Environmental Intersection by George Lindemann

Construction of a 170-acre Stormwater Treatment Area for Taylor Creek is complete on a publicly held portion of the Grassy Island Ranch, east of Taylor Creek. The purpose is to divert and treat about 10% of the water flow from Taylor Creek. This is accomplished by allowing the water to flow parallel to the creek for about 1.6 miles through emergent vegetation, before returning to the creek.   This STA started up in October 2006, and was opened for public use in November 2007.

The goal for water quality improvement in the Stormwater Treatment Areas is to reduce phosphorus to the maximum extent possible, given the limited area of the Stormwater Treatment Areas to the amount of water available in Taylor Creek and Nubbin Slough. 

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. 

Another beautiful Pic of Taylor Creek!  That dragonfly loves to have his picture taken!

And here's a little background:

Lake Okeechobee functions as the central part of a large interconnected aquatic ecosystem beginning with the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and ending at Florida Bay south of the Everglades. It also is the major surface water body of the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project. The lake provides a number of values to society and nature including water supply for agriculture, urban areas and the environment, flood protection, a multi-million dollar sport and commercial fishery, and habitat for wading birds, migratory waterfowl, and the federally endangered Everglades Snail Kite. These values of the lake have been threatened in recent decades by excessive phosphorus loading, harmful high and low water levels, and rapid expansion of exotic plants. 

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!