Environmental Intersection by George Lindemann

Project Description:

The project includes two Stormwater Treatment Areas: Nubbin Slough and Taylor Creek, and one isolated wetland/retention pond sites: Byrd Stockyard.

Project Purpose:

The purpose of this project is to store water runoff and reduce phosphorus on various parcels in the project’s basins. Two approaches are used: construction of Stormwater Treatment Areas on publicly held lands and restoration of isolated wetlands or construction of retention ponds on private lands.  In addition to providing immediate water management and water quality benefits, these Stormwater Treatment Areas will also provide critical information in the design of the larger reservoirs and Stormwater Treatment Areas that are being planned for the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Project.

The Corps is responsible for the design and construction of the Stormwater Treatment Areas.  The South Florida Water Management District is responsible for operations and maintenance of the facilities and will conduct monitoring to measure the performance and phosphorus reduction at these sites.  The Project Cooperation Agreement anticipated costs for this project to reach $16.4 million dollars in year 2000. These costs will be split 50/50 by the SFWMD and the Department of the Army. 

The Lake Okeechobee Critical Projects were implemented through a partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the South Florida Water Management District. The implementation process involves the following phases: planning, engineering and design, construction, operations and maintenance, and monitoring and assessment of project performance.

In addition to programs designed to diminish the amount of phosphorus runoff into Lake Okeechobee and the amount of exotic plants that are in the lake, LOPP includes a Lake Okeechobee Construction Program, which comprises the Lake Okeechobee Water Retention/Phosphorus Removal Project, a Critical Restoration Project authorized in the federal Water Resources Development Act of 1996. This Critical Project includes the restoration of isolated wetlands and construction of large retention areas, or Stormwater Treatment Areas, which improve the water quality of runoff draining from areas up to several hundred square miles in size. The Lake Okeechobee Construction Program also includes a Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Project – the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project - which is designed to improve water quality to Lake Okeechobee and downstream receiving waters.

The 2000 Florida Legislature established the Lake Okeechobee Protection Program (LOPP), which is designed to address the issues of water quality, hydrology and exotic plant management. An integrated watershed and lake management strategy is being used to improve the condition of Lake Okeechobee. This strategy uses land management practices to reduce phosphorus levels in streams draining land parcels of several hundred acres or less, regional phosphorus control technologies that impact areas ranging in size from several hundred acres to several hundred square miles and in-lake remediation projects. 

Last week I took a tour of the Taylor Creek and Lakeside Ranch STAs.  Fascinating projects!  They are both excellent examples of STAs!  Overall, it was a very enlightening, rewarding and positive experience! 

This week, most of my blogs will be dedicated to the Taylor Creek and Lakeside Ranch STAs, utilizing pictures from the trip, commentary and background info.  This beautiful picture is of Taylor Creek!