Adventures in Ecosystem Restoration Everglades Case Study

Transcription

1 Adventures in Ecosystem Restoration Everglades Case Study Andrew LoSchiavo U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

2 Background Restoration Problem Nutrient Implications Timeline Solutions, Progress, and Challenges Success Criteria Science Feedback to Management

3 Orlando Caloosahatchee Estuary Big Cypress National Preserve Everglades National Park Kissimmee River and Floodplain Lake Okeechobee Ft. Myers Miami St. Lucie Estuary & Indian River Lagoon Water Conservation Areas Biscayne Bay National Park Florida Bay South Florida Everglades Ecosystem Area - 18,000 square miles Population today million

4 An Ecosystem in Trouble.

5 When was Nutrient Problem Discovered? Agriculture and urban growth expanded greatly between 1960 and Lake Okeechobee Algal Bloom and Cattail Invasion in Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR) Research in 1980s and 1990s spurred understanding of nutrients role in Everglades

6 Nutrients Role in Shaping Everglades South Florida Ecosystem is connected with a nutrient gradient running North to South Nutrients of Concern: Phosphorus Nitrogen Chloride Sulfur and Mercury Phosphorus cascade of ecological change Periphyton Oligotrophic to Eutrophic Species Cattail encroachment in sloughs

7 Nutrient Input in Everglades was Historically Low Lake Okeechobee (LO) (40ppb) LO overflows assimilated into pond apple forests (20-40 ppb) and sawgrass plains (17 ppb) Water Quality (WQ) Total Phosphorus (TP) concentrations ( ) ppb in Everglades interior, and Total Nitrogen (TN) ( ) ppb Natural rain input estimates (10 ppb to 30 ppb) NRC, 2010 Report

8 Nutrient Status Before Action Area LO 328* WCA WCA WCA ENP 10.6 TP Water Column SFER, 2011 * LO data from TP Soils Bruland, et al., 2007

9 Nutrient Induced Vegetation Change Rutchey, acres acres Diff - acres Total Cattail 49,100 79,934 30,834 Other 531, ,389-30,834 Total 580, ,324 0 Legend Cattail Gain Cattail - No change Cattail Loss Other

10 WQ Problem Recognized By Law - Policy 1987 Florida Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Florida Statute Chapter U.S. sued state of Florida for not cleaning waters flowing into Everglades National Park (ENP) and LNWR 1992 Consent Decree agreement State commitment to protect WQ flowing to ENP and LNWR Interim and long-term P limits Remedial measures Research and monitoring program Contingencies for enforcement

11 Solutions Part 1 for Nutrients Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Best Management Practices (BMPs) Interim (10% reduction) and long-term (25%) Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) 35,000 acres (original goal); 45,000 acres actual, soon to be 56,000 acres

12 Science Behind Criteria 1994 Everglades Forever Act - need numeric criteria McCormick, et al., 1999; Payne, et al., 2001, 2002, 2003; Richardson, 2007 (Different view) Noe et al., 2001 Limestone removes and sequesters P (abiotic process) Large extent of wetlands, low input from periphery, main input of nutrients from precipitation (ombrotrophic) Vegetation takes up P rapidly and conserves Everglades plants (Cladium, Eleocharis) grown in P limited environment

13 Monitoring and Compliance Process Four Part Test (1) five-year geometric mean is less than or equal to 10 part per billion (ppb), (2) annual geometric mean averaged across all stations is less than or equal to 11 ppb, (3) annual geometric mean averaged across all stations is less than or equal to 10 ppb for three of five years, and (4) annual geometric mean at individual stations is less than or equal to 15 ppb (FAC ).

14 2000 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Plan 68 components to be implemented over 35 years including the following features: Surface Water Storage Reservoirs Aquifer Storage & Recovery Stormwater Treatment Areas Seepage Management Removing Barriers to Sheetflow Wastewater Reuse Operational Changes

15 2003 Amendment to Everglades Forever Act Technology-based effluent limitations through Best Available Phosphorus Reduction Technology (STA discharges) WQ based effluent limitations postponed to 2016 Moderating provision for already impacted areas where soil is 500 mg/kg

16 Progress on Controlling Nutrients Best Management Practices Reduced TP loads entering system by 50%. TP Water Column Inflows Area LO 328* WCA WCA WCA ENP SFER, 2011 STA acreage 45,000, additional 11,000 acres planned

17 Challenges in Controlling Nutrients BMP limitation STA loading Maintaining vegetation New treatment technology limited Loss of landscape features that concentrate nutrients

18 Restoration Challenges Progress made on edges of Everglades not central portion Cost Share Limitations Planning assumption that water for restoration distribution would meet state standards WQ a constraint not objective Incidental WQ benefits storage and flow equalization; seepage management Achieving water quality and quantity goals in a timely manner

19 Delaying Water Quantity Goals Damaging high flows to Northern Estuaries continue Lack of flow and water continues to impact Greater Everglades landscape structure and species that live there. 600,000 acre-ft long-term annual average limit on water to WCA 3A via STA 3/4 is the assumption. Flows to FL Bay less than half of predrainage

20 Nutrients Predictive Tools Dynamic Model for Stormwater Treatment Areas (DMSTA) STA and link to Reservoirs Everglades Landscape Model (ELM) Biogeochemical whole landscape

21 Nutrients Monitoring and Assessment P Rule WQ monitoring network STA monitoring, EAA monitoring RE-MAP System-wide TP soils Periphyton and trophic-level interaction Vegetation mapping (Cattail) Ridge and slough landscape patterning and nutrients Tree island nutrients

22 Science Feedback to Management Technical Oversight Committee Adaptive Management Process Performance measure updates New science (existing conditions, future conditions, how system works) Flexibility and robustness plans, designs, and implementation Test new management actions Monitor feedback on status of system and adjustments

23 Solutions Nutrients Part 2 Headwaters project and ranch farmer partnerships Muck removal Central Everglades storage, treatment, distribution STA improvements Aquifer Storage and Recovery Vegetation management and Tree island creation

24 Questions?