East Lake Tohopekaliga Drawdown and Habitat Enhancement Final Environmental Impact Statement

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East Lake Tohopekaliga Drawdown and Habitat Enhancement Final Environmental Impact Statement East Lake Tohopekaliga Drawdown and Habitat Enhancement Final Environmental Impact Statement --, .. • ··!t:- • ~ I • . i: " - t >• - Prepared for: United States Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville Division Cocoa Permit Section Cocoa, Florida Prepared by: South Florida Engineering and Consulting LLC West Palm Beach, Florida July 2019 Cover photo provided by South Florida Engineering and Consulting LLC 2018. ABSTRACT FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT July 2019 EAST LAKE TOHOPEKALIGA DRAWDOWN AND HABITAT ENHANCEMENT PROJECT Osceola County LEAD AGENCY: Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers COOPERATING AGENCIES: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency COMMENT PERIOD: The public comment period is from August 2, 2019 to September 2, 2019, with the last day for receipt of public comment being September 2, 2019. For additional information, contact Jeffrey S. Collins, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cocoa Permits Section, 400 High Point Drive, Suite 600, Cocoa, FL 32926. Comments may also be submitted by e-mail to [email protected]. Questions concerning the Project may be directed to Jeff Collins by phone at 321-504-3771. This environmental impact statement evaluates the environmental effects of alternatives associated with a temporary deviation in the regulation schedule for East Lake Tohopekaliga (East Lake Toho) water levels, 33 Code of Federal Regulations § 222.5, Water Control Management (ER 1110-2-240), thereby allowing a drawdown for the purpose of improving aquatic habitat for fish and wildlife species. Three alternatives are considered: No-Action Alternative; Alternative A-Drawdown and Aquatic Habitat Enhancement with Pumps; and Alternative B (the preferred alternative)-Drawdown and Aquatic Habitat Enhancement with Pumps Leaving Select Natural Areas (i.e., preserve small, intact islands for wildlife use). The drawdown facilitates an integral component of a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission project, which includes, littoral zone organic sediment removal operations and in-lake disposal while East Lake Toho water stages are lowered. This activity shall be regulated through the Department of Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1344 and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, 33 U.S.C. § 403, and the USACE will ultimately determine the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative. Long-term benefits of the action would include organic sediment and nuisance vegetation reduction; improved recreational fishery habitat and littoral zone water quality conditions; improved Everglade snail kite foraging habitat; and improved navigation and boat access around the lake. Adverse effects and controversial issues include creation of two in-lake spoil islands; potential loss of revenue to local recreational-based businesses during the drawdown; temporary limited boat access, resulting in reduced navigation opportunities, to the lake during the drawdown period due to East Lake Toho EIS i July 2019 lower water levels; short-term adverse water quality effects; and short-term impacts to Everglade sail kite nesting and foraging habitat. Effects on the Everglade snail kite are being assessed through consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. East Lake Toho EIS ii July 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) sought Department of the Army (DA) authorization pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbor Act of 1899 from the Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for activities associated with the proposed drawdown and removal of vegetation and organic material from East Lake Tohopekaliga (East Lake Toho) in order to improve habitat for fish and wildlife. The drawdown and habitat enhancement would require a deviation from The Master Water Control Manual for Kissimmee River-Lake Istokpoga Basin (USACE 1994), which contains the relevant Water Control Plan for East Lake Toho, and a DA permit for proposed fill in waters of the United States. East Lake Toho is an approximately 12,000-acre lake located in Osceola County, Florida within the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. Water level stabilization via the construction of water control structures and pollution from watershed development are major contributors to deteriorating aquatic habitat conditions in East Lake Toho which require littoral zone rehabilitation. Negative environmental changes within East Lake Toho include an increase in aquatic plant density and biomass, accumulation of organic sediments, and a shift to invasive species. Decline in coverage of desirable aquatic vegetation negatively impacts the diversity and abundance of forage organisms that depend on these plant communities. In turn, this directly contributes to reduced sport fish production and potentially reduces use of the littoral zone by wading birds for feeding and nesting. This environmental impact statement (EIS) evaluated the environmental effects of alternatives associated with a temporary deviation in the regulation schedule for East Lake Toho water levels, 33 Code of Federal Regulation (C.F.R.) 222.5, Water Control Management Engineering Regulation (ER 1110-2-240), thereby allowing a drawdown for the purpose of improving aquatic habitat for fish and wildlife species. Three alternatives were considered: 1) No-Action Alternative; 2) Alternative A-Drawdown and Aquatic Habitat Enhancement with Pumps; and 3) Alternative B (the preferred alternative) - Drawdown and Aquatic Habitat Enhancement with Pumps Leaving Select Natural Areas (i.e., preserve small, intact islands for wildlife use). The drawdown facilitates an integral component of the FWC proposed project, which includes, littoral zone organic sediment removal operations and in-lake disposal while East Lake Toho water stages are lowered. This activity shall be regulated by the USACE pursuant to Section 404 of the CWA, 33 U.S. Code (U.S.C.) § 1344, and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, 33 U.S.C. § 403, and the USACE will ultimately determine the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS for the East Lake Toho Drawdown and Habitat Enhancement Project (Project) was published in the Federal Register on November 3, 2017. The NOI was provided to advise other federal and state agencies, Native American Indian Tribes and the public of the proposed Project. The NOI initiated a 60-day scoping period requesting the public’s involvement in the scoping process for preparation of a draft EIS. A public scoping meeting was held at Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida on December 5, 2017. East Lake Toho EIS iii July 2019 Issues/concerns raised by the public during the scoping process included: Possible impacts to wading birds and Everglade snail kites Long-term lake management should include more frequent organic matter removal and vegetation treatment Limitations on boater access to the lake during the drawdown period Economic effects to lake-related businesses Impacts to endangered species such as the Everglade snail kite Water quality effects of organic matter removal and spoil island creation Water quality concerns from the use of herbicides to control undesirable vegetation Potential drawdowns of retention ponds within East Lake Toho’s cone of influence for the area north of lake Economic impacts stemming from limitations on lake access for Boggy Creek air boat operators during the drawdown period Comments received from the public were generally favorable of the Proposed Action, although concern was expressed about the potential for visual obstruction with the creation of two in- lake spoil islands in East Lake Toho. Purpose and Need: The primary purpose of the proposed Project is improvement of the East Lake Toho littoral zone fish and wildlife habitat and the need for the Project is documented by problems associated with the degraded aquatic habitat in East Lake Toho which requires occasional littoral zone rehabilitation. Major Findings and Opportunities: Long-term benefits of the Project would include organic sediment and nuisance vegetation reduction; improved recreational fishery habitat and littoral zone water quality conditions; improved Everglade snail kite foraging habitat; and improved navigation and boat access around the lake. Adverse effects and controversial issues include the creation of two in-lake spoil islands; potential loss of revenue to local recreational-based businesses during the drawdown; temporary limited boat access resulting in reduced navigation opportunities to the lake during the drawdown period; short-term air quality degradation; short- term adverse water quality effects; and short-term impacts to Everglade snail kite nesting and foraging habitat. Effects on Everglade snail kite were assessed through consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. Downstream effects due to water discharge from East Lake Toho through the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes to Lake Okeechobee would be minimal. The total water volume to be discharged from East Lake Toho would be equal to increasing the stage of Lake Okeechobee 0.7 inches; however, this water discharge would be spread over 4.5 months as it flows through the Kissimmee River and associated water bodies where additional water storage capacity exists. Additionally, the Project
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