Stormwater Treatment Areas & Everglades Restoration. 3 rd University of Florida Water Institute Symposium

Transcription

1 Stormwater Treatment Areas & Everglades Restoration 3 rd University of Florida Water Institute Symposium February 15, 2012 Jennifer Leeds, PMP Senior Project Manager Office of Everglades Policy and Coordination South Florida Water Management District 1

2 Presentation Outline Current System Three-Part Strategy Water Quality State-Federal Partnership State Projects and Programs Focus on Water Quality Stormwater Treatment Areas 2

3 Pre-Drainage System (1850 s) Managed System (2003) 3

4 Hydrologic Changes Historic Flow Current Flow 4

5 Consequences of Current System Degradation of water quality Too much or too little water for the Everglades ecosystem Massive reductions in wading bird populations Repetitive water shortages and saltwater intrusion Declining estuary health An average of 1.7 billion gallons of water per day wasted to tide due to lack of storage capacity 5

6 Restoring America s Everglades Three-Part Strategy Part 1: Water Quality $1.8 billion total investment to date in Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) construction Implemented Best Management Practices on 640,000 acres of land Average phosphorus reduction of 55 percent over program's 16-year history More than twice the amount required by law Water leaving Lake Okeechobee 14 times cleaner by the time it enters the Everglades 6

7 Restoring America s Everglades Three-Part Strategy Part 2: State-Federal Partnership Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) Invested $2.4 billion Acquired 243,167 acres of land ($1.68 billion investment) Kick-started construction on six restoration projects ($377 million investment) Invested $54 million in science, research and monitoring Kissimmee River Restoration Acquired 103,000 acres for Kissimmee River Restoration 7

8 Restoring America s Everglades Three-Part Strategy Part 3: State Projects and Programs Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program Dispersed storage in the northern Everglades Public-private partnerships More than 100 Dispersed Water Management Projects $46 million investment in dispersed water management over next 5 years Habitat Restoration Before Storage After Storage 8

9 Focus on Part 1 Water Quality: Stormwater Treatment Areas 9

10 Everglades Forever Act 1994 Florida Legislature Construct wetlands (Stormwater Treatment Areas) to clean water entering Everglades Implement BMPs Established funding mechanism Taxes on agriculture Dedicated property taxes South Florida Water Management District constructed 56,500 acres of treatment wetlands 10

11 Combination of Pollutant Source Control and Regional Projects Pollutant Source Controls (BMPs) Regional Projects: Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) Improved Ecosystem 11

12 Everglades Stormwater Treatment Areas 12

13 Vegetation: The Foundation of Treatment Emergent vegetation provides initial treatment Submerged aquatic vegetation further reduces phosphorus concentrations Periphyton-based Stormwater Treatment Areas (PSTAs) have potential for additional treatment 13

14 Stormwater Treatment Areas Optimized Conditions 14

15 STAs Require Management, Analysis and Maintenance Highly managed and maintained wetlands Field staff: operations, maintenance, vegetation management Part of flood control system with 24/7 operations 25 pump stations and 300 water control structures Continuous monitoring of water quality, water levels and flow data to optimize performance Scientists, engineers, and operators attend weekly, bi-weekly and monthly communication and coordination meetings 15

16 Compartmentalization and Enhancements 16

17 Compartmentalization and Enhancements (cont.) 17

18 STA Treatment Performance Water Year 2011 (May 1, 2010 April 30, 2011): Received 735,000 acre-feet of water Provided 79% reduction in phosphorus load Average inflow phosphorus concentration: 94 ppb Average outflow phosphorus concentration: 20 ppb Since 1994: The period of record average outflow phosphorus concentration for all STAs is 38 ppb, with STA 3/4 discharging levels as low as 13 ppb on an annual average. Collectively, the STAs have treated more than 11 million acre-feet of water and retained approximately 1,470 metric tons of phosphorus that would have otherwise entered the Everglades 18

19 Factors Affecting STA Performance Antecedent land use Inflows Chemistry (hardness) Phosphorus concentrations Vegetation composition Soil type Topography Size / shape Hurricanes, floods, droughts Enhancement activities Regional operations Endangered Species and Migratory Birds 19

20 Stormwater Treatment Areas Dry Out - No Flow 20

21 Stormwater Treatment Areas Deep Water Excessive Flow 21

22 Enhancing Treatment and Storage Assumptions: Volume of water to Everglades Protection Area = 1.4 million acre-feet/year Ambient Water Quality = 10ppb FEB 45,000 ac-ft Scenarios: Eastern, Central and Western Flow Paths STA exp 4,700 ac STA 1W STA 1E Stormwater Treatment Area Flow Equalization Basins Earthwork within existing STAs to maximize effective treatment area STA 5 C STA 6 A1 FEB 54,000 ac-ft STA 3/4 B STA 2 B Sub-Regional Source Controls 22

23 Ongoing Challenges STAs are integral components of a complex water management system with multiple objectives and cannot be operated in isolation Continued STA expansion requires more supplemental water in dry periods Science is still being developed to understand factors affecting STA sustainability and long-term performance 23

24 Ongoing Challenges (cont.) South Florida s sub-tropical climate (hurricanes, floods, and droughts) STA off-line time for repairs, enhancements and stabilization is unavoidable Wildlife use of the STAs / Impact on Operations Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Endangered Species Act, Bald Eagle Protection Act and others 24

25 Questions? 25