIMMEE RIVER RESTORATION: $372 MILLION
• LAKE OKEECHOBEE NUTRIENT CONTROL: $61 + MILLION
• EVERGLADES PHOSPHORUS CONTROL: $400 - $700 MILLION
• EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK EXPANSION, SHARK SLOUGH
HYDROLOGIC RESTORATION AND STRUCTURAL MODIFICATIONS:
$187 MILLION
• C-111 /FLORIDA BAY HYDROLOGIC RESTORATION AND
STRUCTURAL MODIFICATIONS: $220 MILLION
TOTAL FOR ONGOING EFFORTS: $1.2 BILLION $1.5 BILLION
PROPOSED:
• U. S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
FLORIDA PROJECT REVIEW:
$5 MILLION - $2,043 BILLION.
ASSESSED VALUE OF PROPERTY WITHIN C&SF PROJECT AREA:
$240 BILLION.
OTHER U. S. RESTORATION/CLEANUP COSTS:
• GREAT LAKES: $ 9 BILLION
• ALASKA OIL SPILL: $1 BILLION
• CHESAPEAKE BAY: $1.1 BILLION
• MONEY SPENT ON MUNICIPAL SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
EFFLUENT CONTROL IN U. S. FROM 1972 TO 1989: $128
BILLION
• FUNDS SPENT IN THE U. S. EACH YEAR FOR WATER
POLLUTION CONTROL: $64 BILLION.
-------
• ORLANDO
LAKZ
ocf.f.chobff
WEST
PALM
BEACH
.^.OQSAHAT'
FTNMYERS
|EVERGLADES
AGRICULTURAL-, AREA
EAA RESTORATION
($MILL10NS)
TOTAL $465
STATE/ FED
INDUSTRY
$405 $30
PROTECTED NATURAL AREAS
MODIFIED WATER DELIVERIES
TO EVERGLADES NAT. PARK
(^MILLIONS)
TOTAL $187
STATE FED
LAND $29 $60
CONST. $C $9S
WCA
KISSIMMES RIVER RESTORATION
STORMWATER TREATMENT AREAS
EAST EVERGLADES LAND
& C-111 BASIN
MODIFIED DELIVERIES TO ENP
WCA 3A
SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANA3EME.V
DISTRICT BOUNDARY
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK BOUNDARY'
EVERGLADES
NATIONAL
PARK
FLORIDA
IC-111/FLORIDA BAY
($MlLLIONS)
TOTAL $220 [
| LAND $120 !.
j CONST. $100 |
t C & SF RESTUDY
! ($MILLIONS)
! TOTAL ???
¦ RECON STUDY $2.11
KISSIMMEE RIVER
($ MILLIONS) !<
TOTAL $372
TO DATE: FUTURE: L
STATE FED STATE FED j
$80 $25 $1 OS $161
-------
TITLE: FEDERAL TASK FORCE AND INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT ON SOUTH
FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 1994
ISSUE: On September 23, 1993 a 5-year Interagency Agreement on South
Florida ecosystem restoration was signed by USEPA and the Departments of Interior,
Justice, Commerce, Army and Agriculture. The stated intent is to coordinate
consistent policies, strategies, plans, programs and priorities for addressing the
concerns of the South Florida ecosystem. The programs, projects and activities of the
member departments and agencies will be monitored to further ecosystem restoration
and maintenance.
BACKGROUND: The south Florida ecosystem encompasses about 18,000 square
miles, and includes 3 national parks, 12 national wildlife refuges, 1 national preserve,
2 national marine sanctuaries, numerous other protected areas under state or local
public ownership, 56 species listed by the USFWS as endangered or threatened, the
only living coral reef adjacent to the U. S., the most significant breeding ground for
wading birds in the U. S., important winter vegetable and sugarcane production, and
an expanding human population of over 6 million. Sensitive and often unique natural
resources must coexist with extensive agricultural activity and expanding urban areas.
Although millions of acres of south Florida have been placed in public ownership, the
overall ecological condition of the ecosystem/watershed continues to deteriorate,
attracting national and international interest and resulting in concerted federal, state
and local efforts to protect natural resources. Major issues include contamination of
Everglades biota with mercury, ecological degradation within Florida Bay and the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, worsening water supply conflicts between
urban, agricultural and natural resource interests, phosphorus enrichment of the
Everglades by agricultural drainage water, conversion of remnant wetlands to
development, rapid regional population growth, spread of exotic plants and animals,
and loss of native populations of flora and fauna, such as wading birds.
CURRENT STATUS: The Interagency Agreement has resulted in the creation of a
Task Force, Working Group, Science Working Sub-group, Infrastructure Working Sub-
group, Public Information and Education Working Sub-group and a Management
Working Sub-group. The Task Force is comprised of Assistant Secretaries
representing each of the six Departments. It is chaired by Interior and meets at least
semi-annually, with meetings open to the public. The Working Group is comprised of
Florida-based or other appropriate representatives of 11 federal agencies. They are
to formulate and recommend to the Task Force management policies, strategies,
plans, programs and priorities for ecosystem restoration and maintenance, and they
are to produce and integrated plan that is updated annually. They meet at least
quarterly with meetings open to the public. The Science Working Sub-group,
comprised of 12 federal scientists with expertise, interest and expertise in the south
Florida ecosystem, serves as the senior science advisory group to the Working Group.
The science Working Sub-group produced a report on Objectives for South Florida
Restoration in 1993, and a report on South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Scientific
Information Needs in 1994. The Working Group of the federal Task Force has
-------
distributed to the public a draft 1994 annual report on south Florida ecosystem
restoration. It is presently undergoing revision to incorporate public comments. This
Task Force and its efforts have received much interest in Washington, D. C. and
nationwide. EPA has been a very active participant throughout this effort.
FUTURE ACTIONS: It recognized that the State of Florida, the South Florida Water
Management District, and local and tribal governments must be integral partners in the
development and implementation of any comprehensive program to restore the south
Florida ecosystem. Efforts are being closely coorHino+~~< wjth these entities. The
Departments involved in this effort are beginning to initiate a coordinated budget
process across departments for south Florida ecosystem restoration initiatives.
Federal efforts are being expedited and coordinated in an unprecedented manner, and
are being closely coordinated with those of Florida. EPA's efforts are focused on the
development of a Wetland Conservation Plan for the south Florida ecosystem, the
Water Quality Protection Program for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and
addressing the contamination of Everglades biota with mercury.
-------
FEDERAL TASK FORCE ON SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
12/14/94
-------
TITLE: DEVELOPMENT OF A WETLAND CONSERVATION PLAN FOR THE
SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM
DATE: DECEMBER 12, 1994
BACKGROUND: The South Florida region is an extremely active area for wetland
regulatory and enforcement actions. During the last century, about 50 percent of the
wetland area w'thin +he South Florida ecosystem has been drained or filled and
converted to agricultural, residential or industrial development. Critical peripheral
short hydroperiod Everglades wetlands have been and continue to be diminished in
spatial extent by development. This overall loss of wetland area reduces the habitat
options for the region's fauna and incrementally removes or diminishes functions that
these areas naturally performed, such as water quality filtration, flood control, aquifer
recharge and habitat. The Clean Water Act (Section 404) requires a specific permit
to dispose of fill or dredge material in the nation's waters, including wetlands. The
Corps of Engineers administers the program subject to and using EPA's Section 404(b)
environmental guidelines. EPA has Section 404(c) veto authority (rarely invoked) over
a Corps permit decision if EPA determines that the activity will have unacceptable
adverse effects. Tremendous population growth in the South Florida region,
particularly along the west and east coasts (about 1 million people per decade), places
many remnant wetlands within the ecosystem under increasing development pressure.
On September 23, 1993 a five-year Interagency Agreement on South Florida
Ecosystem Restoration was signed by USEPA and the Departments of Interior,
Commerce, Army, Agriculture and Justice. This Agreement created a federal Task
Force whose purpose is to coordinate the development of consistent policies,
strategies, plans, programs and priorities for addressing concerns of the South Florida
ecosystem, and monitor the programs, projects and activities of member agencies to
further the objectives of ecosystem restoration and maintenance. Among the first
priorities adopted by the Task Force was to "support development of a comprehensive
wetlands permit mitigation strategy for South Florida that furthers ecosystem
restoration." It is clear that the federal Section 404 wetland fill permitting program
is an ongoing federal program that has a major impact on the South Florida
environment, and probably has as much of a cumulative impact as any federal
program. Wetland permitting and subsequent filling incrementally, and usually
irrevocably, reduces the land and natural resource bases available for ecological
restoration. Viewing a 1970-era and a 1990-era satellite image of South Florida is
illustrative. Resulting and continual development and population growth complicate
or preclude Task Force ecological restoration alternatives and water management
options, and result in further infrastructure demands and increased water supply and
flood control demands, often in direct conflict with and at the expense of
wetland/ecosystem restoration and Everglades preservation goals.
-------
Some of the major south Florida projects requiring a section 404 permit include
large residential developments such as Weston Phase III (1300 acres of proposed fill
of sawgrass and other marshes in west Broward County), the proposed widening of
20 miles of U. S. 1 between Florida City and Key Largo, and rock mines such as a
proposed 41,000 acre, 50-year rock mine in Dade County. Rapid growth in Lee and
Collier Counties to the west also have resulted in development pressure on area
wetlands, and to the south the Florida Keys present a heavy permit load. Although
many of the proposed Keys projects are small, they impact sensitive and vanishing
resources.
STATUS: A draft comprehensive wetland permitting and mitigation strategy for the
South Florida ecosystem was written in 1 994 through a collaborative effort between
EPA and the Army Corps. This effort and issue is receiving a great deal of interest
and is being highly touted by the Task Force agencies. Tasks to be initiated in 1995
include:
- Identify and map all wetlands within the ecosystem on public and private
lands.
- Designate the relative ecological functional value of all identified lands into
high/medium/low functional quality categories.
- Identify and prioritize wetland restoration/enhancement sites.
- Identify wetland acquisition or preservation lands.
- Identify critical areas, including wetlands where intense development
pressures necessitate expedited detailed wetland assessments in order to assist
the wetland regulatory process.
Another important product will be annual reports that summarize the cumulative
effect of the federal 404 wetland fill permitting program on the South Florida
environment (such reporting has not been done before). Other objectives of this
overall effort include moving federal wetland permitting activities toward taking into
consideration the cumulative ecological consequences of individual permit decisions,
better integration of federal wetlana planning and regulatory programs, development
of scientifically valid and consistent wetland functionality assessment methods, and
development of computer databases available to the individuals involved in wetland
permitting decisions so they can make informed decisions that take into consideration
an ecosystem view. Throughout this effort all activities will be closely coordinated
with state agencies and local governments.
-------
INCREMENTAL FILLING AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF SPECIFIC WETLAND TRACTS
IN SOUTH FLORIDA OFTEN HAVE THE FOLLOWING EFFECTS ON PRESERVATION
OR RESTORATION OF THE GREATER ECOSYSTEM:
- LOSS OF WETLAND PLANT AND ANIMAL HABITAT
- SOIL DISTURBANCE AND CHANGES IN WATER LEVEL AND HYDROPERIOD OFTEN
INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF EXOTIC PLANT INVASION
- ADDITIONAL LOSS OF CRITICAL SHORT HYDROPERIOD WETLANDS FROM THE
ECOSYSTEM FABRIC
- LOSS OF WETLAND WATER STORAGE FUNCTION (SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE)
AND FLOOD CONTROL FUNCTION FOR ALL USERS (URBAN, AGRICULTURE,
NATURAL RESOURCE)
- RESULTING LOSS OF NATIVE HABITAT, FLOOD CONTROL DEMANDS AND WATER
NEEDS PRECLUDE THE ABILITY TO RESTORE EVERGLADES AND FLORIDA BAY
WATER SUPPLY, TIMING AND DISTRIBUTION
- LOSS OF WETLAND AQUIFER RECHARGE FUNCTION
- EXACERBATES SEEPAGE LOSS OF GROUNDWATER FROM THE EVERGLADES
REGION DUE TO INCREASED FLOOD CONTROL REQUIREMENT
- LOSS OF WETLAND WATER SHEETFLOW AND WATER QUALITY FILTRATION
FUNCTION
- LOSS OF WETLAND FUNCTIONING TO PROTECT URBAN EAST COAST WELLFIELD
WATER SUPPLY AND WATER QUALITY
- RESULTING DEVELOPMENT OFTEN NECESSITATES INCREASED INFRASTRUCTURE
DEMANDS
- DEVELOPMENT RESULTS IN INCREASED URBAN WATER SUPPLY DEMANDS,
REMOVES ADDITIONAL WATER FROM THE NATURAL SYSTEM, AND
INCREMENTALLY EXACERBATES WATER SUPPLY CONFLICTS
- RESULTING DEVELOPMENT MAY RESULT IN WATER QUALITY DEGRADATION AND
DISCHARGE OF DEGRADED WATER WESTWARD INTO THE PUBLIC EVERGLADES
- RESULTS IN NET WETLAND LOSS
- FURTHER LOSS OF HYDROLOGIC CONNECTIVITY OF THE NATURAL SYSTEM,
COMPROMISING THE ABILITY TO ATTAIN THIS STATED FEDERAL SOUTH FLORIDA
ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION GOAL
- INCREASES THE LEVEL OF FLOOD CONTROL DEMANDED OF THE C&SF PROJECT,
OFTEN COMPROMISING THE ABILITY TO RESTORE HYDROPERIODS IN NEARBY
WETLANDS THAT ARE TO BE PRESERVED
- COMPROMISES ABILITY TO REESTABLISH NATURAL BIOLOGICAL CORRIDORS
-------
EXTENT OF URBANIZED AREA IN 1970
-------
The South
is not liable
APPROXIMATE
BOUNDARY
OF HISTORIC
EVERGLADES
¦
'
-------
TITLE:
WATER SUPPLY CONFLICTS
DATE: JANUARY 20, 1995
ISSUE: Water supply conflicts between extensive agricultural interests, expanding urban
interests, and ecosystem preservation and restoration interests is one of the most critical
environmental issues the south Florida region must address.
BACKGROUND: Before major drainage activities began early in this century, the Everglades
consisted of an immense subtropical wetland that covered much of South Florida, making it one
of the largest marshes in the world. Flow connections brought water into the Everglades from
Big Cypress Swamp to the west and some Everglades overflow moved eastward through the
Miami and North New Rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. During wet periods water could overtop the
southern shore of Lake Okeechobee and move southward as continuous overland sheetflow
through the 4000 square mile Everglades marsh into estuarine systems such as Biscayne Bay and
Florida Bay. Settlement of the Everglades region in the 1800's was largely limited to the
Seminole Indian Tribe and the Miccosukee Indian Tribe. Flooding and hurricanes greatly limited
urban development and agriculture in the region. Development was limited to areas that were
naturally well-drained, such as the Atlantic Coastal Ridge. In 1890 the population of the area
presently encompassed by Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties was 861.
Recurrent extensive flooding and loss of life and property led to the establishment in 1 949 of the
Central and Southern Florida Project for flood control and other purposes. Authorized project
purposes include flood control, water supply, drainage, preservation of fish and wildlife, ENP
water supply, recreation, navigation, and prevention of saltwater intrusion. The resulting
comprehensive flood control has allowed rapid development and population growth along the
region's east and west coasts. The population of the lower east coast was about 215,000 in
1 930, 694,000 in 1 950, 2.2 million in 1 970 and 4.0 million in 1 990, with 5.3 million projected
for 2010 (8.0 million for the entire SFWMD). Today about 20% of the original Everglades is
protected as Everglades National Park and 33% is in the public Everglades Water Conservation
Areas, including 5% that is contained with WCA1, the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National
Wildlife Refuge. About 47% (1.2 million acres) of the historic Everglades have been drained and
converted to agriculture or urban development. As of 1990 about 1.1 million acres within the
SFWMD were devoted to sugarcane, citrus vegetable, tropical fruit or ornamental plant
production. The hydrology of the remaining Everglades has been altered by the C&SF Project
so that what once functioned as a single hydrologic unit has been compartmentalized by canals
and levees into 7 distinct units that have each been exposed to different managed water regimes
in recent decades. The hydroperiod in the remaining Everglades system has been altered such
that much of the system has a shorter hydroperiod than occurred historically, while smaller
portions of the system have been exposed to longer hydroperiods. The quantity of water
delivered to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay has been reduced from historic amounts.
Water distribution, the timing of hydrologic responses, and the quality of Everglades water have
all been altered by human activities in the last 100 years. The need to provide flood control for
the Everglades Agricultural Area complicates the effectiveness of efforts to provide water
deliveries from the northern portion of the watershed southward into the Everglades.
Human growth and development in the region and consequent demands have outpaced the C&SF
Project's original design specifications. In early years agriculture dominated the Project's water
use. The present demands made by urban and agricultural development are more than double
what the system was designed to satisfy, and this water is all water that historically would have
been available to the natural freshwater or estuarine system. This growth has resulted in a
tremendous increase in urban water supply demands. For example in 1946 the water demand
of Dade County was 31 million gallons per day (MGD). By 1970 it was 271 MGD and by 1990
-------
it was 553 MGD (620,000 acre-feet per year). Present water demand within the SFWMD is 1.2
million acre-feet per year (3391 MGD), and the District Projects demand in 2010 to be 1.7 million
acre-feet per year 699 MGD). Water supply conflicts are most evident during the winter dry
season, when urban and agricultural demand are equivalent to their demand at other times of the
year, resource preservation water demands are particularly critical, and there is lowest amount
of water in the system for these various users. Concern has been expressed by some that
under current water management practices a significant amount of freshwater is lost to tide
during the wet season - water that the inland wetland system badly needs, particularly during
the dry season. However, the lack of present capacity to store this water within the system in
Lake Okeechobee or the Everglades complicates matters, as does the need to maintain
freshwater flow to estuarine systems such as Biscayne Bay.
Although 4.9 million acres (45%) of the 10.9 million acres within the SFWMD is within public
ownership, there is a consensus that the ecosystem has shown increasing symptoms of
ecological degradation. The population of wading birds in the Everglades has been greatly
reduced from historic populations, with some information indicating a 90% reduction this
century. As of 1 992 22 species of animals found south of Lake Okeechobee were listed by the
USFWS as endangered and 11 others were listed as threatened. Although various causes of
ecological decline have been offered, the dominant ones are loss of habitat, degraded quality of
remaining habitat, and disrupted hydrology. In recent years a consensus has emerged that a
cornerstone to Everglades ecosystem restoration is the restoration of historic water regimes and
water quality. This is the precept underlying the alternatives under consideration by the Army
Corps in its ongoing review of tKs C&SF Project. The challenge faced by managers and
scientists trying to restore the remaining Everglades ecosystem is how to restore the hydrology
of the Everglades while meeting the flood control demands of urban and agricultural areas and
the water supply demands of agriculture and an expanding urban population exceeding 6 million.
Water has been and continues to be viewed as an expendable commodity in this system, and
urban water rates continue to be among the lowest in major urban areas in the U. S. As
development pushes westward closer to the eastern boundary of the Water Conservation Areas,
the greater degree of flood control demanded by urban residential areas immediately to the east
of the WCAs will be in direct conflict with restoring hydroperiod in the WCAs, predictably
compromising the effectiveness of hydrological restoration efforts.
The fact that ecosystem preservation and restoration is dependent upon not only maintaining
present freshwater flow to these areas but increasing it above present levels (including
Everglades wetlands and estuarine areas such as Florida Bay), directly pits ecosystem restoration
against meeting water needs for agriculture and growing urban areas.
CURRENT STATUS: The federal government has no statutory authority over water supply
issues. Water supply permitting in south Florida is administered by SFWMD. The dilemma that
they face is to ensure the availability of adequate water supply for all reasonable beneficial uses
while protecting natural systems. The 1994 Everglades Forever Act requires the District to
increase annual flow to the WCAs and the Park by 28% above the annual flows measured from
1 979-1 988. The SFWMD is in the midst of an extensive water supply planning effort that is to
be completed within the next few years. They have been criticized for projecting water supply
needs to only 2010 (15 years from now) and not further in these planning efforts. Resolving
water supply conflicts and meeting all user needs will inevitably become more difficult as demand
continues to increase in future years. Among the management options under consideration are
aquifer storage and recovery, reverse osmosis, water reuse, conservation, and decreasing the
amount of freshwater lost to tide. The water supply issue may have the dominant overriding
effect on the face of the south Florida environment in the future.
-------
WATER USE IN DADE COUNTY
800
1965 1970
1980
1990
YEAR
WATER USE EXCLUDES DELIVERIES TO NATURAL SYSTEMS
INCLUDES PUBLIC SUPPLY, AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRY
DATA FROM SFWMD & USGS; PROJECTIONS FROM SFWMD
2000
2010
DC
<
LU
\—
LU
LU
DC
O
<
CO
D
DC
WATER USE IN THE SFWMD
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
_L
JL
1970
1980
1990
YEAR
2000
DADE COUNTY TOTAL ¦ SFWMD TOTAL
SFWMD URBAN
2010
SFWMD AGRICULTURE
WATER USE EXCLUDES DELIVERIES TO NATURAL SYSTEMS
INCLUDES PUBLIC SUPPLY AGRICULTURE .ND INDUSTRY
DATA FROM SFWMD & USGS. PROJECTIONS FROM SFWMD
-------
LOWER EAST COAST WATER DEMAND 1990 AND 2010
(MILLION GALLONS PER YEAR)
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
1990 2010
PUBLIC SUPPLY H AGRICULTURE ~ INDUSTRIAL
GOLF ~ LANDSCAPE ¦ RESIDENTIAL
(DATA FROM SFWMD, MARCH 1993)
-------
TITLE: NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT OF THE EVERGLADES AND THE EVERGLADES
FOREVER ACT
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 1994
ISSUE: Excessive nutrient enrichment within tens of thousands of acres of the public
Everglades has affected the ecological integrity of Everglades wetlands and resulted
in violations of Florida water quality standards.
BACKGROUND: Everglades wetlands are extremely oligotrophic. Ambient marsh
surface water total phosphorus concentrations are typically less than 0.004 mg/l. The
natural Everglades marsh periphyton and macrophyte communities that provide habitat
for native Everglades fauna are dominated by species that are adapted to extremely
low nutrient conditions, such as sawgrass. In the 1970s and 1980s scientists at the
SFWMD, USGS, NPS and USFWS began to document excess loading of nitrogen and
phosphorus in drainage water discharged from the EAA into the Water Conservation
Areas. Ecological changes were noted in zones of eutrophication in the marsh, such
as changes in periphyton and plant communities and zones of anoxia. These findings
were documented in scores of scientific publications. Through the 1980s the
USFWS, NPS and others expressed concerns to the SFWMD about the impacts of
nutrients on the Everglades. In 1987 the State convened the LOTAC II committee to
study this issue. They concluded that excess nutrient loading from the EAA to the
Everglades was affecting the ecological integrity of the public wetlands, and they
recommended that remediation efforts be pursued. In 1988 the acting U. S. Attorney
in Miami filed a lawsuit in U. S. District Court against Florida DER and the SFWMD
charging them with violating state law by failing to enforce water quality standards,
operating the SFWMD water pump structures that discharge from the EAA into the
public Everglades without state water quality permits, and allowing nutrient enriched
water from the EAA to enter the Refuge and the Park causing ecological damage to
these federal wetland resources.
A legal battle costing tens of millions of dollars ensued, during which environmental
interests and EAA agricultural interests were allowed to intervene. A settlement
agreement between Florida and the U. S. was announced in 1991 by Attorney General
Thornburg and Governor Chiles. The settlement was adopted by the U. S. District
Court in Miami in a 1992 Consent Decree, over the objections of the agricultural
interests. The agreement established numeric phosphorus levels for the Refuge
marsh and phosphorus limits for structures discharging water into the Park, with
compliance dates of 1997 and 2002. It also required specific reductions in
phosphorus loadings into the WCAs to be attained by use of agricultural BMPs within
the EAA and the creation of 35,000 acres of Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs),
wetland systems managed to remove nutrients from EAA drainage water before
discharge into the WCAs. In March of 1992 the SFWMD adopted a Surface Water
Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan consistent with the Settlement/Court
Order. Agricultural interests aggressively opposed implementation of these remedies,
-------
filing dozens of appeals and legal actions in the federal court system and in the state
administrative process.
During 1993 the agricultural interests, the United States and Florida attempted to
resolve the conflict in an intensive mitigation process. Major issues included
timeframes and the portion of the cost for water pollution control measures (estimated
at over $600 million) that would be borne by the taxpayers and the portion to be
borne by the s«io?r inH'istry. The mitigation reached an impasse in December and was
terminated. In an attempt to resolve the matter, the Florida Legislature passed the
Everglades Forever Act in April 1 994. The Act supersedes the proposed SWIM Plan
and its requirements are different than those in the federal Court Order. In April of
1994 the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida filed suit against the U. S.
Department of Interior over the issue of nutrient enrichment and its effect on Tribal
lands, further complicating resolution of the matter.
STATUS: The Everglades Forever Act is intended to reduce phosphorus discharge into
the Everglades Protection Area (the Water Conservation Areas, Loxahatchee National
Wildlife Refuge and Everglades National Park) and restore Everglades hydroperiod
through a program of construction, research and regulation. A combination of
agricultural BMPs and constructed public wetlands for phosphorus removal
(Stormwater Treatment Areas) are intended to reduce the phosphorus concentration
in water discharged from the EAA to the Everglades to 50 parts per billion. The six
STAs will have an effective treatment area of about 40,000 acres, will be designed
to achieve an effluent of 50 ppb total phosphorus, and are to be completed from
1997 to 2003. The Act also establishes funding mechanisms, with agricultural
interests paying from $233 million to $322 million over the next 20 years. The
remainder of the estimated $685 million cost will be borne by the taxpayers. A
difficult issue to be resolved in the next several years is developing a numeric water
quality standard for phosphorus for the Everglades marsh, including a research
program to define the standard. The Act requires FDEP to set a numeric Everglades
phosphorus standard based on research by 2003, with a default of 10 ppb if they fail
to do so. The Act requires flow to the Everglades be increased by 28% as compared
to the annual flow observed from 1979-1988. The Act also exempts EAA farmers
from the Everglades Surface Water Improvement and Management Plan, and it
provides for permittees in compliance with agricultural BMP permit conditions to be
in exempted from other water quality improvement measures until 2006.
Although the majority of the public work will be the responsibility of SFWMD and
FDEP, the USACOE and USEPA are also involved in implementing the Act. The Corps
is charged with construction of STA-1E and will be the lead federal agency
coordinating compliance with NEPA. USEPA will be a cooperating agency with the
programmatic EIS, and is involved in NPDES permitting of the STAs, mercury
research, 404 permitting of the STAs, and final approval of the numeric phosphorus
standard for the Everglades marsh.
-------
immmt 11 ¦ 11 ¦ 11
Natural Everglades Ecosystem
u
LOW
NUTRIENT
INPUT
Water
Oligotrophic
Low
Soil
Phosphorus
Wei Prairie/
Slough
Periphyton
Evergiades
Wildlife
Habitat
RAINFALL J
Nnlive Sawf>rau
Native Pctiphylon
NATURAL CONDITIONS
- Low totai phosphorus in water
• Low total phosphorus in soils
• High alkaline phosphatase activity
• Typical Everglades periphyton
• 'typical sawgrass, open water
marsh and tree island communities
• Good feeding habitat for wildlife
• Steady-state system controlled by
Daturaii factors
• Nutrient input almost entirely via
rainfall
Impacted Everglades Ecosystem
-r v
'' r. t ¦
management
Practices
RAINFALL
Fartnizer
Discharge of
Phosphorus
from Agricultural
Practices
Tillage j Delivered via
" —- Canals
High Nutrient
Input to
Everglade
Marshes
Water
Eutrophic
High
Soil
Phosphorus
Altered or
Lost
Periphyton
Altered or
Lost
Wei Prairie/
Slough
-
Altered or
Lost
Sawgrass
Expansion
of Cattail
Imbalance
of Native
Flora
Loss oI
Native
Wildlife
Habitat
IMPACTED CONDITIONS
High total phosphorus in water
High total phosphorus in suit
Low alkaline phosphatase activity
Altered or lost periphyton
Altered inacrophyte communities
Constricted and reduced open water
Degraded habitat for wildlife
Nou-steady-state system controlled
by nutrient input
Nutrients primarily from
-------
F V f R (I [. \ n R s
F. t () >
\ !
Increasing Trends in Phosphorus Concentrations
Note: No Stations Have Significant Decreasing Trend
Monitoring Station ai
Water Management Structure
with Significant Increasing Trend
Long Term Trend Line
Phosphorus Measured as ppb (parts per billion)
S7,S8,S10C,S11C: Ordinate Scale 0-150 ppb
S12A,S12C,S332: Ordinate Scale 0-20 ppb
Source: SFWMD WCA Inflow/Outflow Momtoong Data
-------
C-139 Basin and C-139 Annex
Chapter 298 Districts
and Lease No. 3420
Everglades Protection Area
Stormwater Treatment
Areas (STA's)
Legal Boundaries defined
by the Everglades Forever Act
Indian Reservation Boundary
Flow Direction
COMPONENT
EFFECTIVE
AREA
(ACRES)
COMPLETION
DATE
STA-1E
5.350
7/1/02
STA-1W
6,870
1/1/99
STA-2
6,430
2/1/99
S TA-3/4
16 , 48 0
10/1/03
STA-5
4,530
1/1/99
STA- 4
113
10/1/97
Rotenberger
Restoration
1/1/99
WCA-2A
2/1/99
West WCA-3A
11/1/98
East WCA-3A
4/1/05
Northern L-8
Basin
4/1/05
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TITLE:
MERCURY CONTAMINATION OF EVERGLADES BIOTA
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 1994
ISSUE: A human health fish consumption advisory due to mercury contamination
either bans or restricts the consumption of freshwater fish from 2 million acres
encompassing the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve. Mercury
concentrations in largemouth bass (4.4 mg/kg) and bowfin (7.0 mg/kg) taken from the
Everglades are the highest documented in Florida, and elevated concentrations have also
been found in alligators, otter, the endangered Florida panther, and wading birds. Biota
within the aquatic based food web are at increased risk, and there are indications that
the breeding success and viability of Everglades wading birds and the panther are being
adversely affected by mercury contamination. The region of greatest contamination is
remote with no point sources.
BACKGROUND: Presently, the source(s) of mercury remain unknown. Potential sources
or factors involved in the bioaccumulation of mercury in South Florida wetlands include
atmospheric deposition from local or global sources, drainage water from agricultural or
urban sources, mobilization of natural peat mercury deposits, and the potential influence
of phosphorus eutrophication on mercury cycling. USEPA Region IV and ORD are
actively involved in performing mercury research in the Everglades directed at
understanding the sources, extent, magnitude, and trends in mercury contamination. An
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) probabilistic sampling design,
organized under an ecological risk assessment framework, has been the focus of the
Region IV design and is integral to addressing critical policy questions. From FY 1992
through FY 1994 EPA has committed about $3 million to this issue.
STATUS: USEPA is coordinating ongoing and future efforts with numerous federal,
Florida, private and academic entities that have become involved in South Florida
mercu-y research. Biological, water and sediment monitoring efforts are well underway.
Future research efforts are focusing on mercury cycling process studies and determining
the environmental conditions conducive for bioaccumulation of methyl mercury.
Intensive atmospheric deposition monitoring and modeling efforts are planned in order
to determine the potential contribution of south Florida air mercury sources.
Since 1989 when the contamination of fish was first documented, more recent data
indicate the contamination is widespread in area and in the variety of biota contaminated,
although there has been no documentation of human health effects. USEPA has been
in the. forefront of addressing this issue, and given the visibility in and interest in the
South Florida ecosystem and Everglades protection and restoration, there is widespread
attention focused on this serious issue. The public and many state and federal agencies
are looking to EPA for answers. Florida's 1994 Everglades Forever Act makes specific
mention of the USEPA mercury study and requires reporting its results, while certain
sugar interests are using a potential mercury-phosphorus eutrophication interrelationship
to try to halt construction of the Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) required by the Act
for phosphorus control.
-------
CONTAMINATION OF EVERGLADES BIOTA WITH MERCURY
• • WIDESPREAD CONTAMINATION OF EVERGLADES BIOTA WITH
MERCURY
• FRESHWATER FISH: BOWFIN, LARGEMOUTH BASS, GAR,
YELLOW BULLHEAD, WARMOUTH, OSCAR
• WADING BIRDS: GREAT WHITE HERON, GREAT BLUE
HERON, GREAT EGRET
• FLORIDA PANTHER: FEDERALLY LISTED ENDANGERED
SPECIES
• AMERICAN ALLIGATOR
• OTTER
• EVERGLADES AQUATIC BASED FOOD WEB AT INCREASED
RISK
• • FLORIDA HAS POSTED HUMAN HEALTH FISH CONSUMPTION
ADVISORIES FOR OVER 2 MILLION ACRES OF THE EVERGLADES REGION
- THE LARGEST SUCH ADVISORY IN THE UNITED STATES.
• BAN ON HUMAN CONSUMPTION OF FISH FOR ABOUT 1.3
MILLION ACRES, INCLUDING MUCH OF EVERGLADES
NATIONAL PARK
• LIMITED CONSUMPTION ADVISORY FOR ANOTHER 900,000
ACRES, INCLUDING BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE.
• • REGION OF GREATEST CONTAMINATION IS REMOTE.
• • NO EVIDENCE OF WATER, SOIL OR SEDIMENT CONTAMINATION.
• • RELATIVE NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC SOURCE(S) OF
MERCURY HAVE NOT BEEN QUANTIFIED.
• • THE SPECIFIC PROCESSES IN SOUTH FLORIDA THAT ARE
RESULTING IN THE BIOACCUMULATION OF MERCURY HAVE NOT BEEN
IDENTIFIED.
• « EXISTING WATER QUALITY CRITERIA FOR MERCURY MAY BE
INADEQUATE FOR PROTECTION OF THE EVERGLADES ENVIRONMENT.
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TITLE:
FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY WATER QUALI1Y PROTECTION
PROGRAM
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 1994
ISSUE: Development and implementation of a Water Quality Protection Program for the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
BACKGROUND: The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary was created with the signing of
Public Law 101-605 (HR5909), the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act,
on November 16, 1990. Included in the Sanctuary are 2800 square nautical miles of nearshore
waters extending from just south of Miami to the Dry Tortugas. The 1990 Act directed EPA and
the State of Florida, in consultation with NOAA, to develop a Water Quality Protection Program
(WQPP) for the Sanctuary. This is the first marine sanctuary required to have a WQPP.
The purpose of the WQPP is to recommend priority corrective actions and compliance schedules
addressing point and nonpoint sources of pollution to restore and maintain the chemical, physical,
and biological integrity of the Sanctuary, including restoration and maintenance of a balanced,
indigenous population of corals, shellfish, fish and wildlife, and recreational activities in and on the
water. In addition, the Act also requires development of a comprehensive water quality monitoring
and research program. The establishment of the WQPP for the Sanctuary recognizes the critical
role of water quality in maintaining Sanctuary resources, as the ecological integrity of Sanctuary
ecosystems is dependent on the maintenance of outstanding water quality. Section 2209 of the
National Marine Sanctuaries Program Amendments Act of 1992 requires that EPA and the State
of Florida implement the WQPP. The 1992 Act authorized appropriations to EPA of $2,000,000
for FY 1993, $3,000,000 for FY 1994, and $4,000,000 for FY 1995 for the purpose of
implementing the WQPP. Congress appropriated only $185,000 to EPA in the FY 1994 budget
for the WQPP. EPA requires about $2,700,000 in FY 1995 to continue the implementation of a
bare-bones comprehensive water quality monitoring and research program.
STATUS: On May 19, 1993, EPA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
submitted the draft WQPP Document to NOAA for incorporation into the Comprehensive
Management Plan (CMP) for the Sanctuary. The draft WQPP document will undergo review in
conjunction with NOAA's CMP through the NEPA process. The general public will be a part of this
review process. NOAA's draft CMP is scheduled for public release in January 1995. EPA secured
FY 1994 funding of $1,005,000 for the WQPP, and anticipates FY 1995 federal funds in the
amount of $1,250,000. In addition, the SFWMD has dedicated $250,000 of FY 1995 funds to
the WQPP.
~ EPA Budget Review:
FY 1991- $300,000
FY 1992 -
FY 1993
FY 1994 -
$625,000
$ 50,000
$500,000
$500,000
$185,000
$750,000
$ 70,000
- EPA Region IV funds for WQPP
- Congressional Add-On for WQPP
¦ Gulf of Mexico Program for WQPP
- Congressional Add-On for WQPP
- Congressional Add-On for Wastewater Demonstration
Projects
- Congressional Add-On for WQPP
- EPA Office of Water Funds for WQPP
¦ EPA Headquarters funds for WQPP
o Total USEPA funds for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary through September 30, 1 994
- $2,980,000.
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|B2 0 W
|m.(i w
1.0 w
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
ji.oM Protected Areas
j Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
{Hj!j Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary
IK Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary
[\] Biscayne National Park
[^J Everglades National Park
lf| Fort, Jefferson National Monument
[ | Great While Heron National Wildlife Refuge
| J | Key West National Wildlife Refuge
[ ^ National Key Deer Refuge
| | John Penrielcamp Coral Reef State Park
fj|J]| Biscayne Bay (Card Sound) Aquatic Preserve
HH Coupon Bight Aquatic Preserve
fHI Lignumvitae Aquatic Preserve
!0.oh till South Florida Geography
State Jurisdictional Boundary
Note: This map ia a schematic representation
of various jurisdictional boundaries.
Appro*. Mile#
0 6 10 16 90
M
Hp"
Strategic Environmental Auaefisments Division
Office of Ocean Resources Conservation and Assessment
National Ocean Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
-------
TITLE:
FLORIDA BAY
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 1994
ISSUE: Severe water quality and ecological problems exist in Florida Bay,
including extensive zones of seagrass die-off and algal blooms. These problems are
viewed as a potential threat to water quality and resources in the adjacent Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
BACKGROUND: Florida Bay is a shallow, triangular, sub-tropical estuary at Florida's
southern tip that encompasses about 1000 square miles. About 85% of the Bay lies
within Everglades National Park, with the rest within the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary. The Bay supports sponge and coral communities, is a significant nursery
for pink shrimp, and provides habitat for spiny lobster, stone crab, bottlenosed
porpoise, wading birds, osprey and numerous endangered species such as the
American crocodile, sea turtles, and manatee. The Bay supports significant
commercial and recreational fishing and tourism, and is critical to the economic
livelihood of the Florida Keys. Abundant unpolluted freshwater flow to the Bay from
the Everglades is critical for maintaining the natural ecological function of this dynamic
estuary.
During the last 100 years, mankind has drastically changed the Everglades ecosystem.
The Central and Southern Florida Project has provided the flood control and water
supply needed for development along the lower east coast in what were formerly
wetlands, and half of the Everglades has been drained. The Project has also diverted
water that formerly was received by Florida Bay. Historically, shallow 50-mile-wide
sheet of water extending from Lake Okeechobee to the mangrove-covered shore of
Florida Bay. During the wet season, rain from thunderstorms filled the grassy waters
and slowly moved south providing a crucial source of water during the dry winters.
Florida Bay was once a true estuarine ecosystem with wide fluctuations in salinity.
However, significant reductions in the amount of freshwater entering Florida Bay via
Taylor Slough have caused hypersaline conditions in northeastern Florida Bay. The
Bay is now experiencing ecological problems. Since 1993 extensive algal blooms of
increasing intensity and duration have covered over 190,000 acres at a given time.
A massive seagrass dieoff began in 1 987 and has continued through 1994, denuding
over 20,000 acres while impacting up to 100,000 acres. The region's shrimp
harvest has dropped from 10 million to 4 million pounds, and populations of lobster,
gamefish and sponges have declined. Once clear waters are now turbid, and a
mangrove dieback has occurred.
Many causes have been proposed for the symptoms of ecological decline observed
in Florida Bay. Alteration of freshwater supply to the Bay is the most obvious,
although other factors have been suggested including a lack of hurricanes, drought,
anthropogenic nutrients, construction of the Keys railroad in the early 1900s and
filling in the Keys which block natural water circulation patterns with the Atlantic
-------
Ocean, and manifestations of natural cycles involving nutrients, salinity, and water
temperature.
STATUS: In January 1993 Everglades National Park formed a Florida Bay
Interagency Working Group for the purpose of achieving a coordinated research,
monitoring and management effort for the Bay. In February of 1993, EPA and the
State of Florida released a draft Water Quality Protection Program Document for the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). The Document states that severe
water quality and ecological problems exist in Florida Bay and that these problems
must be viewed as a potential threat to water quality and resources in the Sanctuary.
In October 1 993 a panel of five eminent scientists issued a report intended to evaluate
the evidence for the deterioration of the Bay and help guide management and research
priorities. In April 1994 an unprecedented inter-agency (NPS, NOAA, NBS, SFWMD,
FDEP) Florida Bay Science Plan was published, representing a broad consensus on the
monitoring, research and modeling needed to understand and then restore the Bay's
ecology. The agencies involved are coordinating Florida Bay efforts along with those
of the FKNMS.
Several efforts are underway to address the Bay's ecological problems. C-111
structural modifications being considered by the Army Corps are intended to increase
freshwater flow to Taylor Slough and the Bay, as are some of the alternatives in the
Corps C&SF Project Review. Florida's 1994 Everglades Forever Act required SFWMD
to implement an Emergency Interim Plan to increase water flow to Taylor Slough. In
November 1994 both the Florida Cabinet and the Board of the SFWMD voted to begin
eminent domain proceedings for acquiring the western 1860 acres of the Frog Pond
(as authorized by the Act), over the objection of the landowner. The Frog Pond is
5000 acres in the historic headwaters of Taylor Slough that are presently used for
tomato production. Efforts to restore water flow to the Park and Florida Bay have
been in direct conflict with the flood control needs of Frog Pond farmers.
-------
TITLE:
EAST COAST BUFFER CONCEPT/WATER SUPPLY PRESERVES
DATE: JANUARY 5, 1995
ISSUE: In recent decades the flood control that the C&SF Project provided has made possible rapid
development westward into western Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties as historic Everglades
wetlands in private ownership were drained. This expansion continues So these wetlands are permitted
for development under the 404 program. A number of proposals have been raised in recent years to
establish buffer areas between the Everglades Water Conservation Areas and the expanding urban east
coast. These buffers have been referred to by various terminology, such as Water Supply Preserves
(USFWS, National Audubon Society Restoration Campaign) '""¦st Buffer or Flow-way (SFWMD).
A similar concept involves establishing Flow-ways within the Everglades Agricultural Area. Potential
benefits include: reduce water seepage from the Everglades, increase water storage capacity for
environmental restoration or urban users (capacity that otherwise will be lost due to development),
increase ground water recharge, return water to the Everglades, improve water quality, improve timing
of water deliveries, facilitate re-creating natural hydroperiods in the public Everglades, protect urban
wellfields, provide recreational opportunities, provide wildlife habitat, reduce invasion of exotic plants,
provide additional short hydroperiod wetlands that have been identified as being critical to Everglades
restoration, and provide a buffer between the developed lower east coast and the Everglades. The
concept has a tremendous potential to have far-reaching positive benefits to the greater ecosystem and
increase the effectiveness of numerous other ongoing investments in ecosystem restoration.
CURRENT STATUS: The East Coast Buffer concept has been repeatedly suggested in recent years by
various entities. During 1994 it was proposed by the National Audubon Society and the Science Sub-
Group of the federal Task Force on South Florida Ecosystem Restoration. It is contained to varying
degrees in 9 of the 10 alternatives developed by the Army Corps in their Restudy of the C&SF Project.
The Corps estimates the cost as ranging from $823 million to $1.214 billion (December 1 994). SFWMD
has also been evaluating the East Coast Buffer Concept throughout 1994, and they estimate the cost
as ranging from $143 million to $993 million (October 1994).
FUTURE ACTIONS: The SFWMD Board has been deliberating on the issue. Much of the cost is
associated with acquisition of private property. The Corps will select an alternative in the feasibility
phase of their C&SF Project review, which is scheduled to begin in March 1995 and take several years.
Obstacles to creating these buffers include the cost, private property rights issues, and the timeframe
involved (many of these areas are being rapidly developed in the interim while the buffer concept is
evaluated and debated). Failing to establish these areas will have predictable negative long-term
consequences for the South Florida Ecosystem and the attainability of Everglades restoration goals.
Given the history of development in this area in recent decades, it appears inevitable that without the
buffers, within a few decades all private property in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties will be
built out to the eastern boundary of the Water Conservation Areas, resulting in the following predictable
consequences:
- more frequent conflicts between providing flood control for developed private property while
simultaneously maintaining surface water in adjacent wetlands (such as is presently playing out in the
Frog Pond conflict),
- increased likelihood of shallow aquifer contamination,
- increased loading of nutrients and contaminants in untreated water directly pumped from the
developed area westward into the adjacent public Everglades (such as at S-9),
- further incremental loss of wetland habitat from the ecosystem fabric,
- greater seepage loss of Everglades water and preclusion of the ability to restore Everglades
hydroperiod because of a further increase in flood control demands as urban development continues to
expand westward into remnant private wetlands adjacent to the Everglades. This not only consequently
precludes the possibility of restoring Everglades hydroperiod, but also will result in a further reduction
of present Everglades hydroperiod, thereby compromising the effectiveness of other public investments
in restoring Everglades hydroperiod, such as the STAs required by the Everglades Forever Act,
- further encroachment of invasive exotic plants, and
- loss of water storage capacity for environmental or urban users.
-------
TITLE:
WADING BIRD DECLINES AND ECOLOGICAL COLLAPSE
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 1994
ISSUE: The populations of native Everglades biota such as wading birds have been
greatly reduced from historic numbers.
BACKGROUND: The Everglades is one of the most recognized wetlands in the world, with
much of its recognition derived from its magnificent displays of biota such as wading birds.
During the last 100 years, mankind has drastically changed the Everglades ecosystem.
Historically the 4000 square mile Everglades marsh supported a diverse population of biota.
Everglades wading bird populations are said to have numbered in the millions. In fact,
Everglades National Park, established in 1 947, was the first National Park established because
of its biota. Today, about half of the Everglades remain. Water flow in the system has been
greatly altered by the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project because of human
demands for flood control and water supply. There are presently 2z species of animals found
south of Lake Okeechobee that are listed by the USFWS as endangered, and another 11 that
are listed as threatened.
Although vast areas of South Florida, including estuarine areas, have been placed in public
ownership to protect and preserve them, symptoms of ecological decline continue to increase
throughout remaining natural portions of the region. The greatest biological attention has
focused on the wading birds. Present wading bird populations number in the tens of
thousands or hundreds of thousands, at most. In some years wading bird nesting has
completely failed. The decline in wading birds is apparently due to a combination of factors
such as habitat reduction, salinization of estuarine feeding zones, a loss of short hydroperiod
marshes, marsh compartmentalization, and unpredictable or changed hydropatterns (depth,
timing and spatial extent) due to water management practices. These factors together have
apparently shortened the annual time window available for birds to breed, and generally
reduced feeding options during the nesting season. Presently South Florida wading birds
breed in small numbers in small proportions of the total population, and appear to abandon
breeding attempts easily.
STATUS: A key to Everglades ecological restoration is hydrological restoration. This is
the underlying pretext of south Florida ecological restoration efforts being undertaken by the
COE, SFWMD, NPS, USFWS and others. It is a major focus of the U. S. Army Corps of
Engineers C & SF Project Review. It is the focus of the Shark Slough General Design
Memorandum (GDM) and the planned structural modifications, the C-1 11 GDM, the rainfall-
based water delivery formula for Shark Slough, and efforts to develop a rainfall-based water
delivery formula'for Taylor Slough. The USFWS recently proposed a revised water regulation
schedule for Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge that they consider to be more beneficial to
Refuge biota. The federal government created an a South Florida ecosystem restoration Task
Force in 1993, the focus of which is to develop an integrated plan for South Florida
Ecosystem restoration, maintenance and protection. Although water management,
hydroperiod changes, loss of habitat and decline in the quality of remaining foraging habitat
are widely recognized as being the major causes of the decline in wading bird populations,
other factors may also be involved. Recent data indicate that mercury contamination may
be another factor adversely affecting Everglades wading bird health, reproduction and viability.
-------
TITLE: U. S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS REVIEW OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
FLORIDA PROJECT
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 1994
ISSUE: The purpose of the Project Review is to reexamine the C&SF Project under current needs
and demands in order to determine the feasibility of Project structural or operational changes to
restore the south Florida ecosystem while providing for other water-related needs.
BACKGROUND: The Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) Project, which was authorized by
Congress in 1948, has multiple purposes including flood control, preventing saltwater intrusion,
preservation of fish and wildlife, and water supply for urban and agricultural users and Everglades
National Park. The Project extends from near Orlando to the southern tip of Florida and consists of
about 1000 miles of canals, 1000 miles of levees, 25 water pumping stations and over 200 other
water control structures. This multi-purpose project has provided the flood control and fresh water
that has made it possible for productive agricultural activity and rapid urban expansion within the
South Florida ecosystem. Population within the project area has expanded from 727,097 in 1945
to 6.3 million in 1990. The appraised value of property within the area served by the Project has
gone from $1.2 billion in 1950 to $240 billion in 1 991. The project also has had adverse effects on
the national resources, including the Everglades and Florida Bay.
STATUS: The Jacksonville District of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated the
Reconnaissance Study of the Project Review in 1993 and the Final Reconnaissance Report was
completed in November 1 994. Objectives include increase the spatial extent of wetlands; increase
habitat heterogeneity; restore hydrological structure and function; restore water quality conditions;
improve the availability of water; and reduce flood damages on Seminole and Miccosukee tribal lands.
Underlying principles include keep a system focus; reduce the wastage of freshwater to tide; restore
a more natural hydrologic regime; restore connectivity; and create transition zones between natural
and developed areas. The report lays out 10 possible project modification alternatives, offering
various combinations of ambitious components intended to restore more natural hydrology, such as
enlarging canals in the Everglades Agricultural Area, decompartmentalizing the Water Conservation
Areas, constructing flowways within the EAA, degrading various levees, and creating wetland water
preserves on the east coast between the urban area and the Everylades. Costs for the various
alternatives range from $5 million to $2,043 billion. The most ambitious alternative is depicted in the
figure on the following page. All of the alternatives have strong political implications.
FUTURE ACTIONS: The next phase of the Review is the Feasibility Study, which is 50% Corps
funded and 50% SFWMD funded. The purpose is to evaluate and recommend an alternative plan.
The Corps anticipates beginning this phase in March of 1995 and completing it within three years.
POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS: Many of the alternatives contain controversial components. Water
supply preserves along the lower east coast include areas that are largely privately owned wetlands,
such as the proposed Blockbuster project and part of Arvida. Some of these property owners have
already requested 404 permits to develop these areas. Other components include flowways that
would take tens of thousands of acres of EAA farmland out of production. There is a great deal
interest from the public and the environmental community. The Project Review is unprecedented
in that it is the first time the Corps has been directed to review the C&SF Project in a holistic manner
with a focus on environmental effects. Conflicts within this multi-purpose Project are inevitable, and
restoration constraints include minimizing the loss of services provided by the C&SF Project, such as
flood control and water supply, and minimize local social and economic disruption. Overall, this
process presents a tremendous opportunity to shape environmental protection and the face of the
South Florida ecosystem for decades to come.
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FORT
LAUDERDALE
-------
TITLE:
HYDROLOGIC RESTORATION OF SHARK SLOUGH
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 1994
ISSUE: Conflicts over hydrological and ecological restoration of the Shark Slough watershed of
Everglades National Park and Florida Bay, flood control for residents in the East Everglades area,
and urban water supply for Dade County.
BACKGROUND: Shark Slough forms the major freshwater flow way in Everglades National Park.
When the Park was established in 1 947 only the western half of the Slough was included within
the Park. When the WCAs were completed by the early 1 960s, what historically had functioned
as a single overland flow wetland system was sectioned into four compartments (WCA3A,
WCA3B, Shark Slough within the Park, and the privately owned Northeast Shark Slough). From
about 1 962 to the mid-1 980s waterflow into WCA3B and Northeast Shark Slough was severed,
resulting in greatly reduced hydroperiods, vegetative changes, and reductions in wildlife
populations. All flow into Shark Slough was funneled into the western portion of the Slough (the
Park portion), whereas historically over half of the flow was to the eastern portion. Presently
there are no structures in the C&SF Project that convey water from WCA3B southward to
Northeast Shark Slough (NESS).
Beginning in 1983 the Park began an effort to restore the natural hydrology of Shark Slough.
A cornerstone of ecological restoration in this predominantly wetland system is hydrological
restoration. In the 1 980s the Corps initiated an extensive General Design Memorandum process
in an effort to provide structural modifications to the C&SF Project that will provide the capability
to restore the hydrological integrity of WCA3A, WCA3B, Shark Slough and NESS. In 1983
Congress authorized the COE, SFWMD and the Park to begin a program of experimental water
deliveries to Shark Slough. In 1 985 a rainfall-based water delivery formula was implemented in
an attempt to have water deliveries to the Park fluctuate and respond to the meteorological and
hydrologic conditions of a given year. Water deliveries to Northeast Shark Slough were also
initiated for the first time since the early 1960s. In 1989 Congress passed the Everglades
National Park Expansion and Protection Act. The Act authorized the addition of 107,000 acres
of Northeast Shark Slough into the Park, and structural modifications intended to restore Slough
hydrology. The structural modifications include construction of two pumps and a seepage
control levee to provide flood control for private property within the 8.5 square mile area on the
edge of NESS, changes to L-67A to allow flow from WCA3A to WCA3B, and structures to allow
flow from WCA3B under the Tamiami Trail to NESS. In addition, in response to population
growth Dade County has been seeking approval for a 140 mgd wellfield that will require water
deliveries from WCA3A for recharge, potentially reducing water deliveries to the Park.
STATUS: The General Design Memorandum for Shark Slough was approved in June of
1992. The COE has completed an EIS, and a Record of Decision was signed by the Assistant
Secretary of the Army in May of 1993. The cost of structural modifications is estimated at
$107 million. The COE has completed the first of several Feature Design Memoranda for the
structural modifications. A 2-year pilot test that involved plugging the L67A canal and degrading
1000 feet of the L67A/C levee allowing the free flow of water from WCA3A to WCA3B was
initiated in the spring of 1 994. Record high water conditions in WCA3A resulted in the Corps
replacing the levee in September and halting the test. The test is scheduled to resume in 1 995
once water conditions allow it. The first permanent structural modifications may begin in 1 995.
The purchase of the Park addition is underway, with about 49,000 acres acquired to date. The
total acquisition cost is estimated at about $40 million. The issue of whetherto acquire the 8.5
square mile residential area in Northeast Shark Slough or provide it flood control remains heated.
The Florida Governor established a committee to look into this issue and they are still
deliberating. Residents have voiced strong opposition to purchase of their property.
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Degraded Levee
KromfTAvenue
Boundary, ami hydrology data provided by Saudi Florida Water Management District
Road data extracted from (JSGS and TIGER digital line Hies.
Projection: Sutplane cart rone, NAD27.
Mapsole 1-.22SOOO (t* - 355 mi).
"W
LINE SYMBOLS
EVERGLADES
NATIONAL PARK
Z Canals
Boundary Line
I® Major Roads
MARKER SYMBOLS
® Existing Gauge
fed Existing Spillway
@ Existing Culvert
M Existing Pump Station
id Proposed Spillway
4* Proposed Culvert
M Proposed Pump Station
WGV3A
AREA SHADES
CD Rocky Glades
fil Frog Pond
~ Southern Glades
H Model lands
0 0.5 sq Mile Area
Lower
Taylor Slough
Taylor
Slough ENP 1989 EXPANSION
Headwaters
U. Ji
WCA-3 B
LANDS MAP
FIGURE 1-4
North
'
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TITLE:
HYDROLOGIC RESTORATION OF TAYLOR SLOUGH AND C-111
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 1994
ISSUE: Conflicts over flood control in Southern Dade County and the Frog Pond,
preservation of wetlands within Everglades National Park, and hydrologic restoration
of Taylor Slough, C-111 and Florida Bay.
BACKGROUND: The C-111 drainage basin covers an area of approximately 109
square miles in western Dade County and provides surface water deliveries to the
Taylor Slough and C-111 Eastern Panhandle drainages of Everglades National Park
(see figure). The C-111 and L-31N canals and their associated levees and water
control structures were largely completed during the 1960's in order to prevent
flooding from the Everglades into agricultural and industrial areas to the east, and to
convey water to replenish the freshwater supply of the Park. The canals traverse
large freshwater wetlands within the historic headwaters of Taylor Slough and the
Eastern Panhandle drainages of the Park, cutting off historic freshwater flowways to
Park wetlands and Florida Bay. Since the project's initial construction, the system has
undergone changes in operational criteria because of increasing demands placed on
it by urban, agricultural, and environmental interests. The Taylor Slough and C-111
hydrologic systems are affected by water management activities in the L-31 N system
near Northeast Shark Slough 20 miles to the north.
During the early 1 980s, canal stages in the upstream portion of the basin were
lowered in order to provide additional flood control for expanding residential areas
(such as the 8.5 square mile area located 15 miles north of Taylor Slough) and
agricultural areas (in particular the Frog Pond, a 5000 acre tract of agricultural fields
immediately east of ENP used to grow winter tomatoes and other crops). Large
volumes of freshwater from Shark Slough and the historic headwaters of Taylor
Slough have been transferred into downstream wetlands and estuaries, reducing the
hydroperiod in wetlands within the National Park and releasing damaging wet season
freshwater flows into the downstream estuarine/marine system of Barnes Sound.
Current efforts are focused on reaching a compromise between the need for
restoration of wetland hydroperiods within the Park and freshwater flow to Florida
Bay, the need to maintain Card Sound estuarine salinities, the need for flood
protection in the basin's agricultural and residential areas, and the need for adequate
water supply for Dade County urban interests. The SFWMD, COE and NPS have been
actively working together for several years in an attempt to design structural and
operational changes to the water management system. Current goals are to excessive
drainage activities, redirect flows into the Park's northern Taylor Slough and C-111
basins, and negate the need to directly release freshwater into downstream estuaries
via the C-111 canal. Excess stormwater flows would be diverted to Taylor Slough as
a first priority thereby restoring Park wetlands and minimizing the need for stormwater
discharges through S-197 into the Card Sound estuary. In addition, the ability to pass
water as sheetflow into the C-111 eastern panhandle portion of the Park would be
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enhanced by structural modifications (see figure). ENP has developed a model
describing the relationship between rainfall and pre-Project runoff into Taylor Slough.
The intent is to use the relationship to determine the appropriate water supply to
Taylor Slough from the C-111 basin in response to rainfall events (rather than the
present minimum monthly water delivery schedule mandated by PL 91-282 in 1970),
and then provide the operational changes and pumping capacity to deliver the water.
The NPS believes that the SFWMD model underestimates calculated discharge
volumes, and they are independently having a rainfall-based delivery formula
developed. Restoring the hydrology of these areas is viewed as critical to the
restoration of Florida Bay.
STATUS: A two year test of increased water deliveries to Taylor Slough began in
July of 1993. In November 1993 Frog Pond agricultural interests filed documents in
U. S. District Court in Miami in an effort to halt the test. The judge ruled against the
farmers on their motion for a temporary restraining order, with the larger issue still
pending before the Court. Water levels in the canal system adjacent to Taylor Slough
are presently held at levels lower than those authorized by the COE at the request of
Frog Pond agricultural interests. USFWS concerns that restoring hydroperiods within
Taylor Slough could affect critical habitat for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, an
endangered species, have been alleviated by a monitoring program that will evaluate
the effects. The COE continues to attempt to resolve these issues through the C-111
General Design Memorandum process. They completed a General Reevaluation Report
and EIS in 1994. Two auxiliary pumps (100 cfs capacity each) have been installed
near S-332 (165 cfs capacity) to increase the capability to move water into the Park
at Taylor Slough. The Park desires that the capacity be increased further, and that
the focus should be toward restoring water levels and hydroperiod. The next phase
of the test is scheduled to begin in June of 1995. The structural or operational
aspects of the test have yet to be determined. In addition to the Corps' efforts, the
Everglades Forever Act requires the SFWMD to initiate an Emergency Interim Plan to
increase flow to Taylor Slough. An obvious solution to the conflict would be placing
the Frog Pond in public ownership, but Frog Pond landowners have refused to sell
their property. In November 1994 both the Florida Cabinet and the SFWMD Board
voted to initiate eminent domain proceedings to acquire the western 1860 acres of
the Frog Pond, as authorized by the Everglades Forever Act.
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TITLE:
KISSIMMEE RIVER RESTORATION
DATE: JANUARY 3, 1995
ISSUE: Re-establishing ecological functions of the Kissimmee River by filling in the central portion of the C-38
canal and restoring basin headwaters.
BACKGROUND: Originally 103 miles long, the meandering Kissimmee River found its way through rural
Florida from Lake Kissimmee to Lake Okeechobee 50 miles to the south. The shallow Kissimmee wove
through a one to two mile-wide flood pi ai n whose 50,000 acres of wetlands provided a mosaic of habitats
including winter feeding grounds for migratory waterfowl and spawning giounds for bass. The Kissimmee
is an integral part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades system providing about 40% of the water budget
for Lake Okeechobee. Hurricanes in the early 1900s repeatedly caused flooding in the basin, which includes
the Orlando area and encompasses about 2400 square miles. People within the basin demanded flood control
to protect lives and property, and in 1954, at the request of the State of Florida, the U. S. Congress
authorized the Kissimmee River Flood Control Project. The Project was conceived and planned between 1 954
and 1960, and construction was completed from 1961 to 1971 at a public cost of $31.6 million. A new
56-mile long, 35 foot deep, 300 foot wide canal was constructed (C-38) that provided complete
channelization of the River from Lake Kissimmee to Lake Okeechobee. The canal was constructed as a series
of five terraced pools whose water levels are held constant by water control structures and locks. The
channelization resulted in the loss of about 43,000 acres of river floodplain wetlands, a 90 percent decline
in waterfowl populations, and intensification of agricultural activity (cattle) in the former floodplain which
resulted in increased nutrient loadino to Lake Okeechobee.
Even as the channelization was being completed in 1971, a movement to restore the lost environmental
values of the Kissimmee had begun, with most of the concern focusing around water quality impacts on Lake
Okeechobee. In 1976 Florida formed the interagency Kissimmee River Coordinating Council, which guided
the state's involvement through 1983. In 1978 Congress directed the Army Corps to revisit the Kissimmee
River, "with a view to determining whether any modification... is advisable" with respect to questions of
water quality, flood control, recreation, navigation, loss of fish and wildlife resources, other current or
foreseeable environmental problems, and the loss of environmental amenities. The Corps initiated a
restoration feasibility study, and concluded in 1985 that although several options existed that could improve
environmental conditions, Kissimmee restoration did not meet the Corps' current federal criteria concerning
net contribution to national economic development and as a result was not eligible for federal funding.
Florida continued to pursue restoration and the SFWMD proceeded with a canal backfilling demonstration
project from 1984 to 1989. Extensive research and physical and hydrologic modelling were conducted
throughout this effort, which demonstrated that once drained river oxbows and floodplains were re-watered,
they reverted to toward their natural condition and functionality. In 1986 Congress passed a Water
Resources Development Act that allowed modifications to existing Corps' projects for environmental
purposes. In 1990 Florida adopted a restoration plan proposed by SFWMD, and the restoration project was
authorized by Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 1992.
STATUS: The authorized restoration project involves backfilling 22 contiguous miles of the central
portion of the C-38 canal and raising upper basin lake regulation water levels by about 1.5 feet in order to
increase water storage necessary to provide historic flows to the river. This restoration project was
estimated in 1992 to cost $372 million, 50/50 federal-state cost share, and take 15 years. As of August
1993 about $70 million had been provided to the project. This restoration will re-establish 43 miles of River,
about 26,500 acres of wetlands, enhance habitat for over 320 species of fish and wildlife including three
endangered species, improve water quality, enhance recreational boating, enhance fishing and hunting, and
reestablish or protect a mosaic of 9 distinct emergent, shrub or forested wetland communities. As of July
1994 SFWMD had acquired 80% of the 24,683 acres needed in the upper basin for the project, and 70%
of the 80,112 acres needed for the overall Kissimmee project. In 1994 a 1000-foot section of the C-38
canal was filled in as a test-fill in order to provide operational and scientific information for the larger
backfilling project. In late 1995 structural modifications are to begin to increase water storage in the Upper
Chain of Lakes. The backfilling of 22 canal miles is scheduled to begin in 1998, contingent upon funding.
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TITLE:
EXOTIC PLANTS
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 1994
ISSUE: The invasion of exotic plants into South Florida has been identified as one of the greatest
threats to the ecological integrity of the Everglades.
BACKGROUND: In the last 20 years extensive areas of South Florida have been invaded by
plants that are not native to the region. The three most serious threats are Melaleuca (Punk Tree),
Schinus (Florida Holly or Brazilian Pepper) and Causurina (Australian Pine). These species have
displaced sawgrass prairies, short hydroperiod peripheral wetlands, pine and hardwood forests,
coastal vegetation and mangrove forests with monospecific stands of exotic plants.
- Causurina is a problem along coastal areas and keys and along canal banks where it has
been planted. It is also a serious pest in upland hammocks in the rocky glades of the eastern
portions of Everglades National Park. It is capable of fixing nitrogen in the soil and therefore has
the capacity to alter nutrient dynamics in native soils. On coastal beaches its' roots cause beach
erosion and create a situation unsuitable for sea turtle and crocodile nesting.
- Schinus colonizes upland prairies, hammocks, pine forests but is most serious in the
inland areas of mangrove forests. It invades areas of recent disturbance such as farming, areas
of native vegetation killed back by frost or freeze, and fire. While still to early to determine, the
effects of Hurricane Andrew may have created a situation ripe for Schinus invasion of 70,000
additional acres of mangrove forests, and all remaining hammocks in Everglades National Park.
It is found throughout South Florida in natural areas and along road rights of way. A 5000 acre
portion of Everglades National Park (the Hole-in-the-Donut) that was farmed until 1976 has
become a dense Schinus forest. The mangrove invasion in the park exceeds 85,000 acres. The
Park had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in efforts to control this plant, without success.
However, in the former agricultural area called the Hole-in-the-Donut, a recent mitigation project
has demonstrated that Schinus can be controlled by grading away the upper ground surface to
increase the hydroperiod. A continuation of this effort and further control studies such as
biological control research are planned for this species.
- Melaleuca invades wetland prairies, and hammocks, and is a problem in Loxahatchee
National Wildlife Refuge, Big Cypress National Preserve, Northeast Shark Slough, all of the other
WCAs, peripheral wetland areas east of the WCAs, and the littoral zone of Lake Okeechobee.
Melaleuca forests have a higher evapotranspiration rate than native Everglades wetland prairies
communities per acre of coverage and consequently acts to dry out these areas further. It was
brought to South Florida from Australia in the early 1900s specifically to assist in efforts to dry-up
the Everglades, and as a potential forest resource. About 300,000 acres (50%) of WCA3A & 3B
and 11,000 scattered acres (10%) of WCA2A are infested. WCA2B is heavily infested, such that
individual tree applications is cost-prohibitive. According to SFWMD, from 1991 to 1993 over
700,000 trees and 2.5 million seedlings were removed from WCA3A.
STATUS: Many state or federal agencies (SFWMD, USFWS, NPS, USDA, DNR, DER) have
invested effort in South Florida in attempting to control and eradicate these plants. Combinations
of mechanical, chemical, physical and biological control efforts are being pursued. The USFWS
has invested much effort in the Refuge toward controlling Melaleuca. Current South Florida efforts
involve interagency work directed at developing management plans, and biocontrol research.
Some efforts at treating :ndividual trees with herbicides have shown success, but this is labor
intensive and costly. Funding has been lacking. Congress has authorized the building of a
quarantine facility in South Florida for studying insect controls, but there are no construction and
operation funds yet available.
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CHRONOLOGY EVENTS
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A CHRONOLOGY OF SOME EVENTS
PERTINENT TO SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
COMPILED BY
DANIEL SCHEIDT
USEPA REGION IV
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
1821 - FLORIDA IS CEDED TO THE UNITED STATES FROM SPAIN.
- JOHN SIMONTON, AN AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN, PURCHASES KEY WEST FOR $2000.
1822 - A U. S. NAVAL BASE IS ESTABLISHED IN KEY WEST.
1823 - AT THE MOULTRIE CREEK CONFERENCE NEAR ST. AUGUSTINE SEMINOLE INDIANS SIGN A TREATY
AGREEING TO MOVE FROM THE PANHANDLE TO A RESERVATION OF 5 MILLION ACRES EXTENDING
FROM OCALA TO LAKE OKEECHOBEE. THE U. S. BECOMES THE OWNER OF ALL CEDED LANDS.
- CHARLES VIGNOLES BECOMES THE FIRST PERSON KNOWN TO USE THE WORD EVERGLADES',
APPARENTLY A DERIVATION OF THE TERM NEVER GLADE'.
1824 - THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS IS CHARGED BY THE U. S. CONGRESS WITH IMPROVING RIVERS AND
HARBORS WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR COASTAL WORK AND INLAND WATERWAYS.
• MONROE COUNTY IS ESTABLISHED, ENCOMPASSING ALL OF SOUTH FLORIDA.
1828 - THE CITY OF KEY WEST IS INCORPORATED.
1830 - THE U. S. CONGRESS DECREES THAT ALL INDIANS SHOULD BE REMOVED TO LANDS WEST OF THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER, "FAR BEYOND THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY CONTACT WITH WHITE MAN".
- SOUTH FLORIDA'S INTERIOR IS ALMOST COMPLETELY UNKNOWN, AND THERE IS UNCERTAINTY
ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF A LARGE LAKE IN THE INTERIOR (LAKE OKEECHOBEE).
1832 -JOHN JAMES AUDUBON VISITS KEY WEST. HE DESCRIBES AND PAINTS SEVERAL OF SOUTH FLORIDA'S
BIRDS.
1832-33 - SOME OF THE SEMINOLE INDIAN TRIBAL LEADERS CEDE THEIR LANDS TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND
AGREE TO MOVE TO THE INDIAN TERRITORY IN THF WEST. OTHERS REFUSE AND MOVE TO THE
EVERGLADES REGION.
1835-42 - THE SEMINOLE WARS BRING FLORIDA TO THE ATTENTION OF THE UNITED STATES. THE U. S. ARMY
ATTEMPTS TO FORCE THE SEMINOLES OUT OF SOUTH FLORIDA. THE WAR COSTS THE U. S. MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS, ENDING WITHOUT TREATY IN 1842, WITH A FEW HUNDRED SEMINOLES ABLE TO HOLD
OUT PROTECTED BY THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF AND ABILITY TO LIVE IN THE EVERGLADES AND BIG
CYPRESS. THE WAR WOULD PRODUCE THE FIRST PUBLISHED ACCOUNTS OF THE WILDERNESS SOUTH
OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE.
1836 - DADE COUNTY IS ESTABLISHED, ENCOMPASSING ALL OF THE LAND THAT EVENTUALLY WOULD
BECOME BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES AS WELL.
1837 - THE U. S. MILITARY ESTABLISHES FORT DALLAS (MIAMI) ON THE MOUTH OF THE MIAMI RIVER.
1840 - A CENSUS INDICATES THAT FLORIDA IS INHABITED BY 54,477 SETTLERS.
- LT. COL. WILLIAM HARNEY SETS OUT FROM THE FORT DALLAS TOWARD THE INTERIOR OF THE
EVERGLADES WITH 90 MEN IN 16 CANOES. THEY ATTEMPT TO RETURN BY THE SHARK RIVER BUT
MISS IT AND DISCOVER ANOTHER ROUTE, THEREBY NAMING THE HARNEY RIVER.
DRAFT 12/27/93
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1842 - THE EVERGLADES HAS BEEN CROSSED IN MANY DIRECTIONS AND LAKE OKEECHOBEE HAS BEEN
EXPLORED AND MAPPED.
1845 - FLORIDA IS ADMITTED TO THE UNION AS A STATE, WITH A POPULATION OF ABOUT 60,000. THE
FIRST LEGISLATURE DECLARES THE EVERGLADES AS "WHOLLY VALUELESS" AND ASKS CONGRESS FOR
ASSISTANCE IN LAND RECLAMATION.
1846 - THE U. S. WAR DEPARTMENT BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF A MASSIVE BRICK FORT, FORT JEFFERSON,
ON GARDEN KEY IN THE DRY TORTUGAS IN ORDER TO GUARD COMMERCE PASSING THROUGH THE
GULF OF MEXICO. THE EFFORT WOULD LAST 30 YEARS BEFORE BEING ABANDONED.
1847 - LT. COL. HARNEY WRITES THE GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA URGING THAT THE EVERGLADES BE DRAINED
FOR SETTLEMENT. U. S. SENATOR WESTCOTT OF FLORIDA MAKES THE FIRST KNOWN PROPOSAL TO
DRAIN THE EVERGLADES.
- COL. BUTLER, THE SURVEYOR GENERAL FOR FLORIDA, REPORTS THAT THE EVERGLADES CANNOT BE
SURVEYED WITHOUT BEING DRAINED.
1848 -THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY APPOINTS BUCKINGHAM SMITH TO MAKE A GENERAL INSPECTION
OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA AREA. SMITH REPORTS TO THE U. S. SENATE THAT HE BELIEVES THE
EVERGLADES CAN BE RECLAIMED BY A SENSIBLE SYSTEM OF CANALII.G AND BY DEEPENING VARIOUS
STREAMS THAT FLOWED TO THE COASTS, AND THE DRAINAGE WOULD INSURE THE GROWTH OF A
NEW AGRICULTURAL EMPIRE IN SOUTH FLORIDA. THE TOTAL DRAINAGE COST IS ESTIMATED AT
$500,000.
1849 - U. S. SOLDIERS STATIONED AT FORT MYERS, FORT LAUDERDALE AND FORT DALLAS MAKE
TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEYS OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA COAST.
1850 - THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES THE SWAMP AND OVERFLOWED LAND GRANT ACT, GRANTING TO
FLORIDA ALL LANDS BELOW ORDINARY HIGH WATER (NEARLY 20 MILLION ACRES), AND REQUIRING
THE STATE TO USE ALL NET PROCEEDS FROM SALE OF THESE LANDS FOR INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS,
AFTER NECESSARY DRAINAGE PROJECTS WERE IMPLEMENTED.
1855 - THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE CREATES THE TRUSTEES OF THE INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT FUND (THE
GOVERNOR AND HIS CABINET) TO CONTROL THE SUBMERGED LANDS OF THE STATE AND "TO PROVIDE
FOR AND ENCOURAGE A LIBERAL SYSTEM OF INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTSTHE TRUSTEES ENDORSE
BONDS OF OVER $3 MILLION BY WHICH PRIVATE COMPANIES ARE TO BUILD RAILROADS AND CANALS.
1856 - THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CEDES TO FLORIDA ALL OF THE LANDS UNDER WATER.
- THE U. S. WAR DEPARTMENT PUBLISHES THE IVES MAP, THE FIRST DETAILED MAP OF THE PENINSULA
OF FLORIDA.
1858 - THE LAST WAR WITH THE SEMINOLES ENDS.
1860 - THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS 144,024.
1861 - FLORIDA SECEDES FROM THE UNION WITH THE ADVENT OF THE CIVIL WAR.
1868 - FLORIDA IS READMITTED TO THE UNION.
1870'S - THE STATE OF FLORIDA IS BANKRUPT BECAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR AND BOND ISSUES FLOATED BY
STATE ADMINISTRATIONS. THREE MILLION ACRES OF LAND HAD BEEN SOLD TO LUMBER, RAILROAD
AND CANAL COMPANIES FOR USELESS CONFEDERATE MONEY. INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS ARE AT A
STANDSTILL.
- SOUTH FLORIDA WADING BIRD POPULATIONS ARE SAID TO NUMBER IN THE MILLIONS.
- COMMERCIAL PLUME HUNTING BEGINS.
DRAFT 12/27/93
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1871 - THE U. S. CONGRESS CREATES THE COMMISSION ON FISH AND FISHERIES TO INVESTIGATE THE
DECLINE OF FOOD FISHES AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING "PROTECTIVE, PROHIBITORY,
OR PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES" NECESSARY TO PROTECT FISHERIES. THE COMMISSION WOULD
LATER BE RENAMED THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES AND GIVEN THE PRINCIPAL MISSION OF PROMOTING
COMMERCIAL FISHING.
1878 - LAKE OKEECHOBEE WATER LEVEL IS REPORTED AT 23 FEET.
1879 - HAMILTON DISSTON, A PHILADELPHIA SAW MANUFACTURER, AGREES TO PURCHASE FROM FLORIDA
4 MILLION ACRES OF "SWAMP AND OVERFLOW LAND" AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE FOR 25 CENTS AN
ACRE. FLORIDA PROMISES DISSTON HALF OF ALL OF THE REST OF LAND THAT HE COULD DRAIN. THE
APFA SOLD 'NCLUDES THE ENTIRE KISSIMMEE VALLEY AND THE WESTERN SHORE OF LAKE
OKEECHOBEE. DISSTON ENVISIONS DRAINING 9 MILLION ACRES OF LAND IN THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE,
CALOOSAHATCHEE AND KISSIMMEE RIVER AREAS BY LOWERING THE LAKE LEVEL.
- THE U.S. CONGRESS ESTABLISHES THE U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TO PERFORM SCIENTIFIC STUDIES
OF LAND IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
1881 - THERE ARE 550 MILES OF RAILROADS IN FLORIDA.
1882 - DISSTON PAYS FLORIDA $1 MILLION CASH FOR THE 4 MILLION ACRES, CLEARING FLORIDA OF DEBT.
1881-1894 - THE FIRST MAJOR DRAINAGE CANALS IN SOUTH FLORIDA ARE CONSTRUCTED BY DISSTON IN THE
VICINITY OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE.
1883 - DISSTON COMPLETES A SHALLOW CANAL CONNECTING LAKE OKEECHOBEE TO THE
CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER, DROPPING THE LAKE'S WATER LEVEL SIGNIFICANTLY. THIS MARKS THE
BEGINNING OF SIGNIFICANT HUMAN IMPACT UPON THE HYDROLOGY OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE
EVERGLADES.
- THERE ARE 1000 MILES OF RAILROAD BUILT IN FLORIDA DURING THE YEAR. RAILROAD COMPANIES
ARE GIVEN EVERY ALTERNATE SECTION OF LAND TO SIX MILES OF THE RIGHT OF WAY, WITH A BONUS
OF 20,000 ACRES FOR EVERY MILE BUILT.
1884 - THE WATER HYACINTH IS INTRODUCED TO THE UNITED STATES FROM JAPAN AND IS GIVEN OUT AS
FAVORS TO VISITORS TO THE INTERNATIONAL COTTON EXPOSITION IN NEW ORLEANS.
1885 - THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS 308,406.
THE U. S. CONGRESS CREATES THE DIVISION OF ECONOMIC ORNITHOLOGY AND MAMMALOGY
(BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY) TO INVESTIGATE THE FOOD HABITS", DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION
OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS AND MAMMALS IN RELATION TO AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE AND
FORESTRY. EMPHASIS WOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE STUDIES OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS
AND ANIMALS.
1886 - HENRY FLAGLER, A WEALTHY PARTNER OF JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, PURCHASES A RAILROAD FROM
JACKSONVILLE TO ST. AUGUSTINE AND BEGINS TO BUILD HOTELS IN FLORIDA AND EXTEND THE
RAILROAD SOUTH. FLAGLER WOULD EVENTUALLY SPEND $50 MILLION TO $75 MILLION, AND HIS
MODEL LAND COMPANY WOULD BECOME THE LARGEST LANDHOLDER ON THE EAST COAST.
1890'S - IT HAS BECOME VOGUE FOR FASHION CONSCIOUS WOMEN OF NEW YORK, PARIS AND LONDON TO
WEAR HATS AND GOWNS ADORNED WITH PLUMAGE FROM EGRETS, HERONS AND SPOONBILLS. USING
12-GAUGE SHOTGUNS, HUNTERS KILL ALLIGATORS AND WADING BIRDS IN A WANTON MANNER.
PLUME HUNTERS VISIT SOUTH FLORIDA WADING BIRD ROOKERIES DURING SPRING NESTING WHEN
PLUMAGE IS AT ITS BEST, KILLING THOUSANDS OF ADULT BIRDS FOR THEIR AIGRETTES AND LEAVING
THE YOUNG BIRDS IN THEIR NESTS TO STARVE.
1890 - THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA SOUTH OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE IS 21,000. THE POPULATION OF THE
AREA TO BE ENCOMPASSED BY DADE, BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES IS 861. THE
POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS ABOUT 391,000.
DRAFT 12/27/93
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- KEY WEST IS THE LARGEST AND WEALTHIEST CITY IN FLORIDA.
- THERE ARE 2566 MILES OF RAILROAD IN FLORIDA.
1892 - ONE JACKSONVILLE FEATHER MERCHANT SHIPS 130,000 BIRD SKINS TO NEW YORK.
1893 -JUST AS SETTLERS ARE POURING INTO THE KISSIMMEE VALLEY TO FARM ON 10-ACRE PLOTS THEY
HAD PURCHASED FROM DISSTON, A DEPRESSION SWEEPS THE U. S., AND DISSTON BECOMES BROKE.
1894 - FLAGLER'S RAILROAD REACHES PALM BEACH.
1896 - FLAGLER'S RAILROAD REACHES MIAMI.
- THE CITY OF MIAMI IS INCORPORATED.
1899 - THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES A RIVER AND HARBOR ACT, WHICH REPRESENTS THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT'S FIRST OFFICIAL LOOK AT THE WATERSHED OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA.
1900 - SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION IS 26,000, WITH 17,000 IN :
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1908 - PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT ESTABLISHES THE TORTUGAS KEYS RESERVATION TO PROTECT
BIRDS NESTING THERE. THE BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY AND THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY
BEGIN TO PROVIDE WARDEN PROTECTION AGAINST EGG HUNTERS AND COLLECTORS OF SEA BIRDS
AND SEA TURTLES.
1909 - THERE ARE LESS THAN 25 LANDOWNERS IN THE EVERGLADES.
1910 - SOUTH FLOhlUA POPULATION IS 45,000. THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS ABOUT 753,000.
1911 - THE CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE IS INCORPORATED.
1912 - FLAGLER'S OVERSEAS RAILROAD IS OPENED, CONNECTING KEY WEST TO THE MAINLAND. THE
CONSTRUCTION EFFORT FROM HOMESTEAD TO KEY WEST TOOK SEVEN YEARS AND COST FLAGLER
$28 MILLION.
- THERE ARE OVER 15,000 LANDOWNERS IN THE EVERGLADES.
- THE DADE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PROVIDE AUSTRALIAN PINE TREES FREE TO ANYONE WHO WILL
PLANT THEM ALONG PUBLIC HIGHWAYS. THEY ARE PLANTED BY THE THOUSANDS FOR WINDBREAKS
AND ORNAMENTAL PURPOSES.
1913 - THE FIRST SUBSIDENCE LINE IN THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA IS ESTABLISHED IN ORDER
TO DOCUMENT THE SUBSIDENCE OF PEAT SOIL.
- THE FIRST BRIDGE TO MIAMI BEACH IS OPENED.
- FLORIDA HAS SPENT OVER $2 MILLION ON COMPLETING 142 MILES OF CANALS. THE 58 MILE NORTH
NEW RIVER CANAL IS COMPLETED OPENING NAVIGATION FROM LAKE OKEECHOBEE TO FT.
LAUDERDALE, AND THE 85 MILE MIAMI CANAL IS COMPLETED.
- THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES ENGINEERING COMMISSION ISSUES THE RANDOLPH REPORT, RESULTING
IN THE REORGANIZATION OF THE EVERGLADES DRAINAGE DISTRICT AND THE SERIOUS BEGINNING OF
TAX-SUPPORTED AND BOND-FUNDED DRAINAGE RECLAMATION WORK.
- THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES THE MIGRATORY BIRD ACT, DECLARING ALL MIGRATORY BIRDS TO BE
UNDER THE PROTECTION OF FEDERAL LAW AND PROHIBITING THE HUNTING OF ALL SPECIES EXCEPT
AS ALLOWED BY THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE.
1915 - CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON THE TAMIAMI TRAIL.
1916 - THE U. S. CONGRESS ESTABLISHES THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, TO PROMOTE AND REGULATE THE
USE OF FEDERAL AREAS KNOWN AS NATIONAL PARKS, MONUMENTS AND RESERVATIONS, WHICH
"PURPOSE IS TO CONSERVE THE SCENERY AND THE NATURAL AND HISTORIC OBJECTS AND THE WILD
LIFE THEREIN AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF THE SAME IN SUCH MANNER AND BY SUCH
MEANS AS WILL LEAVE THEM UNIMPAIRED FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF FUTURE GENERATIONS ".
- THE EDD BEGINS CONSTRUCTION ON THE ST. LUCIE CANAL.
1917 - FLORIDA PROVIDES THE SEMINOLE INDIANS WITH A 99.200 ACRE RESERVATION NEAR SHARK RIVER.
1920 - SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION IS 96,000. THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS 968,000.
- WATER HYACINTH JAMS ARE FREQUENT ENOUGH IN CANALS SOUTH OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE TO
REQUIRE OCCASIONAL CLEANING IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN NAVIGATION. PLANTS GROW UP TO ABOUT
THREE FEET ABOVE THE WATER SURFACE AND ARE DENSE ENOUGH THAT A PERSON CAN WALK
ACROSS CANALS ON PLANKS.
1924 - WATER FIRST FLOWS FROM LAKE OKEECHOBEE TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN THROUGH THE 24 MILE ST.
LUCIE CANAL, COMPLETED AT A COST OF $6 MILLION.
DRAFT 12/27/93
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- A CONCRETE POST IS PLACED IN THE EAA AT THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
CENTER IN BELLE GLADE IN ORDER TO DOCUMENT PEAT SUBSIDENCE.
1925 - SALTWATER ENCROACHMENT IN THE BISCAYNE AQUIFER EXTENDS INLAND FAR ENOUGH TO FORCE
ABANDONMENT OF THE TWO WELLFIELDS THAT HAD SUPPLIED FRESH WATER TO THE CITY OF MIAMI.
- THE GREAT MIAMI LAND BOOM TAKES PLACE. FROM 1920 TO 1925 THE POPULATION OF MIAMI
INCREASED FROM 30,000 TO 177,000.
1926 - A LOW, MUCK LEVEE IS CONSTRUCTED AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE.
- A HURRICANE WITH WINDS ESTIMATED AT 135 MPH SWEEPS WATER FROM LAKE OKEECHOBEE
SOUTHWARD INUNDATING MOORE HAVEN. A TOTAL OF 400 TO 500 PEOPLE ARE KILLED WITH
DAMAGE TO FLORIDA ESTIMATED AT $100 MILLION. MUCH OF MIAMI IS DESTROYED, WHERE 100
PEOPLE ARE KILLED AND THE STORM SURGE IS 12 FEET.
- THE FLORIDA LAND BOOM COLLAPSES.
- SINCE 1913 THE EDD (FLORIDA) HAS SPENT $17 MILLION ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF 435 MILES OF
CANALS, 47 MILES OF LEVEES, AND 16 CANAL NAVIGATION LOCKS.
1928 - A SEVERE HURRICANE RAISES THE WATER LEVEL IN LAKE OKEECHOBEE FROM 16 FEET TO 29 FEET.
WATER OVERFLOWS THE LOW MUCK DIKE BUILT BY FARMERS ALONG THE SOUTHERN RIM OF THE
LAKE, FLOODING FARMING COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA, AND
KILLING 1500-2400 PEOPLE. PRESIDENT HOOVER VISITS THE DISASTER AREA AND URGES CONGRESS
TO ACT. DAMAGE IS ESTIMATED AT $25 MILLION.
- THE TAMIAMI TRAIL AND CANAL ARE COMPLETED. THE TRAIL IS THE FIRST ROAD TRANSVERSING
THE EVERGLADES FROM EAST TO WEST CONNECTING MIAMI AND TAMPA.
- THERE ARE 800 ACRES OF SUGARCANE HARVESTED IN THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA.
1929 - THE EDD HAS COMPLETED 440 MILES OF CANALS AND LEVEES AT A COST OF $18 MILLION,
INCLUDING THE ST. LUCIE CANAL AND THE MAJOR CANALS DRAINING THE EVERGLADES
AGRICULTURAL AREA (MIAMI, NORTH NEW RIVER, HILLSBORO, AND WEST PALM BEACH CANALS). THIS
RESULTED IN DRAINAGE OF THE EAA FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND THE ALTERATION OF SURFACE
FLOW PATTERNS TO THE EVERGLADES.
- THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES THE MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION ACT, AUTHORIZING THE
PURCHASE OF PRIVATE LANDS FOR MIGRATORY BIRD REFUGES, IN ESSENCE CREATING A NATIONAL
REFUGE SYSTEM.
1930'S - SOUTH FLORIDA WADING BIRD POPULATIONS ARE ESTIMATED TO EXCEED 1 MILLION, HAVING
REBOUNDED WITH THE DECLINE OF HUNTING.
1930 - SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION IS 250,000. THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS ABOUT 1.5 MILLION.
- THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES A RIVER AND HARBOR ACT. AUTHORIZING THE ARMY CORPS OF
ENGINEERS TO CONSTRUCT A 67 MILE LEVEE AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE, AND IMPROVEMENTS TO
THE CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER, TAYLOR CREEK, AND ST. LUCIE CANAL DRAINAGES.
1931 - THE EVERGLADES DRAINAGE DISTRICT DEFAULTS ON BONDS.
1932-38 - THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CONSTRUCTS THE HOOVER DIKE AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE
AT A COST OF $16 MILLION.
1934 - THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORIZATION ACT. THE PARK
AREA IS TO BE "PERMANENTLY RESERVED AS A WILDERNESS" WITH NO DEVELOPMENT UNDERTAKEN
"WHICH WILL INTERFERE WITH THE PRESERVATION INTACT OF THE UNIQUE FLORA AND FAUNA AND
THE ESSENTIAL PRIMITIVE NATURAL CONDITIONS NOW PREVAILING IN THIS AREA."
DRAFT 12/27/93
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- THE GREAT LABOR DAY HURRICANE, ONE OF THE MOST INTENSE ON RECORD, HITS THE LOWER KEYS,
BLOWING THE RAILROAD CARS OFF OF THE TRACKS AND DESTROYING THE RAILROAD. 400 PEOPLE
ARE KILLED. WINDS ARE ESTIMATED AT 200 MPH, WITH WAVES AS HIGH AS 26 FEET. THE RAILROAD
RIGHT OF WAY AND THE REMAINING BRIDGES ARE SOLD TO THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
- THE U. S. CONGRESS ESTABLISHES THE SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE.
- PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT DESIGNATES FORT JEFFERSON A NATIONAL MONUMENT AND
TURNS IT OVER TO THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE FOR ADMINISTRATION.
- THE STATE OF FLORIDA COMPLETES AN OVERSEAS HIGHWAY FROM THE MAINLAND TO KEY WEST
ON REMNANTS OF THE FORMER OVERSEAS RAILROAD BED AND BRIDGES.
- THE CORPS COMPLETES THE LEVEE AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE, THE HOOVER DIKE.
- THE USGS ESTABLISHES AN OFFICE IN MIAMI IN RESPONSE TO SALTWATER INTRUSION PROBLEMS
AT THE COCONUT GROVE WELLFIELD. THEY BEGIN TO MEASURE WATER DISCHARGE SOUTHWARD
ACROSS THE TAMIAMI TRAIL.
- A PROGRAM OF ACTIVE DATA GATHERING IS INITIATED BY THE USGS, SCS, THE STATE
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTAL STATION AND THE EDD. HUNDREDS OF HYDROLOGIC WELLS ARE
DRILLED. THE RESULTING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT EVERGLADES SOILS, HYDROLOGY, GEOLOGY, AND
VEGETATION WOULD FORM THE BASIS FOR DETERMINING IN 1948 WHICH PORTIONS OF THE
EVERGLADES AREA WERE MOST CONDUCIVE FOR FARMING AND WHICH PORTIONS SHOULD BE SET
ASIDE FOR MULTI-PURPOSE WATER CONSERVATION AREAS.
- SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION IS 429,000. THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS 1.9 MILLION.
- THE U. S. NAVY COMES TO KEY WEST AND IN COOPERATION WITH THE NEWLY FORMED FLORIDA
KEYS AQUADUCT COMMISSION BUILDS A PIPELINE TO CARRY FRESHWATER FROM WELLS AT FLORIDA
CITY 130 MILES TO KEY WEST.
- THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES AND THE BUREAU OF THE BIOLOGICAL SURVEY ARE MERGED INTO THE
NEW U. S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE.
- JOHN HENRY DAVIS, JR. PUBLISHES "THE NATURAL FEATURES OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA. ESPECIALLY
THE VEGETATION, AND THE EVERGLADES", WHICH INCLUDES THE FIRST VEGETATION MAP
CONSTRUCTED FROM AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS. THE DEFINITIVE VEGETATION MAP, WHICH IS THE FIRST
ACCURATE RECORD OF THE EXTENT AND LOCATION OF MAJOR PHYSIOGRAPHIC UNITS OF
VEGETATION THROUGHOUT THE EVERGLADES, WOULD BECOME A BLUEPRINT FOR ATTEMPTS TO
RESTORE THE EVERGLADES IN FUTURE DECADES.
1943-1945 - SOUTH FLORIDA EXPERIENCES ONE OF THE MOST SEVERE DROUGHTS ON RECORD. VAST AREAS OF
THE EVERGLADES, INCLUDING MUCK, BURN, AND UNCONTROLLED WILDFIRES CONSUME OLD GROWTH
UPLAND TREES ON LONG PINE KEY, WITHIN WHAT WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME EVERGLADES
NATIONAL PARK.
1945 - THE POPULATION WITHIN THE 18 COUNTIES THAT WOULD BECOME PART OF THE C&SF PROJECT IS
ABOUT 728,000.
- A HURRICANE WITH MAXIMUM WINDS ESTIMATED AT 170 MPH PASSES OVER HOMESTEAD LEAVING
A PATH OF DESTRUCTION 40 MILES WIDE AND CAUSING $50 MILLION OF DAMAGE TO DADE COUNTY.
1946 - THE EVERGLADES DRAINAGE DISTRICT BEGINS TO USE THE HERBICIDE 2,4-D TO CONTROL WATER
HYACINTH IN CANALS.
- MIAMI IS USING ABOUT 37 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY (41,400 ACRE-FEET PER YEAR).
1947 - PRESIDENT TRUMAN DEDICATES EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, 1.4 MILLION ACRES, THE SECOND
LARGEST NATIONAL PARK IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES. FLORIDA PROVIDED 800,000 ACRES
AND $2 MILLION TO MAKE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PARK POSSIBLE.
DRAFT 12/27/93
1935
1938
1939
1940'S
1940
1943
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- WITH THE CREATION OF THE NATIONAL PARK, THE SEMINOLE INDIAN RESERVATION LAND IN THE
SHARK RIVER AREA IS EXCHANGED FOR AN EQUAL-SIZED TRACT OF LAND IN BROWARD COUNTY.
- MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS PUBLISHES "EVERGLADES, RIVER OF GRASS".
- TWO HURRICANES STRIKE SOUTH FLORIDA WITHIN 25 DAYS. ANNUAL RAINFALL IS 102 INCHES IN
DANIA AND 96 INCHES IN FT. LAUDERDALE. FLOODWATERS LINGER IN CITIES ALONG THE EAST COAST
FOR DAYS AND IN FARM FIELDS FOR MONTHS, RESULTING IN $60 MILLION OF PROPERTY DAMAGE.
OVER 5 MILLION ACRES OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA ARE COVERED WITH WATER FOR AT LEAST ONE
MONTH. SURFACE WATER IN THE EVERGLADES IMMEDIATELY WEST OF MIAMI IS REPORTED AS 6 TO
8 FEET DEEP.
1948 - THE U. S. CONGRESS AUTHORIZES THE CREATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE FEDERAL-STATE WATER
CONTROL PROGRAM FOR 16,000 SQUARE MILES OF SOUTH FLORIDA. THIS ESTABLISHES THE CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA (C&SF) FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT, TO BE DESIGNED AND BUILT BY THE U.
S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, WITH AN AUTHORIZED INITIAL COST OF $208 MILLION AND A BENEFIT
TO COST RATIO OF 2.05. THE GREATEST SINGLE BENEFIT ATTRIBUTED TO THE PROJECT IS FOR
INCREASED LAND USE.
- THE U.S. CONGRESS PASSES THE WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT OF 1948 (PL80-845) - THE FIRST
COMPREHENSIVE STATEMENT OF FEDERAL INTEREST IN CLEAN WATER PROGRAMS, AND THE FIRST
STATUTE TO PROVIDE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WITH FUNDING TO SOLVE WATER POLLUTION
PROBLEMS.
- EVERGLADES CANALS ARE AS CLEAR OF WATER HYACINTH AS THEY HAVE BEEN SINCE THE MID-
19205.
1949 - THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE CREATES THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT (FCD,
THE PREDECESSOR OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT AND THE SUCCESSOR TO
THE EDD) TO ACT AS THE FEDERAL FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT'S LOCAL SPONSOR, PROVIDING LANDS
AND ASSUMING OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF SOME OF THE PROJECT'S WORKS UPON THEIR
COMPLETION.
1950 - SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION IS 760,000. THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS ABOUT 2.8 MILLION.
- THE ASSESSED VALUE OF ALL PROPERTY IN THE FCD IS $1.2 BILLION.
- CONSTRUCTION ON THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT BEGINS.
1950s - DAIRIES IN DEVELOPING PORTIONS OF DADE AND BROWARD COUNTIES ARE RELOCATED TO THE LAKE
OKEECHOBEE WATERSHED.
1950-54 - THE EAST COAST PROTECTIVE LEVEE SYSTEM IS COMPLETED PROVIDING FLOOD PROTECTION FROM
THE EVERGLADES FOR THE URBAN EAST COAST. THE LEVEE EXTENDS OVER 120 MILES FROM LAKE
OKEECHOBEE SOUTHWARD TO HOMESTEAD.
1951 - THE USFWS AND THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT ENTER INTO A 50-YEAR COOPERATIVE AND LICENSE
AGREEMENT THAT ALLOWS THE USFWS TO MANAGE WATER CONSERVATION AREA 1 AS A WILDLIFE
MANAGEMENT AREA THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME KNOWN AS ARTHUR R. MARSHALL
LOXAHATCHEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. THE AGREEMENT STATES THAT THE REFUGE IS TO BE
MANAGED TO PROMOTE WILDLIFE PRESERVATION TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE WHILE STILL
MEETING THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF FLOOD CONTROL.
1952-57 - THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA (EAA) IS ENCIRCLED BY THE COMPLETION OF LEVEES. SEVEN
LARGE PUMP STATIONS ARE CONSTRUCTED THAT PUMP WATER FROM THE EAA NORTH TO LAKE
OKEECHOBEE OR SOUTH TO THE EVERGLADES IN ORDER TO FACILITATE EAA FLOOD CONTROL.
1952-62 - ALL THREE WATER CONSERVATION AREAS (856,630 ACRES) ARE COMPLETED AT A COST OF $34
MILLION, RESULTING IN THE PERMANENT FRAGMENTATION AND COMPARTMENTALIZATION OF THE
HISTORIC EVERGLADES SYSTEM.
DRAFT 12/27/93
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1952 - THE FCD GRANTS A 25-YEAR LEASE TO THE FLORIDA GAME AND FRESHWATER FISH COMMISSION
FOR WCA-2 AND WCA-3 FOR THE PURPOSES OF WILDLIFE AND FISH PRESERVATION, PROTECTION,
PROPAGATION, AND FOR THE PROMOTION OF RECREATION, AS LONG AS THESE ACTIVITIES ARE
SUBJECT TO AND CONSISTENT WITH FLOOD CONTROL, WATER RETENTION AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS
OF THE C&SF PROJECT.
- THERE ARE 43,700 ACRES OF SUGARCANE HARVESTED FROM THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL
AREA.
1953 - THE FIRST WATER LEVEL MONITORING RECORDERS ARE ESTABLISHED IN THE MARSHES WITHIN
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK.
1954 - THE U. S. CONGRESS AUTHORIZES THE KISSIMMEE RIVER FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT.
1955 - GERALD G. PARKER AND OTHERS PUBLISH THEIR DEFINITIVE WORK "WATER RESOURCES OF
SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA", U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER SUPPLY PAPER 1255.
1958 - IT BECOMES ILLEGAL TO HUNT THE FLORIDA PANTHER.
1960 - SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION IS 1.6 MILLION. THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS ABOUT 5.0 MILLION.
- THE ASSESSED VALUE OF PROPERTY IN THE FCD IS $3.8 BILLION.
- HURRICANE DONNA STRIKES SOUTH FLORIDA WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 140 MPH, GUSTS OF 180
MPH, AND TIDES OF 12 FEET. THE COAST FROM FLAMINGO TO EVERGLADES CITY IS HEAVILY
DAMAGED BY WINDS THAT BLOW FOR NEARLY 36 HOURS.
1960s - INITIAL LAKE OKEECHOBEE EUTROPHICATION RESEARCH OCCURS.
1962-71 -THE KISSIMMEE RIVER IS CHANNELIZED FROM A 103-MILE MEANDERING RIVER CHANNEL TO A 56-MILE
CANAL WITH WATER CONTROL STRUCTURES.
1962 - THE SOUTHERN PERIMETER LEVEE OF WATER CONSERVATION AREA 3 IS COMPLETED, ESTABLISHING
A PHYSICAL BARRIER TO THE SHEETFLOW OF WATER SOUTHWARD INTO THE PARK. CONSTRUCTION
IS COMPLETED ON THE FOUR LARGE S-12 STRUCTURES THAT CONTROL WATER FLOW FROM WATER
CONSERVATION AREA 3A SOUTHWARD INTO THE SHARK SLOUGH PORTION OF EVERGLADES NATIONAL
PARK. DURING THE DROUGHT YEARS OF 1962, 1963, AND 1964, THE STRUCTURES REMAIN
ESSENTIALLY CLOSED, AND SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS OCCUR THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE PARK.
1963 - THERE ARE 148,200 ACRES OF SUGARCANE HARVESTED FROM THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL
AREA.
1964 - THE AMERICAN ALLIGATOR BECOMES PROTECTED THROUGHOUT THE U. S. BY LEGISLATION.
1965 - COASTAL CITIES FROM PALM BEACH TO CORAL GABLES ARE USING ABOUT 300 MILLION GALLONS
PER DAY (336,000 ACRE-FEET PER YEAR). MIAMI IS USING ABOUT 138 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY,
WHILE BROWARD COUNTY IS USING ABOUT 74 MGD.
- THE USGS AND THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE BEGIN A STUDY TO FIND INDICATORS OF THE
ABUNDANCE AND WELL-BEING OF AQUATIC POPULATIONS IN THE EVERGLADES. THE FIRST STUDY OF
HYDRO-BIOLOGY.
1966-68 - WATER CONVEYANCE FACILITIES TO ENP ARE CONSTRUCTED.
1968 - THE DADE COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF A 39-SQUARE MILE JETPORT ON
THE EDGE OF THE BIG CYPRESS SWAMP. THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR AND OTHERS EXPRESS
CONCERN ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE JETPORT ON THE SOUTH FLORIDA ENVIRONMENT.
- PRESIDENT NIXON DESIGNATES THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF BISCAYNE BAY AS BISCAYNE NATIONAL
MONUMENT IN RESPONSE TO DEVELOPMENT THREATS TO LOWER BISCAYNE BAY.
DRAFT 12/27/93
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- ALLIGATOR ALLEY IS DEDICATED AFTER A 3-YEAR CONSTRUCTION EFFORT. THE 78 MILE HIGHWAY
BISECTS THE EVERGLADES, CONNECTING THE EAST AND WEST COASTS.
1969 - THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT (NEPA). THE ACT
REQUIRES AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR MAJOR FEDERAL ACTIONS SIGNIFICANTLY
AFFECTING THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE INTEGRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES IN THE
DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
1970 - SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION IS 2.4 MILLION. THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS ABOUT 6.8 MILLION.
- FRESHWATER USE IN DADE COUNTY, EXCLUDING DELIVERIES TO NATURAL AREAS, IS ABOUT 271
MGD (304,000 ACRE-FEET PER YEAR).
- PRESIDENT NIXON ESTABLISHES THE U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY BY EXECUTIVE
ORDER.
- THE WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES AN AGREEMENT WITH THE DADE COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY AND
THE STATE OF FLORIDA WHEREBY THE BIG CYPRESS COMMERCIAL JETPORT WILL BE IMMEDIATELY
MOVED TO A MORE DESIRABLE LOCATION AWAY FROM BIG CYPRESS AND THE EVERGLADES.
- THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES PUBLIC LAW 91 -282, THE CULMINATIO;. OF 6 YEARS OF NEGOTIATIONS.
THE ACT REQUIRES THAT WATER DELIVERED FROM THE C8.SF PROJECT TO EVERGLADES NATIONAL
PARK SHALL NOT BE LESS THAN 315,000 ACRE-FEET PER YEAR, OR 16.5% OF TOTAL DELIVERIES FROM
THE PROJECT, WHICHEVER IS LESS.
- THE U. S. SENATE (SENATE REPORT 91-895) DIRECTS THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND THE ARMY
CORPS OF ENGINEERS TO "REACH AN EARLY AGREEMENT ON MEASURES TO ASSURE THAT THE WATER
DELIVERED TO THE (EVERGLADES NATIONAL) PARK IS OF SUFFICIENT PURITY TO PREVENT ECOLOGICAL
DAMAGE OR DETERIORATION OF THE PARK'S ENVIRONMENT."
1970s - FCD (SFWMD) SCIENTISTS BEGIN TO STUDY THE ECOLOGY OF THE EVERGLADES. FCD SCIENTISTS
AND USGS SCIENTISTS BEGIN TO DOCUMENT NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT IN DRAINAGE WATER
DISCHARGED FROM THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA TO THE EVERGLADES WATER
CONSERVATION AREAS. BIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITHIN PUBLIC EVERGLADES WCA MARSHES
CONSISTENT WITH MARSH EUTROPHICATION ARE ALSO DOCUMENTED.
1971 - THE USGS ISSUES A REPORT STATING THAT LAKE OKEECHOBEE IS IN DANGER BY BEING
OVERBURDENED WITH NUTRIENTS AND AGING TOO RAPIDLY.
1972 - THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES THE FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1972
(PL92-500), GIVING THE EPA THE DOMINANT ROLE IN DIRECTING AND DEFINING WATER POLLUTION
CONTROL PROGRAMS TO "RESTORE AND MAINTAIN THE CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL
INTEGRITY OF THE NATION'S WATERS". GOALS INCLUDE ELIMINATING THE DISCHARGE OF
POLLUTANTS INTO NAVIGABLE WATERS BY 1985, AND ACHIEVING AN INTERIM WATER QUALITY LEVEL
THAT WOULD PROTECT FISH, SHELLFISH AND WILDLIFE WHILE PROVIDING FOR RECREATION IN AND
ON THE WATER WHENEVER POSSIBLE. THE ACT RECOGNIZED THE STATE'S PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY
TO MEET THE GOALS.
- THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE PASSES THE WATER RESOURCES ACT, REQUIRING PERMITS TO
WITHDRAW WATER.
1973 - THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, INVOLVING THE USFWS IN THE
IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION OF PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES ENDANGERED WITH EXTINCTION
AND THE REGULATION OF TRADE IN SUCH SPECIES.
- THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE PASSES THE BIG CYPRESS CONSERVATION ACT, DESIGNATING BIG
CYPRESS AS AN AREA OF CRITICAL STATE CONCERN, AND PROVIDING $50 MILLION TOWARD ITS
PURCHASE BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
1974 - THE ASSESSED VALUE OF ALL PROPERTY IN THE FCD IS $40.9 BILLION.
DRAFT 12/27/93
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-THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES PUBLIC LAW 93-440, ESTABLISHING THE 570,000 ACRE BIG CYPRESS
NATIONAL PRESERVE TO PROTECT THE NATURAL AND TRADITIONAL FEATURES OF BIG CYPRESS,
PROVIDE AN ECOLOGICAL BUFFER ZONE AND PROTECT EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK'S WATER
SUPPLY.
- THE FCD BEGINS THE FIRST WATER CONSUMPTIVE USE PERMITTING SYSTEM IN FLORIDA.
1975 -THE TOTAL COST TO DATE OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT IS $721
MILLION.
- THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE EVICTS TOMATO GROWERS FROM THE 5500 ACRE HOLE-IN-THE-DONUT
ASEf. OF LC .G PINE KEY WITHIN THE PARK. SOME OF THESE GROWERS MOVE THEIR OPERATIONS TO
THE FROG POND, A 5000 ACRE AREA ADJACENT TO THE PARK'S EASTERN BOUNDARY NEAR TAYLOR
SLOUGH.
- THE KEY LARGO NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY IS ESTABLISHED.
1976 - THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE PASSES THE KISSIMMEE RIVER RESTORATION ACT.
- THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE CHANGES THE NAME OF THE STATE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT AND
EXPANDS ITS FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. THE FCD BECOMES THE SOUTH FLORIDA WATER
MANAGEMENT DISTRICT (SFWMD), WITH ITS 17,930 SQUARE MILE BOUNDARY DETERMINED BY
HYDROGEOLOGIC FEATURES. RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE THE USE, CONTROL AND REGULATION OF ALL
SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER.
- THE UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)
DESIGNATES EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK AS A WORLD BIOSPHERE RESERVE, AN AREA PROTECTED
FOR ITS VALUE IN CONSERVATION.
- THE U. S. CONGRESS ESTABLISHES THE SOUTH FLORIDA RESEARCH CENTER WITHIN EVERGLADES
NATIONAL PARK, TO BE STAFFED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, IN ORDER TO BETTER
UNDERSTAND THE PERCEIVED BIOLOGICAL DECLINE OCCURRING IN THE PARK.
1978 -THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE WATER REGULATION SCHEDULE IS RAISED TO ALLOW FOR INCREASED WATER
STORAGE.
- THE U. S. CONGRESS DESIGNATES 1.3 MILLION ACRES OF EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK AS
WILDERNESS.
1979 - THE INTERIM ACTION PLAN (IAP) IS INITIATED, TRANSFERRING DRAINAGE WATER FROM THE
NORTHERN PORTION OF THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA SOUTHWARD TO THE EVERGLADES
RATHER THAN NORTHWARD TO LAKE OKEECHOBEE. THIS WAS INITIATED BY THE SFWMD OUT OF
CONCERN FOR NUTRIENT LOADING TO THE LAKE, AND RESULTED IN INCREASED NUTRIENT LOADING
SOUTH TO THE WCAS.
- THE SFWMD, ARMY CORPS AND EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF
AGREEMENT THAT ESTABLISHES NUMERIC WATER QUALITY CRITERIA FOR WATER DELIVERED TO
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK.
- FLORIDA DESIGNATES EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK AND LOXAHATCHEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE
REFUGE AS OUTSTANDING FLORIDA WATERS, ENTITLED TO NON-DEGRADATION WATER QUALITY
PROTECTION.
- THE UNITED NATIONS (UNESCO) DESIGNATES EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK AS A WORLD HERITAGE
SITE, A SUPERLATIVE EXAMPLE OF VIABLE BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND WHOSE EXAMPLES OF RARE
AND ENDANGERED SPECIES ARE OF UNIVERSAL SIGNIFICANCE AND INTEREST.
- FLORIDA MAKES IT A FELONY TO KILL A FLORIDA PANTHER.
1980 - SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION 3.6 MILLION. THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS ABOUT 9.7 MILLION.
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- FRESHWATER USE IN DADE COUNTY IS ABOUT 434 MGD (486,000 ACRE-FEET PER YEAR).
- THE U. S. CONGRESS CHANGES THE STATUS OF BISCAYNE NATIONAL MONUMENT TO BISCAYNE
NATIONAL PARK, AND EXPANDS IT NORTHWARD TO ENCOMPASS 181,500 ACRES.
- THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ADOPTS REGULATIONS THAT REDUCE BAG LIMITS ON SPORT FISH
CAUGHT WITHIN FLORIDA BAY, AND IMPLEMENT A 5-YEAR PHASE OUT OF COMMERCIAL FISHING
WITHIN FLORIDA BAY.
1981 - 22 DAIRIES IN THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE BASIN VOLUNTEER FOR THE FEDERAL RURAL CLEAN WATERS
PROJECT TO REDUCE PHOSPHORUS ENTERING THE LAKE.
- FLORIDA SURPASSES HAWAII IN SUGAR PRODUCTION.
- IN JULY LAKE OKEECHOBEE WATER LEVEL DROPS TO 9.75 FEET, THE LOWEST LEVEL RECORDED.
-IN AUGUST TROPICAL STORM DENNIS INUNDATES THE HOMESTEAD AREA WITH 20 INCHES OF
RAINFALL IN 24 HOURS, RESULTING IN EXTENSIVE FLOCDING OF AGRICULTURAL LAND IN DADE
COUNTY.
1982 - PROLONGED FLOODING IN WCA3A RESULTS IN THE DEATH OF ABOUT 1700 DEER. THE FLORIDA
GAME AND FRESHWATER FISH COMMISSION SPONSORS A MERCY HUNT TO KILL 2000 DEER AMIDST
MUCH PUBLIC CONTROVERSY.
- THE PURCHASE OF BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE IS COMPLETED, ENCOMPASSING 576,000
ACRES AT A COST OF $196 MILLION.
- THE ASSESSED VALUE OF LAND WITHIN THE C&SF PROJECT AREA IS $120 BILLION.
- THE HENDRY COUNTY AREA GOES FROM DROUGHT TO FLOOD IN THREE WEEKS AND IS DECLARED
A DISASTER AREA.
1983 - FLORIDA GOVERNOR BOB GRAHAM ANNOUNCES THE "SAVE OUR EVERGLADES" PROGRAM TO UNITE
STATE AGENCIES TO RESTORE THE ECOSYSTEM. A STATED INTENT OF THE PROGRAM IS THAT "BY
THE YEAR 2000, THE EVERGLADES WOULD LOOK AND FUNCTION MORE LIKE IT DID IN 1900 THAN IN
1983".
- ENP PRESENTS THE 7-POINT PLAN TO THE SFWMD BOARD DURING EMERGENCY SESSION. THE
RELEASE OF FLOODWATERS INTO THE PARK HAD RESULTED IN FLOODING OF ALLIGATOR NESTS AND
DISRUPTED WADING BIRD NESTING. THE PLAN CALLED FOR IMMEDIATE STRUCTURAL AND
OPERATIONAL MEASURES TO RESTORE A MORE NATURAL MODE OF WATER DELIVERY TO THE PARK.
- THE U.S. CONGRESS PASSES PUBLIC LAW 98-181, AUTHORIZING THE ARMY CORPS TO ENTER INTO
A PROGRAM OF EXPERIMENTAL WATER DELIVERIES TO THE PARK, PROVIDE FLOOD PROTECTION FOR
HOMEOWNERS IN THE AFFECTED AREAS, AND ACQUIRE ANY ADVERSELY AFFECTED AGRICULTURAL
LANDS.
1984 - THE SFWMD FORMALLY EXPANDS ITS AGENCY MISSION TO INCLUDE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AND ENHANCEMENT, WATER QUALITY PROTECTION AND WATER SUPPLY, ALONG WITH FLOOD
CONTROL. WATER MANAGEMENT HAS EVOLVED TO ENCOMPASS LAND USE PLANNING AND GROWTH
MANAGEMENT.
- THE EVERGLADES COALITION, COMPRISING ABOUT 30 NATIONAL AND LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL
GROUPS, IS ESTABLISHED.
- THE USFWS PLACES THE WOODSTORK ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST.
1985 - A PROGRAM OF EXPERIMENTAL WATER DELIVERIES TO THE SHARK SLOUGH PORTION OF EVERGLADES
NATIONAL PARK BEGINS. DISCHARGE IS IN PART BASED ON A RAINFALL-BASED COMPUTER MODEL
THAT ATTEMPTS TO CAUSE DISCHARGES TO FLUCTUATE IN RESPONSE TO NATURAL HYDROLOGIC
VARIABILITY AND THE RAINFALL CONDITIONS OF A GIVEN YEAR.
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1986 - AN ALGAL BLOOM THAT COVERS 120 SQUARE MILES OCCURS ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE, ATTRACTING
NATIONAL ATTENTION.
- THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (LOTAC I) IS FORMED BY THE FLORIDA
GOVERNOR TO STUDY THE LAKE S EUTROPHICATION ISSUE. THE COMMITTEE'S REPORT CONCLUDES
THAT THE ALGAL BLOOMS OBSERVED IN THE LAKE WERE A RESULT OF INCREASED NITROGEN AND
PHOSPHORUS AND THAT REDUCTION IN THE LAKE'S PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATION IS NECESSARY
TO PROTECT 11S BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY. THE REPORT RECOMMENDS VARIOUS REMEDIAL MEASURES
BE PURSUED.
- A BAN ON COMMERCIAL FISHING WITHIN FLORIDA BAY TAKES EFFECT.
1987 - THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE PASSES THE SURFACE WATER IMPROVEMENT AND MANAGEMENT (SWIM)
ACT. THE ACT REQUIRED SFWMD TO DEVELOP SWIM PLANS FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE, THE INDIAN
RIVER LAGOON, BISCAYNE BAY, AND OTHER WATER BODIES. THE ACT ALSO REQUIRES THE DISTRICT
TO DEVELOP A PRIORITY LIST OF WATER BODIES IN NEED OF RESTORATION AND PROTECTION, AND
THEN IDENTIFY STRATEGIES TO PROTECT OR RESTORE THEM.
- THE SWIM ACT ALSO CREATED LOTAC II, AN 11 -MEMBER BLUE-RIBBON SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL, TO
INVESTIGATE THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF THE DIVERSION OF NUTRIENT-RICH WATER AWAY FROM THE
LAKE AND THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF FUTURE DIVERSIONS ON INDIGENOUS WILDLIFE AND
VEGETATION, INCLUDING EFFECTS ON THE EVERGLADES.
- AN EXTENSIVE DIE-OFF OF SEAGRASS, CAUSE UNKNOWN, IS OBSERVED IN FLORIDA BAY.
EVENTUALLY OVER 20,000 ACRES WILL BE DENUDED, WITH AN ADDITIONAL 60,000 ACRES IMPACTED
TO A LESSER DEGREE.
1988 - THE ACTING U. S. ATTORNEY IN MIAMI FILES A LAWSUIT IN FEDERAL COURT AGAINST THE SFWMD
AND FLORIDA DER. THE SUIT ALLEGES THAT THEIR FAILURE TO REGULATE THE WATER QUALITY OF
DISCHARGES FROM THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA HAS RESULTED IN THE VIOLATION OF
WATER QUALITY STANDARDS AT LOXAHATCHEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE AND EVERGLADES NATIONAL
PARK, RESULTING IN EUTROPHICATION OF THESE WETLAND AREAS AND ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE.
- SFWMD BEGINS WORK ON THE EVERGLADES SWIM PLAN.
- FRESHWATER FISH COLLECTED FROM CANALS IN THE EVERGLADES REGION BY THE FLORIDA GAME
AND FRESHWATER FISH COMMISSION ARE FOUND TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH MERCURY.
- THE U.S. CONGRESS PASSES THE BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE ADDITION ACT, AUTHORIZING
THE ADDITION OF 146,000 ACRES TO THE NATIONAL PRESERVE THROUGH 80%:20% FEDERAL:STATE
COST SHARING.
- SOUTH DADE LAND CORPORATION, A GROUP OF TOMATO GROWERS, PURCHASES 5174 ACRES
ADJACENT TO THE TAYLOR SLOUGH PORTION OF EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK KNOWN AS THE FROG
POND FROM THE AEROJET GENERAL CORPORATION FOR $6.8 MILLION ($1314 PER ACRE). AEROJET
HAD PURCHASED THE PROPERTY ABOUT 20 YEARS EARLIER FOR $180 AN ACRE (ABOUT $930,000).
- CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON THE UPGRADE OF ALLIGATOR ALLEY TO INTERSTATE 75.
1989 - THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK PROTECTION AND EXPANSION ACT.
THE ACT AUTHORIZES THAT 107,000 ACRES OF NORTHEAST SHARK SLOUGH BE ADDED TO THE
NATIONAL PARK, AND IT DIRECTS THE ARMY CORPS TO CONSTRUCT MODIFICATIONS TO THE CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT TO IMPROVE WATER DELIVERIES TO THE PARK,
AND TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, TAKE STEPS TO RESTORE THE NATURAL HYDROLOGICAL
CONDITIONS WITHIN THE PARK.
- SFWMD ADOPTS AN INTERIM SWIM PLAN FOR LAKE OKEECHOBEE. A WORKS OF THE DISTRICT
PERMITTING PROGRAM REQUIRES IMMEDIATE PHOSPHORUS REDUCTION STRATEGIES, WITH BMPS AND
A DAIRY BUYOUT PROGRAM AS THE CORNERSTONES.
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- THE EVERGLADES SYMPOSIUM CONVENES AT KEY LARGO. THE SYMPOSIUM. JOINTLY SPONSORED
BY THE SFWMD AND EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, BRINGS TOGETHER SCIENTISTS AND MANAGERS
INVOLVED WITH EVERGLADES RESTORATION AND RESEARCH FOR A WEEK-LONG SYMPOSIUM. 35
SCIENTIFIC PAPERS ARE PRESENTED PROVIDING A COMPILATION AND SYNTHESIS OF THE BIOLOGICAL
AND PHYSICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE EVERGLADES, ITS RESPONSETO WATER MANAGEMENT, AND
GUIDELINES FOR REGIONAL RESTORATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT.
- A FLORIDA PANTHER IS FOUND DEAD IN EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK WITH EXTREMELY HIGH LIVER
MERCURY CONCENTRATIONS.
- THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES ISSUES A HUMAN HEALTH
ADVISORY FOR THE CONSUMPTION OF CERTAIN FRESHWATER FISH FROM THE EVERGLADES BECAUSE
OF MERCURY CONTAMINATION. THE BAN OR LIMIT ADVISORY COVERS ALL OF THE EVERGLADES
WATER CONSERVATION AREAS AND THE FRESHWATER PORTION OF EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK.
- A DROUGHT ENSUES AND THE EVERGLADES EXPERIENCES ITS DRIEST CONDITIONS SINCE 1957.
WATER RESTRICTIONS ARE IMPOSED ON BOTH COASTS AND SFWMD BRIEFLY RESUMES BACKPUMPING
OF WATER FROM THE EAA INTO LAKE OKEECHOBEE. FIRES BURN ABOUT 140,000 ACRES IN THE PARK
AND 43,000 ACRES IN THE REFUGE.
1990 - SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION IS 4.6 MILLION. THE POPULATION OF FLORIDA IS ABOUT 12.9 MILLION.
THE POPULATION WITHIN THE 18 COUNTIES THAT ENCOMPASS THE C&SF PROJECT IS 6.3 MILLION.
- FRESHWATER USE IN DADE COUNTY IS ABOUT 553 MGD (620,000 ACRE-FEET PER YEAR).
FRESHWATER USE IN THE AREA OF THE SFWMD IS ABOUT 3391 MGD (1,238,000 ACRE-FEET PER
YEAR).
- THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES THE FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY AND PROTECTION
ACT. THE ACT DESIGNATED 2800 SQUARE NAUTICAL MILES AROUND THE KEYS AS A NATIONAL
MARINE SANCTUARY. THE ACT REQUIRES THAT NOAA DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT
PLAN AND THAT USEPA AND FLORIDA ARE TO DEVELOP A WATER QUALITY PROTECTION PLAN.
- LOTAC II ISSUES THEIR FINAL REPORT. THE REPORT CONCLUDES THAT NUTRIENTS IN WATER
PUMPED FROM THE EAA IS CAUSING EUTROPHICATION IN THE WCA MARSHES. THE REPORT
RECOMMENDS VARIOUS CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO REDUCE NUTRIENT LOADING INTO THE
EVERGLADES.
- THE U. S. CONGRESS PROVIDES EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK WITH INITIAL FUNDING TO BEGIN TO
DEVELOP A LONG-TERM EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN.
1991 - THE ASSESSED VALUE OF ALL PROPERTY IN THE SFWMD AREA IS $240 BILLION.
- THERE ARE 427,000 ACRES OF SUGARCANE HARVESTED FROM THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL
AREA.
- THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE UNANIMOUSLY PASSES THE MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS (MSD)
EVERGLADES PROTECTION ACT. THE ACT REQUIRES SFWMD TO COMPLETE THE EVERGLADES SWIM
PLAN, APPLY FOR A FIVE-YEAR INTERIM PERMIT FROM FDER TO OPERATE WATER CONTROL
STRUCTURES DISCHARGING WATER FROM THE EAA INTO THE EVERGLADES, AND TO INITIATE EAA
WATER QUALITY REGULATORY RULEMAKING. THE ACT ALSO CONFIRMED THE DISTRICT'S EMINENT
DOMAIN AUTHORITY TO ACQUIRE PRIVATE LAND IN THE EAA FOR CONSTRUCTION OF STORMWATER
TREATMENT AREAS.
- THE U. S. GOVERNMENT AND THE STATE OF FLORIDA REACH A SETTLEMENT IN THE FEDERAL WATER
QUALITY LAWSUIT AND ASK THE FEDERAL COURT IN MIAMI TO ACCEPT IT. U. S. ATTORNEY
THORNBURG AND GOVERNOR CHILES ANNOUNCE THE SETTLEMENT.
- THE FLORIDA GOVERNOR'S MERCURY IN FISH AND WILDLIFE TASK FORCE (FORMED IN 1989) ISSUES
AN INTERIM REPORT, IDENTIFYING HUMAN HEALTH CONCERNS, ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND
DETERMINING THE SOURCE(S)/MECHANISM(S) OF CONTAMINATION AS TOP PRIORITIES.
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1992 - THE U. S. DISTRICT COURT IN MIAMI ACCEPTS THE WATER QUALITY LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT
AGREEMENT AND ADOPTS IT IN A CONSENT DECREE, OVER THE OBJECTION OF AGRICULTURAL
INTERESTS IN THE EAA. THE COURT ORDER ADOPTS NUMERIC PHOSPHORUS LIMITS FOR WATER
WITHIN LOXAHATCHEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AND DELIVERY WATER TO EVERGLADES NATIONAL
PARK, AND IT REQUIRES THAT A REMEDIAL PROGRAM OF BMPS IN THE EAA AND 35,000 ACRES OF
STORMWATER TREATMENT AREAS ACHIEVE SPECIFIC PHOSPHORUS LOAD REDUCTIONS TO THE WATER
CONSERVATION AREAS BY 1997 AND 2002. AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS FILE AN APPEAL.
- THE SFWMD ADOPTS AN EVERGLADES SWIM PLAN CONSISTENT WITH THE MSD EVERGLADES
PROTECTION ACT AND THE LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT/COURT ORDER.
- THE U.S. CONGRESS PASSES THE WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT (WRDA) AUTHORIZING THE
KISSIMMEE RIVER RESTORATION WITH 50/50 FEDERAL/STATE COST SHARING. THE PROJECT WILL
RESTORE FLOW TO 43-CONTIGUOUS MILES OF THE RIVER CHANNEL AND RESTORE 27,000 ACRES OF
FLOODPLAIN WETLANDS AT A COST OF $372 MILLION.
- THE WRDA ALSO AUTHORIZES THE ARMY CORPS TO DO A PROJECT REVIEW OF THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT (THE C&SF PROJECT REFORMULATION STUDY). THE
STUDY IS TO REEXAMINE THE PROJECT UNDER CURRENT NEEDS AND DEMANDS IN ORDER TO
DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF STRUCTURAL OR OPERATIONAL CHANGES TO THE PROJECT TO
OPTIMIZE ITS AUTHORIZED PURPOSES AND RESTORATION/PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
RESOURCES.
- THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE WATER SCHEDULE IS LOWERED ON AN INTERIM BASIS BECAUSE OF
ECOLOGICAL CONCERN FOR THE LAKE'S LITTORAL ZONE AND TO MINIMIZE THE POTENTIAL FOR
HARMFUL FRESHWATER DISCHARGES TO THE ST. LUCIE AND CALOOSAHATCHEE ESTUARIES.
- THE EVERGLADES TECHNICAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE (TOC), ESTABLISHED BY THE SETTLEMENT
AGREEMENT AND COURT ORDER, BEGINS MEETING. THE COMMITTEE, COMPOSED OF SCIENTISTS
FROM FIVE FEDERAL OR STATE AGENCIES, IS TO PLAN, REVIEW AND RECOMMEND ALL RESEARCH,
MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE RELATED TO EVERGLADES RESTORATION.
- SAGE, THE SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY GROUP FOR THE EVERGLADES, FORMED BY THE SFWMD BOARD,
BEGINS MEETING. THE GROUP, COMPOSED OF 22 INDIVIDUALS FROM VARIOUS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
INTERESTS, IS TO FUNCTION AS A SCIENTIFIC FACT-FINDING BODY THAT EVALUATES
SCIENTIFIC/ENGINEERING ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH EVERGLADES RESTORATION.
- HURRICANE ANDREW, THE COSTLIEST NATURAL DISASTER IN U. S. HISTORY (OVER $20 BILLION),
STRIKES SOUTH DADE COUNTY. ANDREW IS THE FIRST MAJOR HURRICANE TO HIT SOUTH FLORIDA
SINCE 1965.
- USEPA REGION IV, ALONG WITH FLORIDA GOVERNOR CHILES, ANNOUNCE THE CREATION OF THE
SOUTH FLORIDA GEOGRAPHIC INITITIVE. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE INITIATIVE IS TO PLAN AND
COORDINATE STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES AMONG FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES TO PROTECT AND
RESTORE THE ENVIRONMENT OF SOUTH FLORIDA.
- THE USFWS HAS LISTED 22 SPECIES OF ANIMALS FOUND IN SOUTH FLORIDA AS ENDANGERED AND
11 SPECIES AS THREATENED.
1993 - INTERIOR SECRETARY BABBITT INITIATES THE CREATION OF A SENIOR MANAGEMENT LEVEL FEDERAL
SOUTH FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION TASK FORCE.
- THE SFWMD PREPARES A LAKE OKEECHOBEE SWIM PLAN UPDATE.
- THE HEALTH ADVISORY LIMIT OR BAN ON THE CONSUMPTION OF FISH BECAUSE OF MERCURY
CONTAMINATION IS EXTENDED TO INCLUDE BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE. THE LIMIT OR BAN
NOW COVERS OVER 2 MILLION ACRES OF SOUTH FLORIDA.
- 19 OF 49 DAIRIES IN THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE BASIN HAVE BEEN RELOCATED OR CLOSED, REMOVING
ONE-THIRD OF THE AREA'S 45,000 DAIRY COWS. BMPs AND THE BUYOUT HAVE COST FLORIDA
$61 MILLION.
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- THE ARMY CORPS RECEIVES FUNDING TO INITIATE THE REFORMULATION STUDY OF THE CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT.
- THE U. S., FLORIDA, AND EAA INTERESTS SPEND THE YEAR IN AN INTENSIVE MEDIATION EFFORT IN
AN ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE THE EVERGLADES WATER QUALITY LAWSUIT. MAJOR ISSUES INCLUDE
CLEAN-UP TIMEFRAMES AND THE PROPORTION OF THE TOTAL COST (ESTIMATED AT OVER $500
MILLION) TO BE PAID BY THE PUBLIC AND THE PORTION TO BE PAID BY THE INDUSTRY. THE
MEDIATION REACHES AN IMPASSE IN DECEMBER AND IS TERMINATED.
- AN EXTENSIVE AREA OF FLORIDA BAY IS COVERED BY ALGAL BLOOMS THAT HAVE ENCOMPASSED
OVER 300 SQUARE MILES AT A GIVEN TIME.
- THE SFWMD ESTABLISHES AN EVERGLADES RESTORATION OFFICE.
- FROG POND FARMERS FILE DOCUMENTS IN THE U. S. DISTRICT COURT IN MIAMI IN AN ATTEMPT TO
PREVENT THE ARMY CORPS FROM RAISING CANAL WATER LEVELS AND HALT A TWO-YEAR TEST TO
INCREASE WATER DELIVERY TO TAYLOR SLOUGH WITHIN THE PARK.
- THE U. S. HOUSE PASSES A BILL AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF THE FROG POND, 8.5 SQUARE MILE
AREA, AND THE ROCKY GLADES, A MEASURE CONSIDERED CRITICAL TO THE RESTORATION OF
PORTIONS OF THE PARK. TAYLOR SLOUGH AND FLORIDA BAY. LANDOWNERS IN THESE AREAS OPPOSE
THE SALE OF THEIR PROPERTY.
- THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR CREATES THE NATIONAL BIOLOGICAL SURVEY AND REASSIGNS
SCIENTISTS AND FTE FROM THE USFWS AND NPS.
2000 - SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION IS PROJECTED TO BE 5.5 MILLION
2010 - SOUTH FLORIDA POPULATION IS PROJECTED TO BE 6.3 MILLION
- FRESH WATER USE IN DADE COUNTY IS PROJECTED TO BE 758 MGD (850,000 ACRE-FEET PER YEAR).
FRESH WATER USE WITHIN THE SFWMD IS PROJECTED TO BE 4699 MGD (1,715,000 ACRE-FEET PER
YEAR).
DRAFT 12/27/93
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