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Corps awards second major contract for Picayune Strand Restoration Project
Groundbreaking
set for Feb. 18 |
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District continued its progress in Everglades restoration this past November, when it awarded a construction contract for the Faka Union Canal Pump Station, part of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project in Collier County.
The $79 million contract was awarded to Harry Pepper and Associates of Jacksonville, Fla., to construct a pump station, continue plugging the Faka Union Canal and remove 100 miles of roadway. Construction will start in early 2011 and take about three years to complete. In October 2009 a similar contract for $53 million was awarded to Pepper for the Merritt Canal phase of the project.
The Picayune Strand project area includes 55,000 acres of native Florida wetlands and uplands located between Alligator Alley (Interstate 75) and the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) in the southwestern corner of the state. When complete, the entire project will include three spreader canals, three pump stations, more than 100 canal plugs, roadways and levees.
The land was formerly a privately-owned subdivision called Southern Golden Gate Estates. Decades ago, the development’s canal excavation and road construction disrupted the natural water flow and over-drained the area, which led to reduced aquifer recharge, greatly increased freshwater discharges to southern estuaries, and increased invasion of upland and non-native vegetation. This also caused the loss of ecological connectivity and habitat expanses sufficient to support the endangered Florida panther and other wildlife. In 1974, Collier County commissioned the first study to determine how to reverse the impacts of the failed development.
The project is nearly surrounded by public lands including the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Collier-Seminole State Park and the Picayune Strand State Forest.
In the 1980s, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection began land acquisition that ultimately cost about $250 million. To expedite restoration, the South Florida Water Management District(SFWMD) moved ahead with an effort to plug the northern seven miles of the Prairie Canal, remove about 200 miles of roadways adjacent to the canal, and clear exotic plant species from the canal banks. They completed this work in 2006. The SFWMD also moved forward with much of the design effort and completed construction on one of four phases of road removal.
The Corps of Engineers and its partners are planning a Picayune Strand groundbreaking celebration Feb. 18. Please stay tuned for more information on the project and upcoming groundbreaking or click here.
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| Scoping meetings planned for Kissimmee Chain of Lakes operation schedule |
In partnership with the South Florida Water Management District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District will host two scoping meetings in early February for a new Kissimmee Chain of Lakes operational schedule. This is to support the Kissimmee River Restoration Project.
Once completed, the project will include 43 continuous miles of twisting and turning river, 40 square-miles of restored river and floodplain habitats, and 27,000 acres of rehydrated wetlands. The project is well under way now, and the Corps anticipates construction completion in 2014.
As part of the restoration project, water managers will modify the operational schedule for the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, at the headwaters of the river, to reestablish more natural timing and flow of water. The new operational schedule will begin once the river construction project nears completion.
The Corps of Engineers is holding two scoping meetings: one in the upper basin which includes the chain of lakes and tributary streams, and one in the lower basin which includes the river and floodplain. The purpose of the meetings is to describe the project’s scope, the timeframe, and take public comment at this early stage. Within a year, the Corps anticipates making a report available with alternatives for the chain of lakes operational schedule. A final report and environmental impact statement is expected in two years. Additional public meetings will be held throughout the process and documents will be posted online for review.
For more information, contact Project Manager Tiphanie Jinks at tiphanie.c.jinks@usace.army.mil or 904-232-1548, or click here.
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| Public meeting planned for Everglades Restoration Transition Plan |
A public meeting is tentatively scheduled Feb. 14 to 18 for the Everglades Restoration Transition Plan, Phase 1. This will replace the biological opinion for the 2006 Interim Operational Plan for the protection of the Cape Sable seaside sparrow, which expired in November.
The first phase of this new transition plan will manage water flows in Water Conservation Area 3 for the benefit of multiple animal species, especially the seaside sparrow, the wood stork and the Everglade snail kite and for the benefit of tree islands, while continuing to support Central & Southern Florida Project goals.
Phase 1 of the Everglades Restoration Transition Plan is a temporary measure until a more permanent water control plan is developed through the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The transition plan’s goals are to manage water flows for the benefit of multiple species, use more real time data to provide added flexibility, and monitor results to apply to future operational plans. The Everglades Restoration Transition Plan was developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The public meeting will be held to take comments on the new biological opinion, environmental impact statement (EIS), and water control plan. The Corps will also post the documents online for comment.
For more information, visit www.saj.usace.army.mil, www.evergladesplan.org or contact Project Manager Donna George at 904-232-1766 or donna.s.george@usace.army.mil.
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| Everglades leaders gather in January |
The 26th annual Everglades Coalition Conference will take place Jan. 6 to 9 in Weston, Fla. About 300 environmentalists, agency leaders and staff, students, and others are expected at this important yearly gathering about the greater Everglades ecosystem.
This year’s theme focuses on moving forward together. It seems quite appropriate, as within the past 14 months three Everglades restoration projects have broken ground. Each one – the Tamiami Trail, Picayune Strand Restoration, and Site 1 Impoundment – represents a collaborative effort on the part of multiple agencies and organizations.
The conference features two days of sessions and speakers on many varied topics, and field trips on the final day. Key federal and state leaders are expected to be among the keynote speakers and presenters. For additional information, click here.
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| Kwanzaa screensaver connects to River of Grass |
Pambazuka nini leo?
What brightens your day?
These are the first words in a new 2010 Kwanzaa screensaver produced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District. Approximately 250 screensavers on disk were provided at community events in Miami-Dade County in late December. The screensaver also is available online for free download.
This is the sixth consecutive year the Corps has produced a screensaver connecting the principles of Kwanzaa to the restoration of the Everglades. It is a way to help raise awareness of the importance of the Everglades and its protection among residents of central and south Florida.
The screensaver is in large demand each year by community groups in Miami-Dade County which sponsor Kwanzaa activities and events.
Kwanzaa began in 1966 to promote African American culture. It is a celebration of family, community and culture, which is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 each year. Each day, participants light a candle to reflect upon one of seven principles of Kwanzaa. They include umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility) and others. Kwanzaa principles are described in Swahili, an east African language, and English.
To download the free screensaver (and learn what brightens our day), click here. For more information, call 305-948-8063.
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