Report on Flooding and Salt Water Intrusion
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g Attachment 4 REPORT ON FLOODING AND SALT WATER INTRUSION September 2016 Final Report for Resolution R-48-15 in support of the Sea Level Rise Task Force final recommendations Table of Contents Introduction – Supporting Resolution & Context .......................................................................... 2 Sea Level Rise- What Can be Expected ......................................................................................... 4 Flooding .................................................................................................................................................... 8 Overview of the Risks .......................................................................................................................................8 Major On-Going and Planned Studies ..................................................................................................... 10 Studies Describing Miami-Dade County’s Exposure to Flooding ..................................................... 27 On-going adaptation efforts ...................................................................................................................... 32 Potential Adaptation Measures ................................................................................................................. 41 Where Updated Information can be found .......................................................................................... 45 Salt Water Intrusion .............................................................................................................................. 49 Overview of the Risks .................................................................................................................................... 49 Major On-Going and Planned Studies ..................................................................................................... 49 On-Going Adaptation Efforts ..................................................................................................................... 59 Where Updated Information can be found .......................................................................................... 62 Potential Funding Sources ................................................................................................................. 63 Conclusion and Next Steps ............................................................................................................... 72 Research Gaps and Needs ....................................................................................................................... 72 Next Steps......................................................................................................................................................... 74 Research Steering Committee ................................................................................................................... 75 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 75 Appendix 1: Relevant Research from Local Universities .......................................................... 77 Appendix 2: Quarterly Reports....................................................................................................... 113 First Quarter Update (January 31, 2015 – April 30, 2015)................................................................... 113 Second Quarter Update (May 1, 2015- July 30, 2015) ....................................................................... 117 Third Quarter Update (July 31, 2015- October 31, 2015)................................................................... 119 Appendix 3: Salt Front Monitoring Program 2016 Annual Submittal ................................... 122 Note on all figures: If you have any questions or trouble reading any of the figures, please contact the Office of Resilience at [email protected] to request additional information or a higher resolution version. i 1 Introduction – Supporting Resolution & Context On January 21, 2015 the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners passed Resolution R-48-15. This resolution directed the Mayor or the Mayor’s designee to, “work in conjunction with the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and jointly with the South Florida Water Management District, the United States Geological Survey, and the other member counties of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact partners, to conduct a comprehensive study and develop adaptation strategies to address potential flood damage reduction and saltwater intrusion associated with sea level rise and to put forth a time frame for implementation and potential funding mechanisms.” This is the final report in support of the aforementioned resolution. This report provides a summary of the major efforts, complete or underway, to understand the implications of sea level rise on increased risks for flooding and saltwater intrusion. This report was developed over the past year in partnership with multiple agencies including the U.S. Geological Survey, The South Florida Water Management District, and The Army Corps of Engineers. The County has worked with these entities and many others to conduct a comprehensive review of all the studies and adaptation work that is going on to address flooding and saltwater intrusion. Because of the large volume of work happening, it is not possible to describe each project and its findings in full detail. Instead, the report provides a summary and a roadmap of these initiatives. More detailed information on any of the initiatives included in the report can be provided by the Office of Resilience or the leading institution. It is important to note that this report presents only a partial snapshot of the current efforts to understand these issues. Tens of millions of dollars have and are being directed to answering and addressing these questions. Multiple entities are engaged in directing this research including local and state universities, multiple federal, state, regional and local agencies, the private sector, non-profits and corporations, and the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact (“The Compact”). The level of research and planning in Miami-Dade County focused on adaptation to sea level rise and salt water intrusion is exceptional. Miami-Dade County is fortunate to have the support of many world class entities dedicated to understanding the issues and researching adaptation measures. Most importantly, Miami-Dade County continues to benefit tremendously from the close collaboration facilitated by The Compact and the Florida Climate Institute. Investments in research and adaptation measures have increased steadily and will likely continue for the foreseeable future. It is worth underscoring that the County has benefited significantly from outside funding from philanthropies, federal agencies, and universities. It is worth underscoring that the County has benefited significantly from outside funding from philanthropies, federal agencies, and universities. 2 This report also provides a roadmap to where updated information can be found. Many institutions including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The National Climate Assessment, the South Florida Water Management District, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and many non-profit groups have helped synthesize the existing information and made it into publicly accessible, user friendly webpages. This report also includes a review of on-going efforts to mitigate the risks of flooding and saltwater intrusion. While these risks are being amplified by sea level rise, many entities including the Miami- Dade County Water and Sewer Department, the Miami-Dade Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources’ Water Management Division, and the South Florida Water Management District have been monitoring these risks for years. The impact of sea level rise on these risks is an active area of study; however, the available information including the Compact’s sea level rise projection, is being incorporated into on-going programs. Sea level rise has amplified the need to evaluate the effectiveness of specific infrastructure and general strategies. Re-evaluating these complex water management systems and evaluating the appropriate adaptation measures for different components of the system is underway, but will take years to fully complete. The process could be expedited with additional funding or it could be accelerated by prioritizing investments in known mitigation needs. For example, there are more than 1,000 projects that are part of the Local Mitigation Strategy that could reduce the Community’s vulnerability to known hazards in the short term and the vulnerabilities to longer-term changes. This report also includes potential funding mechanisms for adaptation measures, details research gaps and next steps. Overall the report provides a snapshot of the extensive work taking place to better understand the impact of sea level rise on flooding and saltwater intrusion. Given the breadth of this work it is only possible to provide a summary, however, more information can easily be provided by the Office of Resilience or the leading institution. 3 Sea Level Rise- What can be Expected Since reliable record keeping began over 100 years ago at the tide gauge in Key West, the average sea level has risen approximately 228 millimeters (9 inches) (Figure 1). This means that sea levels have been increasing by approximately 2.33