SFWMD Invests in Alternative Water Supply Projects

Partnerships help reduce South Florida’s reliance on limited traditional sources


West Palm Beach, FL — To help sustain the region’s water resources, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board approved an investment of funding for three alternative water supply projects in Broward, Palm Beach and Hendry counties.

“These projects help to expand South Florida’s water supplies and ensure a sustainable supply for people, businesses and the environment,” said SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Joe Collins. “Supporting efforts to develop alternative water resources is an investment in Florida’s future.”

The following projects were approved:

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Entity

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Project

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Water Made Available (Million Gallons Per Day)

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Town of Davie page2image10264Reclaimed Water Facility Phase II-B 3.5*

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Palm Beach County Water Lake Region Water Treatment Plant 1.3 Utilities Floridan Wellfield Improvements

City of LaBelle page2image16896Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment page2image174241.5 Plant, Phase 1A

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*Part of a multi-year project

Including additional projects approved for the Big Cypress Basin, the SFWMD is investing $2.72 million in Alternative Water Supply projects during Fiscal Year 2012. Since 1997, the Alternative Water Supply Funding Program, in cooperation with the State of Florida, has invested $185.5 million into 468 alternative water supply projects. To date, these projects have created 398 million gallons a day of water supply capacity, reducing reliance on freshwater sources.

Alternative water sources diversify South Florida’s water supply while reducing the region’s dependence on traditional freshwater resources and making communities less susceptible to drought impacts. Examples of alternative water supply include:

  • Saltwater and brackish water

  • Reclaimed water

  • Surface water captured during wet weather

  • Sources made available through new storage

  • Stormwater (for consumptive use)

  • Other nontraditional sources

    Development of alternative water supplies is an important component of the District’s four regional water supply plans, which encompass the agency’s jurisdictional area. Updated every five years, each plan creates a framework for future water use decisions and identifies strategies to meet future water demands of urban and agricultural uses, while meeting the needs of the environment.

    For more information on alternative water supplies, please visit www.sfwmd.gov/AWS. >

Dispute over northern #Everglades area pits environmentalists and sports enthusiasts against each other @TCPalm

Can't we all just get along....

 

WASHINGTON — A dispute over what should happen to 150,000 acres of the northern Everglades pitted environmentalists and sports enthusiasts against each other at a House subcommittee hearing Thursday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hasn't said which 150,000 acres it wants for the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge. The agency says the proposal will improve the quality and quantity of water and protect wildlife. Those opposed to the plan worry about public access to the land.

"These areas need to be open. They need to be open to recreations," Jorge P. Gutierrez, president of the Everglades Coordinating Council, told the House Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs subcommittee.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would purchase easements to protect 100,000 acres from future development. The land would remain privately owned. The agency would buy 50,000 acres to create a refuge open to visitors for recreational activities, including hunting and boating.

Some witnesses worried about not being able to hunt and boat on the 100,000 acres that would remain under private ownership.

"Air boaters are unique individuals, and we don't really appreciate land being locked up," Bishop Wright Jr., president of the Florida Airboat Association, said. "There are no airboats for public use in refuges."

Mark J. Masaus, deputy regional director for Region 4 of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said officials are meeting with hunters to hear their suggestions about the project.

Some committee members questioned how the proposal would be funded. The government plans to use money from offshore oil and gas revenues.

The project would take several years to complete and cost about $450,000 annually to maintain and operate.

Rep. John Fleming, R-La., the subcommittee chairman, said it would cost $700 million to buy the easements and land, a figure others said was merely an estimate.

"What the service fails to tell the American people is how many thousands of new jobs will be lost by locking up this land to no development in the future," Fleming said.

via m.tcpalm.com

Watering Limits Lifted @sfwmd by @cmorganherald in @miamiherald #water #okeechobee

Just because its legal to water now doesn't mean we are out of the woods yet nor should we abuse the ability and privilege to water...

Posted on Thursday, 11.10.11

By CURTIS MORGAN

Water managers pronounced the drought officially dead on Thursday, lifting water restrictions for most of South Florida.

With torrential rains last month largely erasing most of the lingering deficits from what had been a record-setting dry spell, the South Florida Water Management District’s governing board on Thursday voted to drop irrigation limits placed on homes, farmers and golf courses across much of the region.

They will stay in place, however, in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which have both adopted permanent twice-weekly watering rules.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/10/2496248/watering-limits-lifted.html#ixzz1dQUYaYJx

FL Supreme @FLCourts Sides w/ @FL_Audubon+@SFWMD on Wetlands Mitigation Case #Eco #Everglades @AllEverglades

Florida Supreme Court Sides With Audubon on Wetlands Mitigation Case

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Florida Audubon

The Supreme Court of Florida last Thursday ruled in favor of the position advocated by Audubon of Florida that continues to support state agencies’ ability to negotiate terms of development permits to ensure they protect the environment.

Coy A. Koontz applied for a permit with the St. Johns Water Management District (District) to develop 3.7 acres of his property that was comprised mostly of wetlands. The District offered to grant the permit to Mr. Koontz only if he complied with certain conditions to conserve property and mitigate the loss of wetlands by improving other wetlands off site.

Wetlands by Chad Johnson

Mr. Koontz refused to comply with the District’s conditions and his permit was not granted.  Subsequently, he sued the District, claiming the District had “taken” his property during the time the negotiations continued without a resolution. The Supreme Court reversed a previous decision that ordered the District to pay Mr. Koontz over $300,000.

Audubon filed a brief supporting the District and requiring that the fine be reversed- this reversal was unanimously supported by the Supreme Court Justices (although they reached the same conclusion for a number of different reasons.)

Audubon’s support for the District’s case stemmed from recognizing the importance of allowing water management districts and other state agencies to negotiate terms before issuing a permit without fear that they could face financial repercussions if an agreement is not reached quickly enough.

Audubon applauded the Florida Supreme Court’s decision that gives agencies greater power to require specific protections when wetlands are developed, as they did with Mr. Koontz.  This decision will prevent the agencies from being pressured into issuing permits hastily that could harm Florida’s wetlands and environment.

Audubon’s intervention in this case was facilitated by the late Thom Rumberger, and the firm of Rumberger Kirk and Caldwell, who have done much very important legal work for Audubon. Tallahassee attorney Anna Upton also was instrumental in the preparation of Audubon’s brief before the Supreme Court.

Charles Lee @FL_Audubon: #Everglades Headwaters proposal critical to future success @TCPalm @AllEverglades

Your Sept. 27 editorial, "New wildlife refuge and conservation area north of Lake Okeechobee may be great idea, but what are state's priorities?" regarding the Everglades Headwaters Refuge and Conservation Area makes a good point when it says "Maybe it's time to prioritize the most important Everglades restoration projects — and fund and complete them, in order, before launching new projects."

That is precisely why we think moving forward with the Everglades Headwaters Refuge and Conservation Area now is so important. The very first Everglades effort was the Kissimmee River Restoration, authorized by Congress almost 20 years ago in 1992. The Everglades Headwaters Refuge and Conservation Area proposal helps the long-awaited Kissimmee River Restoration project succeed by assuring that land surrounding the restored river will be maintained in conservation, and provide water storage and cleansing opportunities rather than slipping toward development.

The Everglades Headwaters proposal got its start in cooperative discussions with ranchers who were genuinely concerned that the marginal economics of ranching would soon put many ranches on the auction block. Enlisting ranchers as partners and compensating them for important environmental services keeps them in business, retains land on the tax rolls, and achieves restoration benefits at far less cost than traditional public works projects. The easements and selective land purchases that will result from the Headwaters proposal will be key building blocks in reaching those goals.

The editorial included some erroneous and outdated information about the Headwaters Refuge, and other aspects of Everglades Restoration.

First, the statement that "There is no money to pay for" the Headwaters Refuge and Conservation Area is not quite correct. Each year the Land and Water Conservation Fund set up by Congress receives hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from offshore oil and gas leases and royalties. In 2010, the LWCF received $450 million. These funds are available for National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area purchases if Congress allocates them to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This is how most modern refuge lands have been acquired, and how the Headwaters Refuge and Conservation Area can be funded.

Next, some of the editorial's information about Everglades Projects approved but not completed is outdated. For example, the 2009 Earth Magazine report cited said the Tamiami Trail Bridge Project has been "derailed by contentious politics "

Well guess what — if you go down to the Tamiami Trail today you will find that the bridge project is actually under construction and is rapidly nearing completion. Others projects nearing the finish line are the crucial C-111 restoration project and components of the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands in Miami Dade County likely to be finished by year's end. The Picayune Strand restoration project in Collier County is already producing pronounced benefits.

Yes, there have been engineering problems with some projects. The leaky Ten Mile Creek reservoir is an example. But no one ever suggested that Everglades restoration would be easy. Restoration of the Everglades is truly a pioneering project. Being a pioneer means making some mistakes and moving forward anyway through "adaptive management." When Congress authorized the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project in 2000, directives to engage in adaptive management were specifically included just because these situations were wisely anticipated.

One of the things learned through "adaptive management" is that taking advantage of natural, low-tech opportunities to store and clean water is often a much more cost-effective way to proceed with Everglades Restoration. These are tried and true methods that we know will work.

That is where the Everglades Headwaters Refuge and Conservation Area proposal really shines. Because Everglades waters flow downstream from the Kissimmee River through Lake Okeechobee, the Headwaters proposal will deliver major benefits to the entirety of the Everglades and South Florida.

© 2011 TCPalm. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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    gladesman writes:

    Here is a statement inside the quotation marks pasted from the recently released Environmental Assessment for the Headwaters.

    "West Indian Manatee
    Alternative C would likely do little to protect or conserve manatees. This is mainly because the
    species is present 30 miles downstream of the southernmost Alternative C lands in the extreme lower
    Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee. There may be some small water quality benefits by the
    protection of 50,000 acres of land, and the 100,000-acre conservation easements, but there would be
    other opportunities for water quality to be degraded after it leaves Alternative C lands an before it
    reaches waters occupied by manatee"

    I was complaining to a friend about the stupidity of transferring $700,000,000 dollars of wealth from those who buy oil products at inflated prices due to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He said I was wrong when I cited the above excerpt from the US Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) own documents to support my position. My friend said that in that excerpt they were only speaking about Manatees and not the project as a whole.
    I explained to him that the Assessment in this paragraph at page 261 is referring to the 50,000 acre Refuge and the 100,000 acres of easements specifically in the 3rd sentence of the excerpt. That IS the whole project. They were being very clear IMO.
    US Fish and Wildlife Service has documented "there may be some small water quality benefits" within the excerpt.
    I simply do not believe small water benefits is enough of a bang for $700,000,000 million BUCKS for the 1st of 4 phases.
    Oh I am sure supporters will come back and say USFWS has promised many other benefits like hunting and recreation will also result from Headwaters. The problem with that is the folks making the promises will not be there to keep them many years from now when needed. Locals in Florida know this from past experience with the Feds.

    Although I eat beef and support the cowboy (Florida Cracker/Gladesmen) culture I will not swallow this mountain oyster raw or cooked.
    I do fully understand any rancher in his right mind jumping on this bandwagon for the BIG bucks and I do not mean deer.
    The author of this article is the same interesting fellow that attempted on behalf of Audubon to covertly invite State and US Dep't. of Interior officials to his office in Tallahassee to set up the transfer the Tamiami Trail (US41) segment through Big Cypress National Preserve to the Federal government. Luckily for the traveling public his attempt failed when the coup de ta of a State highway was exposed.

    reality writes:

    Thanks, Mr. Lee. I had been so depressed to read that the Taimiami bridge project wasn't even started. Thanks for correcting that misinformation. And to gladesman: Didn't the State of FL try to sell the Taimiami road to a private company to make it a tollroad, but luckily had no takers? Do you know one of the first things Boehner did when the Repubs retook the Majority, was to make the gasoline taxes available for purposes other than roads & bridges? The water absorbed by all these easements will benefit all creatures in FL, as it sinks into the acquifer, and prevents flooding.

     

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    From the very well respected Charles Lee of Audubon...

    Mixed reception in Washington for Everglades refuge

    The proposed federal refuge north of Lake Okeechobee, which calls for putting some 100,000 of pasture land under permanent conservation and buying another 50,000, is touted as way to preserve both wildlife and ranches

    BY CURTIS MORGAN

    CMORGAN@MIAMIHERALD.COM

    A proposed wildlife refuge north of Lake Okeechobee that is a big piece of the Obama administration’s shifting Everglades restoration strategy got a mixed reception Thursday on Capitol Hill.

    Environmentalists and ranchers extolled the plan to purchase conservation easements on some 100,000 acres of pasture and buy another 50,000 acres outright, saying it would protect wildlife, wild lands and the water supply along with a way of life under increasing pressure from development.

    “We have an opportunity now to stop urban sprawl and stop this part of Florida from going the way of other parts of the state,’’ Rick Dantzler, a former state senator from Winter Haven and co-chairman of the pro-refuge North Everglades Alliance, told a U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources subcommittee.

    But hunters said they feared the plan would shut them out of most of the proposed Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. Several lawmakers questioned pursuing a $700 million plan when the government is gushing red ink and a slew of projects in the existing $14 billion Everglades restoration plan remain stalled and unfunded.

    John Fleming, a Republican congressman from Louisiana who chaired the hearing, argued that the refuge would divert money from more important Everglades projects south of the lake — a view echoed by one Florida congressman on the subcommittee, Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City.

    Southerland noted that the U.S. Interior Department had relied on public input to shape the refuge proposal but “unfortunately it seems to me that it’s not shaped by the brutal reality that we are broke.’’

    Lawmakers also expressed concerns that the White House was moving forward on the refuge without congressional authorization. That’s because Interior has administrative power to create refuges and intends to bankroll land and easement buys through its Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is supported by annual royalties for leases on offshore oil and gas drilling.

    Rep. David Rivera, a Miami Republican whose district includes Everglades National Park, talked about how critical a healthy ecosystem is to South Florida’s water supply and said he generally supported the refuge proposal. But he also pressed Interior to draft legislation that would give lawmakers more say and offer firm assurance that the refuge would be open to hunting use and for access by state water managers.

    The administration proposed the refuge, which would extend from southwest Osceola County down to Lake Okeechobee, early this year, pitching it as a softer, less expensive approach to Glades restoration.

    Supporters say it would call for relatively little expensive infrastructure, leave two-thirds of the land in private hands and open at least 50,000 acres to hunting. Only land owned by willing sellers would be targeted for purchase.

    The areas targeted for conservation are a mosaic of habitats — such as pinelands, wetlands, prairies and scrub — that support 98 threatened and endangered species, including the Florida black bear, panther and scrub jay. The land is also critical to South Florida’s drinking water supply.

    Supporters acknowledged the refuge would likely only have “marginal” water quality benefits, slowing down and filtering pollutants before they flow from farms and suburbs into Lake Okeechobee. But they said the open lands could be used to expand water storage essential to the lake, Everglades and farmers.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture is also bankrolling Everglades conservation easements, this year spending $100 million to acquire development rights to some 24,000 acres in four counties around Lake Okeechobee. Last year, the USDA paid $89 million to acquire development rights for another 26,000 acres.

    Jo-Ellen Darcy, an assistant secretary of the Army who oversees the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the refuge proposal was just one of several encouraging signs for restoration.

    Federal agencies also announced an overhaul of plans last week intended to speed up work to revive water flow to the parched River of Grass, which came on the heels of a pledge of support from Florida Gov. Rick Scott to deal with persistent water pollution problems.

    “We’re both in tight budget situations but we are both committed to this restoration effort,” she said.

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended public comment on the proposal until Nov. 25. A final decision on the plan is not expected until next year and it could take years to purchase easements and land.

    Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/03/2486111/mixed-reception-in-washington.html#ixzz1ckvkKy5i

    Army Corps #CERP Reports to Congress for 2010 via @JaxStrong @SFWMD

    • CERP Reports to Congress

    RTC 2010 CoverThe CERP 2010 Report to Congress has been delivered and is now available. The report details the collaborative effort of participating agencies and their combined commitment to improve the Everglades ecosystem.

    Download the Final 2010 Report to Congress

    View the 3 Nov 2011 Press Release (43 kb, PDF)

    The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000 (Section 601) and the Programmatic Regulations (2003) require the secretaries of the Army and the Interior to jointly submit a report to Congress on the progress of CERP implementation every five years. The report notes accomplishments in areas that include construction, outreach activities, new science and funding for that five-year period and what is anticipated over the next five years.

    2010 Report to Congress – Final

    The second of the five-year reports covers progress of CERP implementation for the period from mid-2005 to mid-2010.  Highlights include:

    • Passage of WRDA 2007 authorizing for construction three major CERP projects
    • Execution of the Master Agreement providing the legal framework for the CERP 50/50 partnership between the South Florida Water Management District and the Department of the Army
    • Execution of the first Project Partnership Agreements
    • Ongoing construction  of the Merritt Pump Station feature of Picayune Strand and the imminent construction start  of the Site 1 Impoundment
    • Installation and monitoring of the Aquifer Storage and Recovery Pilot Project, and completion of the Pilot Project Design Report for the L-31N (L-30) Seepage Management Pilot
    • Sequencing of all south Florida restoration efforts including CERP in the Integrated Delivery Schedule developed through an interagency effort
    • Progress on related pre-CERP Foundation Projects (i.e., Kissimmee River Restoration, Modified Water Deliveries – Tamiami Trail Modifications), and the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (Phase 1) and C-111 Spreader Canal – Western Projects, both state expedited projects
    • New scientific information which is expected to improve decision making within CERP, thereby improving restoration success
    • A wide array of outreach activities and products designed to inform and engage a variety of audiences including the public at large, interest groups and stakeholders
    • Funding and expenditures from 2004 to 2009

    Download the FInal CERP 2010 Report to Congress:

    RTC 2010 CoverFinal CERP 2010 Report to Congress - September 2011

    rtc 2010 transmittal letters iconLetters to Congress:

  • 2 Nov 2011 - Speaker of the House Boehner Letter (25 kb, PDF)
  • 2 Nov 2011 - President of the Senate Biden Letter (24 kb, PDF)

    •  

    Picayune Strand

    Endangered Florida panther with two kittens at Picayune Strand after road removal/restoration (2010)
    Photo courtesy of Darrell Land, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

     

    CERP 2005 Report to Congress

    The initial CERP 2005 Report to Congress covers program implementation progress made between mid-2000 to mid-2005.

    Status:  The CERP 2005 Report to Congress was transmitted to Congress in September 2006.

    Download CERP 2005 Report to Congress:

    Letters to Congress:

  • 22 Sep 2006 Cheney Letter (25 kb, PDF)
  • 22 Sep 2006 Hastert Letter (24 kb, PDF)

    • Contacts for this page:

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    Boring but important reading...

    A Tale of Two Octobers: From Record Dry to Near-Record Wet

    A Tale of Two Octobers: From Record Dry to Near-Record Wet

    Drought in 2010 to deluge in 2011 highlights the challenges of water management in South Florida

    (Click on the graphics for a larger version.)

    West Palm Beach, FL — October 2011 ranks as the fourth-wettest October in 80 years of South Florida recordkeeping, bookending a 12-month period that began in 2010 with the driest October on record, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) reported today.  Below is a graphic of last October rainfall (driest on record) vs. this October's rainfall (4th wettest).

    As a result of three uncommon storms in one month, nearly 10 inches of rain was recorded District-wide for October, representing 6.2 inches above the average for this time of year. All areas from Orlando to the Florida Keys received above-average rainfall, with key regions such as the Kissimmee basins and Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3 receiving a much-needed boost.

    In comparison, October 2005 saw a total of 7.98 inches of rain — including Hurricane Wilma. The storm left an average of 4.16 inches of rain across the District.

    October’s storms did significantly benefit Lake Okeechobee, a key backup water supply for millions of South Floridians. The lake stood at 13.60 feet NGVD on Wednesday, close to the same level as this time last year. Unlike last year, the lake is rising instead of falling. The current level is more than 2 feet higher than on September 30 but still below the historical average of 15.03 inches.

    “The decisions we make every day in water management consider the potential for weather that can swerve from record dry to record deluge in a relatively short timeframe,” said Susan Sylvester, SFWMD Chief of the Water Control Operations Bureau. “Our challenge is to continually plan, adjust and operate the extensive South Florida system to best balance the needs of 7.7 million people, businesses and the natural system.”

    October is a crucial transition from the wet season to the dry season because of its potential impact on regional water levels for months to come. October 2011 was defined by three exceptional storm events that significantly bolstered water levels in drought- plagued Lake Okeechobee, aquifers and storage areas across the region.

    The storms included:

    • October 8: This was the wettest single day in
      the upper and lower Kissimmee basins
      combined in nearly 100 years. An average of
      6.05 inches of rain fell in the two basins,
      spanning approximately 3,000 square miles,
      with local maximums up to 14.09 inches. The Kissimmee River was closed to navigation for about two weeks because of dangerous water flows. Navigation was restored when conditions became safe again.

    • October 16 - 18: A non-tropical low pressure system and a stalled front combined to leave South Florida with an average of 2.74 inches of rain across the District. The rain primarily fell south of Lake Okeechobee, mainly missing the already

    October Rainfall

    Historical Average = 3.78 inches (Last 5 Years)

    • 2011 — 9.98 inches

    • 2010 — 0.55 inches

    • 2009 — 2.60 inches

    • 2008 — 3.74 inches

    • 2007 — 5.02 inches

    drenched Kissimmee region. The lower Florida Keys saw a maximum of 21.97 inches.

    • October 28 - 31: Hurricane Rina reached the Yucatan Peninsula before several elements, including wind shear and cooler water temperatures, combined to weaken the storm and rip it apart. Remnant energy and moisture helped drench South Florida, with an average of 3.7 inches of rain over four days. Some areas in Broward and Miami-Dade counties reported more than 12 inches of torrential rain, and localized flooding was reported.

    Despite the October storms, a forecast of below-average rainfall for the 2011-2012 dry season is cause for caution and continued water conservation. The region may still face water shortage conditions in the spring as a result.

    For more information:

    • Latest Water Watch Briefing

    • SFWMD Weather/Rainfall Data

    • National Weather Service Dry Season Forecast

    • Climate Prediction Center FAQ on La Niña

    • Climate Prediction Center Precipitation Forecast