St. Lucie Estuary/ Southern Indian River Lagoon Water

Resource Summary

Kathy LaMartina Regional Representative, Martin/St. Lucie Counties South Florida Water Management District

Water Resource Modifications

Historic Flow

Current Flow

Historical Problems Leading to Construction of C&SF Project

Hurricanes in 1926 and 1928

resulted in failure of the levee around Lake Okeechobee

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

Major Central and South Florida Project

Components

River Channelization

Herbert Hoover Dike

Water Conservation Areas

Protective Levees Everglades Agricultural Area

Lower East Coast

Drainage Network Salinity Structures

Martin County 2000

S-48 in Martin County

C-25 Canal in St. Lucie County

S-80 in Martin County

Florida’s Water Management Districts

Core Mission Flood Protection Water Quality Water Supply Natural Systems

South Florida

18,000 square miles

2,100 miles of canals

2,100 miles of levees

More than 600 water

control structures and

625 project culverts

70 pump stations

8.1 million residents

More than 3 million

acres of agriculture

Vast protected

natural areas

Lake Okeechobee

5,000 square mile watershed drains into the 730 square mile Lake

Water levels driven largely by climatic conditions

Serves multiple purposes: Water Supply Storage Flood Protection Unique Ecosystem Recreation

Lake Okeechobee

Inflow capacity far exceeds outflow

capacity

Lake Okeechobee Major Structures

Managed by the USACE (red )

and the SFWMD (blue )

S-79: Franklin

Lock & Dam S-78: Ortona

Lock & Dam

S-77: Moore Haven

Lock & Dam

S-71

S-72

S-65E

S-80: St. Lucie

Lock & Dam

S-308: Port Mayaca

Lock & Dam

S-354

S-351

S-352

C-10A

Lake Release

at S-77

Lake Release

at S-308

C-43 Basin

Runoff C-44

Basin

Runoff

Typical Lake Okeechobee & Estuary Flows

During Wet Periods

S-79 Discharge to

Caloosahatchee

Estuary

Lake

Inflows

S-80 Discharge to

St. Lucie Estuary

EAA

Runoff

Lake

Release

through

EAA to

WCAs (via

STAs) &/or

to tide

SFWMD Wet Season Rainfall

May 18 2013 – October 15, 2013

DISTRICT-WIDE: 39.05” (117% of Avg, or +5.58”)

Wet Season Started ~May 18th

All basins more than 100 percent of average

April-July was very wet

April-August period was second wettest in 81-yr record (1947 was wettest by 0.37”)

SFWMD Dry Season Rainfall

November 2015– January 2016

DISTRICT-WIDE: 16.22” (300% of Avg, or +10.81”)

Dry season lasts through May averaging 18” or less

Jan. record 9.18” - 7.25” above the historical average or 476 percent of average

Nov. – Jan. period was wettest since record keeping began in 1932

2013

Hurricane Season Jun-Nov

2013 Discharges to the St. Lucie Estuary

22

Does not include runoff from tidal basin or groundwater

Data through Sep 30th

WCA water levels

STA treatment capability

Protected species

EAA Flood Control

WCA levee integrity

Water levels in NE Shark River

Slough

S-12 discharge capacity

Constraints Limiting Discharges South

Water Discharges to St. Lucie Estuary 1979-2015

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1400000

1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

Annual Total Discharges (Thousand Acre Feet)

S-80 S-97 S-49

Annual Average Phosphorus Concentration

0.000

0.050

0.100

0.150

0.200

0.250

0.300

0.350

0.400

0.450

1979

198

019

81

198

219

83

198

419

85

198

619

87

198

819

89

199

019

91

199

219

93

199

419

95

199

619

97

199

819

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

20

102

011

20

122

013

20

142

015

Total Phosphorus (Milligrams per Liter)

C-44 SC-23 C-24

28

C-23 Canal 2000 - 2005

Flow & T-PO4 Flow Weighted Mean

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

100000

2000 J

an

Ap

r

Ju

l

Oct

2001 J

an

Ap

r

Ju

l

Oct

2002 J

an

Ap

r

Ju

l

Oct

2003 J

an

Ap

r

Ju

l

Oct

2004 J

an

Ap

r

Ju

l

Oct

2005 J

an

Ap

r

Ju

l

Oct

Flo

w (

ac/f

t)

0.000

0.100

0.200

0.300

0.400

0.500

0.600

0.700

0.800

T-P

O4 (

mg

/l)

Flow

T-PO4

Salinity Conditions

June 30, 2013 July 30, 2013

Areas Not Modeled

Areas Not Modeled

Salinity Tolerances of Oysters

Juveniles: Mortality after 7 days at < 5

Adults: Mortality after 28 days at < 5

Peacock Ranch in St. Lucie County

Peacock Ranch in St. Lucie County

Peacock Ranch in St. Lucie County

Elkcam Waterway in St. Lucie County

Martin Downs Country Club in Martin County

Port St. Lucie

Solutions

Total Maximum Daily Load – Establishes Water Quality Standards for Impaired Water Bodies Addresses agricultural and urban runoff

Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP)

Regional and Local Restoration Efforts

Alternative Storage

Outreach Efforts Zero-phosphorus fertilizers; urban best management practices

Salerno Creek in Martin County

Platts Creek in St. Lucie County

July 1, 1999, Secretary of the Army and State of Florida Presented plan to Congress.

Approved by Congress as the Framework for Everglades Restoration in the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (WRDA 2000)

$

Project

Cost Sharing

50% Federal

$

50% State

Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan

Restore and improve quality, quantity, timing and flow of water.

Provide sustainable water supply to meet environmental, agricultural and urban needs.

Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan

Loxahatchee River Restoration

C-111 Spreader Canal C-44 Stormwater

Treatment Area

CERP – The Goal

Includes 68 components to be implemented over 35 years.

Features include:

Aquifer Storage & Recovery Surface Water Storage

Reservoirs Stormwater Treatments

Areas Seepage Management Removing Barriers to

Sheetflow Operational Changes Reuse Wastewater

Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan

Before

After

Restored

Success

Restoration Works – Kissimmee River

Indian River Lagoon South

Authorized Components:

C-44 Reservoir & STA • 3,400 acre reservoir –

50,600 acre feet • 6,300 acre STA (6 cells)

C-23/24 Reservoirs & STA • N/S Reservoirs -

~100,000 acre feet • 2,500 acre STA – 4 cells

C-25 Reservoir/STA • 741 acre Reservoir –

5,900 acre feet • 163 acre STA

~ 90,000 acres Natural Water Storage & Treatment Area (NWSTA)

Improve habitat quality in estuarine ecosystems

Improve functional quality of wetland ecosystems

Improve water quality Maintain existing level of flood control Maintain or improve water supply for urban

and agricultural use. Maintain healthy ecosystem that supports

recreational and commercial interests

Indian River Lagoon South (IRLS)

48

Status

Corps constructing reservoir

State funding expediting construction of C-44 STA

C-44 STA

C-44 Reservoir

C-44 Reservoir & STA

Natural Lands Component

Natural Lands Status

Wetland restoration under way

• Allapattah Flats

• Turnpike Dairy

• Williamson Ranch

~13,000 acres under landowner agreements with NRCS – WRP

Key restoration activities

• Ditch blocks

• Water control structures

• Low-level berms

Allapattah Flats

Dispersed Water Management

87,000 acre feet of storage achieved

99,000 acre feet of additional storage approved December 2014

Central Everglades Planning Project

Increase storage, treatment and conveyance of water south of Lake Okeechobee Sends 200,000 ac-feet 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

20-Year Commitment to Everglades Restoration

Dedicated source of funding

$5 billion in state funding over he next 20 years

$4 billion in matching federal funds anticipated

Implementation of the Governor’s plan will deliver critical benefits to the Everglades ecosystem: Capture and store 1 million acre-feet (330 billion gallons) of fresh

water, which will significantly decrease the frequency and intensity of harmful freshwater discharges to the norther estuaries.

Reduce phosphorus loads to Lake Okeechobee, Caloosahatchee Estuary, St. Lucie Estuary and the Everglades by 252 metric tons per year.

QUESTIONS?