The South Florida
Watershed
Kevin Carter,
Office of Everglades Policy
and Coordination,
South Florida Water
Management District
kecarter@sfwmd.gov,
phone: 561-682-6949
Our Florida Reefs Community
Working Group Meetings
April 22nd and April 28th, 2014
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Presentation Overview
 Central & South Florida Flood Control System (CS+F):
 History, Scale, and Complexity
 Restoration at the Watershed Scale:
 CERP, Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
 CEPP, Central Everglades Planning Project
 RS, Restoration Strategies
 NEEPP, Northern Everglades + Estuaries Protection Program
(hint: you will learn these acronyms, test at the end )
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What does the term Watershed
mean to you?
“In the continental US,
there are 2,110 watersheds;
including Hawaii Alaska,
and Puerto Rico, there are
2,267 watersheds”
http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/
whatis.cfm
Photo from
http://www.nsrwa.org/Page.121.html
The South
Florida
Watershed
Historic
Current
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Historical Events
Leading to
Construction
of C&SF Project
 Hurricanes in 1926 and




1928 resulted in failure of
the levee around Lake
Okeechobee
Lower East Coast drought
(1931 – 1945) and saltwater
intrusion threat
Hurricane in 1947 resulted
in wide-spread flooding
throughout South Florida
State of Florida requested
Federal assistance in 1947
Congress authorized the
C&SF Project in 1948
Areas Flooded in
the 1947 Storm
Today’s SFWMD
• Lands stretch 240 miles from
Orlando to the Keys
• 18,000 sq. miles, encompassing
one of the most diverse
ecosystems in the world
• ~2,000 miles of canals
• ~2,800 miles of levees
• More than 650 water control
structures and 700 project
culverts
• Nearly 70 pump stations
• 7.7 million residents
• More than 3 million acres of
agriculture
• Protected/Managed natural
areas
www.sfwmd.gov
SFWMD Core Mission
Five Water Management Districts were
created by 1972 Water Resources Act:
 Flood Control
 Operate & maintain largest water
management system in the world
 Water Supply
 Ensure sustainable water resources for South
Florida’s environment and economy
 Natural Systems
 Protect and restore the Northern and Southern
Everglades
 Water Quality
 Improve water quality in the Everglades
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Future South Florida Watershed:
Increasing Flows to the South
Pre-drainage Flows
Managed Flows
(circa 2010)
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Future South Florida Watershed:
Increasing Flows to South (cont.)
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CERP: A Very Brief Background
 1999 – Florida Legislature gives
SFWMD authority to act as local
sponsor for all portions of C&SF
 1999: The C+SF Restudy submitted
to Congress; comprehensive plan
with more than 60 components
 2000: Florida Legislature passes act
to fund the state’s 50% cost-share
 2000: Federal Water Resources
Development Act 2000:
Rescuing an Endangered Ecosystem:
The Plan to Restore America’s Everglades
 Approves CERP as a framework for
modifying the C&SF project
 Authorizes 50-50 cost-share for CERP
implementation and O&M
 Requires approval of Project
Implementation Report for each
project
The Central and Southern Florida Project
Comprehensive Review Study (The Restudy)
July 1999
Pre-CERP Foundation Projects
►
►
►
Kissimmee River
C-111 South Dade
Modified Water Deliveries
Nearing
Completion
1st Generation CERP
►
►
►
Picayune Strand
IRL-South
Site 1 Impoundment
Under Construction
2nd Generation CERP
►
►
►
►
C-43 Reservoir
Broward County WPA
C-111 Spreader Canal
Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands
3rd Generation CERP
►
►
http://www.evergladesplan.org/
Central Everglades Planning
Project
Loxahatchee River Watershed
Restoration Project
Pending
Congressional
Authorization
Project
Planning
Central Everglades Planning Project
(CEPP)
 Increases storage, treatment and
conveyance of water south of
Lake Okeechobee
 Sends ~200,000 ac-ft of water
south from the Lake
 Removes and/or plugs canals
and levees within the central
Everglades
 Improves hydroperiod and flow
through Everglades National
Park while protecting urban and
agricultural areas to the east
from flooding
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http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20protecting%20and%20restoring/restoration%20strategies
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Northern Everglades & Estuaries
Protection Program (NEEPP)
 Foundation for the Northern
Everglades and Estuaries
Protection Program (NEEPP,
373.4595 Florida Statutes):
 Defines the three Coordinating
Agencies: SFWMD, Florida
Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services (FDACS), and
Florida Department of
Environmental Protection (FDEP)
 Watershed Protection Plans:
 Holistic watershed approach to
restoration
 Suite of projects and programs to
improve the quality of water
discharged from the watersheds
and minimize undesirable flows
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NEEPP: Example Projects
Kissimmee River Restoration
Lake Okeechobee Watershed
IRL-S Project
St. Lucie Watershed
C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir
Caloosahatchee Watershed
Dispersed Water Management
http://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20protecting%20and%20restoring/other%20everglades
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NEEPP and Water Quality Restoration
 FDEP leads water quality
restoration with its Total
Maximum Daily Load Program
(TMDL)
 FDEP collaborates with SFWMD,
FDACS and local stakeholders
 Basin Management Action Plans
(BMAPs) map the path forward
for TMDL implementation:
 St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee
Estuaries, 1st phase BMAPs
underway
 Lake Okeechobee BMAP in
planning phase
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/watersheds/bmap.htm
Florida Senate Select Committee on Indian
River Lagoon and Lake Okeechobee Basin
 The Committee, created on July 10, 2013 and led by
Senator Joe Negron, has conducted hearings to:
 Review water management policies and activities
 Assess the impact of Lake releases on the St. Lucie Estuary
 Identify options to improve basin wide water
management, including alternatives to Lake discharges
 Develop recommendations (short and long term) for
improved water management
 A Committee report was submitted November 4,
2013, to the Senate Committees on Appropriations,
Environmental Preservation, and Agriculture
http://www.flsenate.gov/Media/Topics/irllob
Discussion and Contact Information
Kevin Carter,
Office of Everglades Policy and
Coordination
South Florida Water
Management District
kecarter@sfwmd.gov,
phone: 561-682-6949
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