Acceler8

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Acceler8

• Stepping Up the Pace
• to Restore Americas Everglades
• Tommy Strowd, PE, Assistant Deputy Executive
  Director

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Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)

• Congressional and Legislative authorization in
  2000
• Purpose to revitalize the Everglades ecosystem
  by restoring and enhancing the performance of the
  Central Southern Florida Project
• Comprised of 54 projects (60 components)
• Federal/State partnership - 8.4 billion

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Master ImplementationSequencing Plan

• Identifies order in which projects need to be
  constructed to best achieve objectives of CERP
• Groups projects into series of bands
• Priority Complete Band 1 projects as quickly as
  possible

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What is Acceler8?
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Energizes Partnership
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Acceler8
Achieves Restoration Goals Faster

• CERP projects with PIRs already under way
• Provides approximately 50 of planned CERP
  surface water storage
• Earlier improvements in water quality
• Reduces excess stormwater deliveries to estuaries
• Earlier improvements in Lake Okeechobee habitat
• Earlier improvements in water flow and timing to
  the natural system
• Provides greater flood control and water supply
  management flexibility

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Everglades RestorationAccelerated Projects
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C-44 Reservoir/STA

• PURPOSE/BENEFITS
• Capture local C-44 basin runoff and return to the
  C-44 (St. Lucie) canal when there is a need to
  attenuate the timing of the flows into the St.
  Lucie Estuary
• Capture local C-44 basin runoff and treat some or
  all of it via sedimentation and natural
  transformation of nutrients, and return it to the
  C-44 canal to achieve water quality benefits for
  the Estuary
• Provide public access and recreation
  opportunities
• REAL ESTATE 96 acquired

• DESCRIPTION
• A 3,400 acre above ground reservoir approximately
  15 feet deep (50,200 acre-feet) to capture local
  C-44 basin runoff with 6,200 acres of Stormwater
  Treatment Areas.
• This Acceler8 project is a component of the
  Indian River Lagoon South (IRL-S) Project
  Implementation Report (PIR) and is located in
  southern Martin County, adjacent to the C-44
  canal, between Lake Okeechobee and the coast.

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C-43 West Reservoir

• PURPOSE/BENEFITS
• Capture and store stormwater runoff from the C-43
  basin, reducing excess water flow to the
  Caloosahatchee Estuary
• Capture and store regulatory releases from Lake
  Okeechobee, reducing discharges to coastal
  estuaries
• Improve the salinity balance for the
  Caloosahatchee Estuary by controlling peak flows
  during the wet season and providing essential
  flows during the dry season.
• Provide an additional source of water to meet
  irrigation needs and urban demands after
  restoration needs are met
• Provide public access and recreation
  opportunities
• REAL ESTATE 100 acquired

• DESCRIPTION
• This project will comprise a significant portion
  of the total water storage requirement for the
  C-43 basin. The Acceler8 project consists of an
  above-ground reservoir located south of the
  Caloosahatchee River and west of the Ortona lock
  (S-78). Storage capacity is approx 170,000
  acre-feet. Water depth will vary from 12-26 feet.
  The reservoir will be constructed on an
  11,000-acre parcel in Hendry County, west of
  LaBelle.

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EAA Reservoir A-1 with Bolles Canal Improvements

• PURPOSE/BENEFITS
• Capture, move and store regulatory releases from
  Lake Okeechobee, reducing discharges to coastal
  estuaries
• Capture, move and store agricultural stormwater
  runoff, reducing the need for backpumping into
  Lake Okeechobee
• Additional water available to meet Everglades and
  agricultural water demands, lessening water
  supply dependency on Lake Okeechobee
• Improve operational flexibility to move water
  within the EAA, including optimization of Storm
  Water Treatment Areas (STAs)
• Improve flood protection for lands adjacent to
  Bolles Canal
• Provide public access and recreation
  opportunities
• REAL ESTATE 100 acquired

• DESCRIPTION
• Above ground 190,000 acre-feet storage reservoir
  in the southern region of the Everglades
  Agricultural Area (EAA)
• Conveyance capacity increases for Bolles Canal

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EAA STA Expansion

• PURPOSE/BENEFITS
• Further reduce phosphorus levels and help achieve
  state water quality standards for the Everglades
• Improve existing STAs ability to remove
  pollutants prior to discharge into the Everglades
• Provide operational flexibility for directing
  flows to optimize STA performance in improving
  water quality entering the Everglades
• Provide public access and recreation
  opportunities
• REAL ESTATE 100 acquired

• DESCRIPTION
• Expand the size and enhance the performance of
  existing Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs)
• Expand STA-2 with a new 2,000-acre Cell 4 and
  expand STA-5 by 2,560 acres by Dec 2006.
• Conduct regional feasibility study to determine
  optimal configuration of treatment works in
  remaining land of Compartments B and C.

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Water Preserve Areas

• PURPOSE/BENEFITS
• Divert urban runoff into impoundments
• Improve hydropatterns in the Water Conservation
  Areas Everglades National Park
• Enhance and increase spatial extent of wetlands
• Reduce seepage of pristine water from the
  Everglades provide a buffer between natural and
  developed areas
• Reduce the amount of excess water discharged to
  tide and lost to the system
• Provide supplemental water supply deliveries and
  aquifer recharge
• Provide temporary offline water storage for flood
  protection
• Provide public access and recreation
  opportunities
• REAL ESTATE 98 acquired

• DESCRIPTION
• Site 1
• C-9 C-11 Impoundments
• Acme Basin B Discharge
• WCA 3A 3B Levee Seepage Mgmt
• Projects consist of above ground impoundments, a
  wetland buffer strip, pump stations, culverts,
  canals, water control structures and seepage
  control systems

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Biscayne Bay - Phase ICoastal Wetlands

• PURPOSE/BENEFITS
• Restore the quantity, quality, timing and
  distribution of fresh water to Biscayne Bay and
  Biscayne National Park
• Improve salinity distribution near the shoreline,
  which will re-establish productive nursery
  habitat for shrimp and shellfish
• Capture, treat and re-distribute freshwater
  runoff from the watershed into Biscayne Bay,
  creating more natural water deliveries
• Expand spatial extent and connectivity of
  coastal wetlands
• Provide improved recreational opportunities in
  Biscayne Bay and adjacent wetlands
• REAL ESTATE 70 acquired

• DESCRIPTION
• This Acceler8 project is a component of a larger
  project that will expand the wetlands adjacent to
  Biscayne Bay in Miami-Dade County, enhancing the
  ecological health of Biscayne National Park.
  This project consists of the design and
  construction of two essential flow-ways, located
  atDeering Estates and Cutler Ridge.

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C-111 Spreader Canal Phase I

• PURPOSE/BENEFITS
• Provide more natural sheet flow to Florida Bay by
  eliminating harmful point source discharges of
  fresh water through C-111
• Re-hydrate and re-establish sheet flow and hydro
  patterns that will sustain ecosystems in the
  Southern Glades and Model Lands
• Restore the quantity, quality, timing and
  distribution of fresh water to estuarine systems
  of Manatee Bay and Barnes Sound
• Provide public access and recreation
  opportunities
• REAL ESTATE 73 acquired

• DESCRIPTION
• This Acceler8 project is a multipurpose project
  that provides for ecosystem restoration of
  freshwater wetlands, tidal wetlands and
  near-shore habitat, maintenance of flood
  protection, and recreation opportunities.
  Located in south Miami-Dade County, project works
  include a pump station, culverts, spreader canal,
  water control structures and water quality
  enhancements at Ludlum Slough. In addition, an
  existing canal and levee will be degraded to
  enhance sheetflow across the restored area.

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Picayune Strand Restoration(Southern Golden Gate
Estates)

• PURPOSE/BENEFITS
• Restore and enhance the wetlands in Picayune
  Strand and in adjacent public lands by reducing
  over-drainage
• Restore a natural sheet flow to Ten Thousand
  Islands National Wildlife Refuge
• Significantly increase the size of wetlands and
  improve major wetland ecosystems
• Improve water quality and reduce volume of water
  delivered to coastal estuaries
• Maintain existing flood protection for Northern
  Golden Gate Estates and adjacent private
  properties
• Provide public access and recreation
  opportunities
• REAL ESTATE 97 acquired

• DESCRIPTION
• Restoring natural water flow across 85 square
  miles in western Collier County that were drained
  for development. The projects includes three
  pump stations with spreader canals, 83 canal
  plugs and 227 miles of road removal. Levees will
  provide flood protection to adjacent propoerties.

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How will Acceler8be accomplished?
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Acceler8 Funding

• Certificates of Participation
• Authorized under Florida Statute 373.584
• Provides for immediate up-front funding as
  opposed to pay as you go
• Utilizes existing revenues
• Type of financing also used by counties, school
  districts
• State/Local Economic Impact
• Significant infusion of construction dollars next
  5 years
• Creates business and employment opportunities

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Certificates of Participation (COPs)
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Acceler8 Management
Senior Leadership Executive
Office of Policy Legal Affairs
Program Director
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Policy Permit Support
Department of the Interior
Technical Review
Program Managers
Other Partners
Technical Services
Program Support