15th Annual Public Meeting on the Long-Term Plan for Achieving Water Quality Goals for Everglades Protection Area Tributary Basins

Vegetation Conditions in the Everglades Stormwater Treatment Areas Eric Crawford

February 23, 2018 Vegetation Management Goals

▪ Manage vegetation in the STAs in order to maintain sustainable phosphorus uptake processes and mechanisms ▪ Increase treatment redundancy and durability ▪ Increase the genetic and species diversity of beneficial plants for structural stability and P uptake ▪ Manage invasive/nuisance vegetation to minimize its spread throughout the STAs and downstream, and reduce the impact on desired vegetation and performance.

2 STA 1 EAST

ISSUES ACTIONS STATUS EASTERN FLOW-WAY

CONVERSION FROM USACE PASTA ESTABLISH EMERGENT VEGETATION IN RESTORATION UNDER WAY, GROW- IN IS RESEARCH SITE TO AN ACTIVE FLOWAY CELL 1 AND SAV WITH VEGETATION PROCEEDING NICELY AND IS MOSTLY COMPLETE STRIPS IN CELL2, CONTROL TORPEDO PERFORMANCE IS EXCELLENT HEAVY FAV INFLOWS AND INVASIVE GRASS AN PRIMROSE WILLOW, PLANTS INOCULATE CELL 2 WITH CHARA AND SOUTHERN NYAD

CENTRAL FLOW-WAY HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, EXTENSIVE ESTABLISH AND BULRUSH THALIA AND BULRUSH PLANTINGS PRIMROSE WILLOW STANDS POOR STANDS FOR EXPANSION, INCREASE COMPLETED FOR FY 2017, ADITIONAL TOPOGRAPHY, HYDRAULIC SHORT- TREATMENT OF PRIMROSE WILLOW, EAV AS WELL AS LOTUS AND LILY CIRCUITING, POOR CATTAIL EXPAND PLANTINGS AND SPECIES PLANTINGS SCHEDULED FOR FY 2018 RECRUITMENT DIVERSITY

WESTERN FLOW-WAY

HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, CELLS 5 AND 7 TREAT THE FAV AND HYDROCOTYLE RESTORATION PLANNED AND HAVE HISTORICAL POOR CATTAIL BEDS, INCREASE COVER OF EAV IN UNDERWAY FOR FY 2018 AND 2019 SURVIVAL AND RECRUITMENT, CELSL 5 AND 7, ESTABLISH WATER LILY, EXCESSIVE FAV INFLOWS,WIDESPREAD LOTUS AND SAV BEDS IN CELL 6 SOIL DELAMINATION, HYDRAULIC SHORT CIRCUITS IN CELL 6

3 Cell 7 Plantings

44 Cell 7 Plantings

55 STA 1 WEST

ISSUES ACTIONS STATUS NORTHERN FLOW-WAY HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, CELL 5A HAS ESTABLISH EMERGENT VEGETATION IN RESTORATION UNDER WAY IN CELL 5B , TOPOGRAPHICAL AND HYDRAULIC CELL 5B AND INCREASE THE NUMBER OF GROW- IN IS PROCEEDING NICELY AND SHORT CICUITING ISSUES, EXENSIVE CUTS AT THE INFLOW BERM OF 5A TO PERFORMANCE IS STILL GOOD. SAV BEDS OF FLOATING VEGETATION, BRING WATER INTO THE CELL INNOCULATIONS PLANNED FOR SPRING EASTERN AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF OF 2018 AERIAL TREATMENT OF CELL 5B HAVE HAD DECREASING SAV FLOATING VEGETATION AND EXTENSIVE COVER AND INCREASED FLOATING PLANTING AND SEEDING OF THALIA, MUCK LOTUS, NUPHAR AND NYMPHAEA IS PLANNED FOR FY 2018-2019 EASTERN FLOW-WAY HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, EXTENSIVE ESTABLISH THALIA AND BULRUSH THALIA AND BULRUSH PLANTINGS PRIMROSE WILLOW STANDS, POOR STANDS FOR EXPANSION, INCREASE BEGAN IN FY 2015, ADITIONAL EAV AS TOPOGRAPHY, HYDRAULIC SHORT- TREATMENT OF PRIMROSE WILLOW, WELL AS LOTUS AND LILY PLANTINGS CIRCUITING, POOR CATTAIL EXPAND PLANTINGS AND SPECIES SCHEDULED FOR FY 2017-2018 RECRUITMENT, MOST OF CELL 1A IS DIVERSITY, PLANT VEGETATION STRIPS CATTAIL CONVERSION UNDERWAY COMPOSED OF FLOATING TUSSOCKS, IN CELL 1B AND 3, INCREASE SAV RECOVERY AND GROW IN FOLOWING COVERAGE IN CELLS 1B AND 3 THE LEVEE CONSTRUCTION FOR THE WESTERN FLOW-WAY INFLOW CANAL

WESTERN FLOW-WAY HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, CELL 2A HAS TREAT THE FAV AND HYDROCOTYLE RESTORATION PLANNED FOR DRY TOPOGRAPHICAL ISSUES, POOR BEDS, INCREASE COVER OF EAV, WATER SEASONS OF FY 2019 AND 2020 CATTAIL SURVIVAL AND RECRUITMENT, LILY, AND LOTUS BEDS IN CELL 2A, EXCESSIVE FAV, AND HYDROCOTYLE INOCULATE SAV IN CELLS 2B AND 4, BEDS, CELL 2B EXPAND VEGETATION STRIPS IN CELLS 2B AND 4 66 Cell 1A Repairs

77 STA 2

ISSUES ACTIONS STATUS FLOW-WAY 1 Cell 1, SHORT CIRCUITING, THINNING OBSERVE, PLANT BULRUSH NYMPHAEA UNDER OBSERVATION UNTIL CATTAIL AND SAWGRASS ALONG WITH AND SAWGRASS AS NEEDED, REMOVE RESTORATION WORK IS PRACTICAL SPREADING INVASIVE PLANTS AT THE THE THE TRAIL TO MINIMISE DAMAGE TO INFLOW AND ALONG THE TRAIL, CHARA THE CELL POPULATIONS SEEM REDUCED ALONG THE TRAIL FLOW-WAY 2 and 3 UNEVEN SAV BEDS, SOME TRANSPORT SAV FROM DENSE BEDS TO CELL 3 SAV WORK TO BEGIN WHEN THE COMPARTMENTS ARE CHARA SPARSE AREAS, INTRODUCE SOUTHERN P FLUX STUDY GROUP IS DONE, MONOCULTURES, MULTIPLE SHORT AND SPINY INTO COMPARTMENTS PLANTING TRIALS AND PLANS FOR THE CIRCUITS, DEEP UNVEGETATED WITH ONLY CHARA, REPAIR SHORT UNVEGETATED REGIONS ARE REGIONS IN THE NORTH OF BOTH CELLS CIRCUITS UNDERWAY FLOW-WAY 4 HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, CELLS 5 AND 6 ESTABLISH APPROPRIATE EMERGENT RESTORATION UNDER WAY, MORE BOTH EXPERIENCED SEVERE SOIL VEGETATION IN THE NORTH OF THE WORK IS PLANNED FOR FY 2018, AND DELAMINATION AND FLOATING CATTAILS CELLS, AND EXPAND SAV IN THE SOUTH. 2019 AS THE HEALTH OF THE IN THE NORTH ENDS. BOTH ALSO HAVE EMERGENTS INCREASES IN THE NORTH, REGIONS OF DEEP WATER AND MORE OF THE SOUTH WILL BE SEDIMENTS UNSUITABLE FOR CATTAIL CONVERTED TO SAV. GROWTH FLOW-WAY 5

CELL 8 CONVERSION PROCESS CONTINUE CONVERTING TO SAV AND TREATED CATTAIL IS FALLING OUT AND UNDERWAY, NEW SHORT CIRCUITS THE STRENNTHENING THE EAV AFTER THE SAV INOCULATIONS HAVE BEEN LENGT OF CELL 8 MAY TAKE THIS NEW SHORT CIRCUITS ARE REPAIRED INITIATED, MORE PLANNED FOR FY 2018- FLOWWAY OFFLINE 2019 8 STA 2 Cell 3 Tilapia Beds

9 Short Circuit: STA 2 Cell 3

10 STA 3/4

ISSUES ACTIONS STATUS

FLOW-WAY 1

Cell 1A, SHORT CIRCUITING, THINNING OBSERVE, TREAT FAV AND UNDER WAY, MORE DRY SEASON CATTAIL IN THE NORTH AND EAST, OPEN HYDROCOTYLE BEDS AS NEEDED TREATMENTS / PLANTINGS PLANNED, WATER AREAS THROUGHOUT THE CELL, CONTINUE TO EXPAND EAV PLANTINGS HERBICIDE TREATMENTS PLANNED FOR DEEP WATER IN THE NORTH AS APPROPRIATE, REPAIR THE FRONT THE END OF FY 2018 PREVIOS REPAIRS DAMAGED AT ALL THE END WHEN MONITORING STOPS MONITORING SITES CONTINUE TO INCREASE SAV DIVERSITY AND INCREASE SAWGRASS IN THE SOUTH END OF CELL 1B

FLOW-WAY 2

UNEVEN EAV IN 2A AND SAV IN 2B, SOME EXPAND THALIA AND BULRUSH PLANTING PLANS FOR THE COMPARTMENTS ARE NOT AS THICK AS PLANTINGS IN 2A, REPAIR THE FRONT UNVEGETATED REGIONS ARE THEY COULD BE AND SOME STILL HAVE END WHEN MONITORING STOPS AND UNDERWAY PLANNED DRAWDOWN FOR CHARA MONOCULTURES THICKEN VEG STRIPS IN 2B APRIL OF 2018 TO INCREASE EMERGENT TRANSPORT SAV FROM DENSE BEDS TO COVER SPARSE AREAS, INTRODUCE SOUTHERN AND SPINY NAIAD INTO COMPARTMENTS WITH ONLY CHARA, REPAIR SHORT CIRCUITS FLOW-WAY 3

HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, TRAILS MADE ESTABLISH EMERGENT VEGETATION IN MAJOR WORK ON HOLD UNTIL P-FLUX PARALLEL TO FLOW FROM INFLOW TO THE NORTH OF THE CELLS AND ALONG STUDY IS COMPLETE OUTFLOW CANALS THE WESTERN EDGES, EXPAND SAV DIVERSITY AND COVERAGE IN THE SOUTH 11 STA 5/6 ISSUES ACTIONS STATUS FLOW-WAY 1 HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, EXTENSIVE PRIMROSE OBSERVE, PLANT CATTAIL, BULRUSH, THALIA UNDER WAY, 200 ACRES OF PRIMROSE WILLOW AND WILLOW GROWTH IN THE A OR SAWGRASS AS NEEDED, CONTINUE TO TREATED, BULRUSH AND THALIA PLANTINGS CELL, DEEP OPEN AREAS EXPAND SAV UNDER WAY, BULRUSH AND CATTAIL SEEDING COMPLETE FOR NOW FLOW-WAY 2 EXTENSIVE PRIMROSE WILLOW AND WILLOW REDUCE INVASIVES AND ESTABLISH MORE RESTORATION UNDER WAY, MORE WORK IS GROWTH IN THE A CELL, HEAVY FAV DESIRABLE EMERGENT VEGETATION IN THE PLANNED FOR FY 2018 INFLOWS, A CELL, AND EXPAND SAV IN THE B CELL, UNEVEN SAV BEDS, SOME COMPARTMENTS ENHANCE VEGETATION STRIPS IN THE B ARE CHARA MONOCULTURES, MULTIPLE CELL SHORT CIRCUITS, DEEP UNVEGETATED REGIONS IN THE NORTH OF BOTH CELLS FLOW-WAY 3 HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, EXTENSIVE PRIMROSE REDUCE INVASIVES AND ESTABLISH MORE RESTORATION UNDER WAY, MORE WORK IS WILLOW AND WILLOW GROWTH IN THE A DESIRABLE EMERGENT VEGETATION IN THE PLANNED FOR FY 2018 CELL A CELL, AND EXPAND SAV IN THE B CELL, ENHANCE VEGETATION STRIPS IN THE B CELL FLOW-WAY 4

HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, EXTENSIVE PRIMROSE CONTINUE INCREMENTALLY PLANTING PLANTINGS COMING ALONG, SAV BECOMING WILLOW AND WILLOW GROWTH IN THE A BULLRUSH AND THALIA IN THE A CELL AS WELL ESTABLISHED CELL OPEN WATER AREAS THE LUDWIGIA IS REMOVED, CATTAIL AND BULRUSH SEEDING IN THE HIGH AREAS , EXPAND SAV IN THE B CELL FLOW-WAY 5

HEAVY FAV INFLOWS, EXTENSIVE OPEN AERIAL HERBICIDE TREATMENTS AND PLANTINGS COMING ALONG, SAV BECOMING AREAS AND ZONES OF PRIMROSE WILLOW SEEDING/ PLANTING OPERATIONS TO BE WELL ESTABLISHED, RESTORATION UNDER AND WILLOW GROWTH IN THE A CELL OPEN CONDUCTED DURING LOW WATER PERIODS. WAY, MORE WORK IS PLANNED FOR FY 201812 WATER AREAS Control Invasives and Reduce Nutrient Levels

▪ Plant the inflow regions in ways that trap and facilitate FAV control ▪ Increase the cover and diversity of native plants ▪ Change Herbicide application methodologies ▪ Focus on nutrient reduction, with reduced nutrients the natives often outcompete the invasive species

13 Floating Plant Infestations: A-1 FEB

14 Aerial Herbicide Application A-1 FEB

15