Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Everglades Hydrology
Competing Water Management
Goals and Climate Change
Water Sustainability and Climate Change Workshop
March 2, 2013
Presentation Outline
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South Florida Ecosystem
Kissimmee-OkeechobeeEverglades Watershed
(10,900 mi2 / 28,200 km2).
The watershed extends
310 mi/450 km from north
to south and 62 mi/100
km east to west.
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Key Drivers of the Hydrologic
Evolution of the Everglades
Lake Okeechobee : Managing for
a Natural Lake or Water Supply
Reservoir
Balancing Everglades Water
Quality & Water Flow (the EAA)
Restoring Sheetflow and Marsh
Connectivity in the WCAs & ENP
Balancing Everglades Seepage
Mgmt. and Protection of Urban
Water Supply/Flooding
Colored boundary corresponds with the South Florida Water Management District, and the
dark green and dark blue areas represent publicly managed lands/waters.
Key Drivers of Water Management Changes
Private Drainage Projects through the
Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) Project
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Reconstructed Pre-drainage Landscapes,
source: McVoy et. al., 2011.
Swamplands Act (1850) 20 million acres
deeded for drainage/reclaimation
Navigation/Drainage (1890’s)
Caloosahatchee River Connection
Drainage (1910 – 1920’s)
Four Major East Coast Canals
Drainage/Flood Control (1915 – 1930’s)
Herbert Hoover Dike/Saint Lucie Canal
Urban Flood Control (1950’s)
Eastern Protective Levee System
Agricultural Flood Control (1950’s)
Everglades Agricultural Area Levees
Urban Water Supply (1960’s)
Water Conservation Area Levees
Environ./Ag. Water Supply (1980’s)
South Dade Conveyance System
Source: Light and Dineen, 1994
Changes in Landscape Patterns
Pre-Drainage
(1890’s)
Ag. & Urban Expansion
(1970’s)
Early Development
(1950’s)
Source: Renken et al. 2000
Current Build-Out
(1990’s)
Topographic Changes in the Everglades
Generalized Pre-drainage Topography,
source: McVoy et. al., 2011.
Generalized Topography in 1940,
source: McVoy et. al., 2011.
Current Landscapes and Water Management
• Lake Okeechobee multipurpose reservoir,
covers 730 mi2 and has a storage capacity
of 2,250,000 acre-feet, enclosed by the
Herbert Hoover Dike.
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Current Post-drainage Landscape,
source: SFWMD.
Everglades Agricultural Area cover 700,000
acres. Annual water supply demands are
approx. 350,000 ac-ft and approx. 1,160,000
ac-ft are discharged for flood protection.
Water Conservation Areas multipurpose
reservoirs, remnant Everglades, cover
1,370 mi2 and have a storage capacity of
1,880,000 ac-ft.
Lower East Coast urban areas, receive
approx. 980,000 ac-ft of groundwater
seepage from the Everglades, 280,000 ac-ft
of water supply deliveries, and discharge
approx. 3,190,000 ac-ft to tide or the
Everglades for flood protection.
Everglades National Park protected area
covering 1,500,000 acres, receives approx.
975,000 ac-ft of surface water deliveries,
with outflows to tide of approx. 1,860,000
ac-ft.
Source: SFWMD, 2000B2 water budget.
Alterations in Surface Water Flows
(Volumes and Timing)
Shark
River
Slough
GOAL: Begin to restore the hydrologic
connection between Lake Okeechobee and the
Everglades.
River of Grass Restoration Planning
Workshops, source: SFWMD, 2010.
REQUIREMENTS: Increased upstream water
storage and water quality treatment.
Management of Lake Okeechobee
• Historically, Lake Okeechobee served as
the hydrologic link between the riverine
and upland habitats in the Kissimmee
watershed and the Everglades wetlands
and downstream estuaries, moderating the
effects of droughts and floods.
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Today the Lake is managed to balance the
needs of the Lake’s natural resources,
protect the integrity of the HH Dike, and
provide water supply deliveries to the Lake
Okeechobee Service Area.
Lake Stage 12 feet
Volume 2.72 M ac-ft
Lake Stage 15 feet
Volume 3.98 M ac-ft
Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation
High Lake Okeechobee water levels
in 2004/2005 raised concerns over
the integrity of the 143-mile long
Herbert Hoover Dike, leading to a
reduction in operational levels in
2007.
A new Lake Okeechobee Operational
Schedule (LORS 2008) was put in
place to protect the HHD and
improve the health of the Lake’s
nearshore and littoral zones.
The HH Dike Rehabilitation project has replaced 3 aging
water control structures and constructed 21 miles of
cutoff walls, at a cost just over $300M.
Balancing Water Quality and Water Flow
(the EAA & Water Quality Challenges)
The Everglades wetlands were naturally
oligotrophic with total phosphorus
concentrations less than 10 parts per
billion (ppb).
Excessive nutrients in the stormwater
leaving the Everglades Agricultural Area
have caused documented imbalances in
native flora & fauna. In 1988 the Federal
government sued the State of Florida for
water quality violations within Everglades
N.P. and the Lox. National Wildlife Refuge.
A settlement was reached in 1992.
GOAL: Improve the quality of stormwater
entering the Everglades, to allow the
restoration of sheetflow and marsh
connectivity.
Current Water Quality Protection Initiatives
Everglades Construction Project (ECP) Began
in 1994, to reduce TP concentrations and
loads from the EAA to protect the Everglades.
57,000 acres of Stormwater Treatment Areas
(STAs) and agricultural BMPs have lowered
TP to 19-58 ppb, with load reductions of 7080% EAA-wide.
Florida’s Phosphorus Rule In 2002 the State
set a Total Phosphorus Limit at 10 ppb to
protect the Everglades from imbalances in
native flora/fauna.
Flows and TP in Shark River Slough
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Planned Everglades Water Quality Projects
Restoration Strategies
2012-2016
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Eastern Flow-Path: 45,000
acre-foot Flow
Equalization Basin
2012-2016
2013-2018
Lake
Okeechobee
New
FEB
Central Flow-Path: 54,000
acre-foot Flow
Equalization Basin
New
STA
2013-2018
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2018-2024
Eastern Flow-Path: 4,700
acres of Stormwater
Treatment Area (STA)
WCA-1
2018-2024
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Eastern Flow-Path: 1,800
acres of STA (2018-2022)
Western Flow-Path: 11,000
acre-foot Flow
Equalization Basin (20182023)
Western Flow-Path: 800
acres of earthwork within
existing STAs to maximize
effective treatment area
(2019-2024)
STA
1E
STA
1W
New FEB and
STA Earthwork
New
FEB
STA
5/6
New
STA
Loxahatchee
National
Wildlife
Refuge
STA-2
STA-3/4
WCA-2A
WCA-3A
Alterations in Surface Water Flows
(Spatial Patterns and Directionality)
Pre-Drainage Flows (NSRSM)
Existing Condition Flows (RSMGL/ECB)
source: McVoy et. al., 2011.
Alterations in Surface Water Flows
(Water Depths & Flooding Durations)
GOAL: Redistribute surface water more uniformly by removing barriers to sheetflow.
Source: Everglades Depth Estimation Network, USGS.
Surface Water Flow Volumes in the Everglades
Wet Year
Drier Year
GOAL: Capture excess water, and return it to the Natural & Built System.
Source: Primary Water Budgets, DOI.
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)
“Yellow Book” Included 68
Major Components
Orlando
 Surface Water Storage Reservoirs
(170,000 acres, with 560,000 ac-ft storage capacity)
 In-ground Reservoirs (11,000 ac, 330,000 ac-ft)
 Aquifer Storage & Recovery wells (4,080,000 ac-ft)
 Stormwater Treatment Areas (36,000 acres)
 Wastewater Reuse plants (260,000 ac-ft)
 Removal of over 240 miles of canals, levees XXXXX
 Groundwater Seepage Management (80 miles)
 Rainfall-Driven Water Management Operations
Total Projected Cost $19.5 Billion in 2010 Dollars
(Includes Foundation & CERP Projects)
Lake
Okeechobee
West
Palm
Beach
Ft. Myers
Big Cypress
National
Preserve
Everglades
National
Park
Florida
Bay
Fort
Lauderdale
Miami
Seepage Management
Features & Benefits
• Reduce groundwater seepage
losses from the Everglades.
• Capture & store excess
Everglades
Agricultural
Area
stormwater in the Lower East
Coast currently going to tide.
• Retaining water in the natural
system increases the spatial
extent of Everglades wetlands
(increases water depths and
flooding durations).
• Careful operations balance,
insufficient seepage mgmt. could
increase harmful wet season
stages, while excessive seepage
mgmt. could reduce groundwater
recharge in the dry season.
Strazzulla
Wetlands
Lox.
NWR
WCA-2A
WCA-3A
760
WCA
3B
ENP Seepage Mgmt.
220
Modified WD,
C-111 SD,
C-111 SC
Seepage Estimates in 1,000 ac-ft from SFWMM, 2000B2..
Central Everglades Planning Project
Next CERP Increment
298K Habitat Units
Cost Effective
293K Habitat Units
Not Cost Effective
317K Habitat Units
Not Cost Effective
339K Habitat Units
Cost Effective
Alt. 1 Avg. Annual Cost $74 M, $250K/HU, Alt. 4 Avg. Annual Cost $84 M, $247K/HU
Tentatively Selected Plan (ALT4R)
EVERGLADES
AGRICULTURAL
AREA
WCA
1
A-2
A-1
G-206
S-8
WCA
2
L-5
L-28
WCA
3A
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L-33
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S-345D
S-345F/G
S-333
Tamiami Trail
L-67 Ext
EVERGLADES
NATIONAL
PARK
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I-75
WATER
CONSERVATION
AREAS
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WCA L-30
3B
L-29
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S-335
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S-356
S-334
G-211
C-2
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STORAGE AND TREATMENT
Construct A-2 FEB and integrate with A-1 FEB operations
Lake Okeechobee operation refinements within LORS 2008
DISTRIBUTION/CONVEYANCE
Diversion of L-6 flows and L-5 canal improvements
Spreader canal ~3 miles long, west of S-8 (3,000 cfs)
Backfill Miami Canal from ~1.5 miles south of S-8 to I-75
L-28 Triangle – gap levee
DISTRIBUTION/CONVEYANCE
Increase S-333 capacity to 2,500 cfs
Two 500 cfs gated structures in L-67A, spoil removal west of
L-67A north and south of structures
Relocated L-67A levee to form L-67D Tieback levee in WCA 3B
Degrade L-67C levee in L-67D flowway
One 500 cfs gated structure north of Blue Shanty levee and 6,000-ft gap
in L-67C levee
Degrade L-29 levee in L-67D flowway, divide structure east of
L-67D Tieback levee at terminus of western bridge
Tamiami Trail western 2.6 mile bridge, aligned with L-29 levee removal,
and L-29 canal DHW raised to 9.7 ft (FUTURE WORK BY OTHERS)
Degrade lower 1.5 miles of L-67 extension levee, backfill canal
SEEPAGE MANAGEMENT
Increase S-356 to 1,000 cfs
Partial depth seepage barrier south of Tamiami Trail 4 miles along L-31N
G-211 operational refinements; meet Savings Clause requirements and
use coastal canals to convey seepage eastward to Biscayne Bay
FEB
STA
Backfill
Pump
Levee Removal
Seepage Barrier
Divide
Spreader Canal
Gated Structure
Levee