FISHEATING CREEK SUB-WATERSHED FEASIBILITY STUDY PHASE I (Contract No. 4600000912-WO01) DOCUMENT&DATA SUMMARY REPORT (FINAL) Submitted by: 13450 West Sunrise Blvd. Suite 200 Sunrise, Florida 33323 March 2009 T 954 745 7200 F 954 945 7299 www.aecom.com FISHEATING CREEK SUB-WATERSHED FEASIBILITY STUDY PHASE 1 (Contract No. 4600000912-WO01) DOCUMENT/DATA SUMMARY REPORT (Final) MARCH 2009 Prepared for: Prepared by: TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................1 1.1 Background ..................................................................................................................1 1.2 Purpose and Scope......................................................................................................5 SECTION 2 PREVIOUS STUDIES AND REPORTS.............................................. 6 2.1 Central and Southern Florida Project Comprehensive Review Study (RESTUDY) .....6 2.2 Master Project Management Plan ................................................................................9 2.3 Lake Okeechobee Protection Plan...............................................................................9 2.4 Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project........................................................................12 2.5 Lake Okeechobee Watershed Construction Project – Phase II Technical Plan.........13 2.6 Fisheating Creek Alternative Plan Evaluation Document, February 2006 .................15 2.7 Fisheating Creek Basin Water Quality Survey, July 2001..........................................17 2.8 Discussion on the Period of Record...........................................................................18 SECTION 3 ON-GOING PROGRAMS and STUDIES IN THE STUDY AREA..... 20 3.1 Lake Okeechobee Interim Water Storage Assessment Study: ..................................20 3.2 Alternative Water Storage/Disposal ...........................................................................21 3.3 Florida Ranchlands Environmental Service Program.................................................21 3.4 Federal Grant Programs.............................................................................................22 SECTION 4 HISTORICAL CONDITIONS............................................................. 28 SECTION 5 EXISTING CONDITIONS.................................................................. 30 5.1 Site Overview .............................................................................................................30 5.2 Climate .......................................................................................................................43 5.3 Land Use....................................................................................................................51 ii 5.4 Geology and Soils ......................................................................................................56 5.5 Topography ................................................................................................................65 5.6 Existing Watershed Hydrology ...................................................................................65 5.7 Land Ownership and Water Use Permit.....................................................................81 5.8 Vegetation, Wetlands and Floodplains.......................................................................85 5.9 Fish and Wildlife.........................................................................................................97 5.10 Threatened and Endangered Species......................................................................110 5.11 Recreational Resources...........................................................................................120 5.12 Aesthetics.................................................................................................................122 5.13 Cultural and Archaeological Resources ...................................................................126 5.14 Hazardous Waste Sites............................................................................................128 5.15 Existing Utilities ........................................................................................................129 5.16 Data/Information Gaps .............................................................................................132 5.17 Summary and Preliminary Conclusions ...................................................................139 SECTION 6 SUBSEQUENT ACTIONS.............................................................. 141 SECTION 7 REFERENCES ............................................................................... 142 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Fisheating Creek Sub-Watershed Study Area...................................................................2 Figure 2. Hierarchy of Relevant Studies Reviewed...........................................................................7 Figure 3. Wetland Reserve Program Easements in the Study Area..............................................24 Figure 4. Identified Lands within the FEC under the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program.............................................................................................................................25 Figure 5. FDEP 2009 Sampling Stations in the Study Area...........................................................27 Figure 6. A Historical View of Fort Center .......................................................................................28 Figure 7. Residents Traveling on Fisheating Creek, 1842..............................................................28 Figure 8. PL-566 Check Dam No.1 Structure on FEC (Looking W)................................................31 Figure 9. PL-566 Drop Spillway No.1 Structure on FEC (Looking SW).........................................31 Figure 10. A View of Check Dam No.1 Structure from Downstream.............................................31 Figure 11. Culvert Located at the Upstream of Check Dam No1 (27.27513 N, 81.47126 W) .......31 Figure 12. A Culvert Discharging to FEC at the Upstream of Check Dam No.1 Structure (27.27513 N, 81.47126 W).................................................................................................32 Figure 13. Wetland in the Vicinity of Drop Spillway No.1 (27.27758 N, 81.47368 W) ...................32 Figure 14. FEC – US 27 Intersection.................................................................................................32 Figure 15. FEC – CR 731 Intersection...............................................................................................32 Figure 16. FEC – US 27 Intersection (Looking NW) (26.93241N, 81.31520W)..............................33 Figure 17. FEC – US 27 Intersection (Looking NE ) ........................................................................33 Figure 18. A View of a Pasture Land from .......................................................................................33 Figure 19. A View of FEC from CR 731 (Looking S) (26.98478N, 81.49188W) ..............................33 Figure 20. Rainey Slough from Tasmania Road (Looking SW) ....................................................34 Figure 21. Rainey Slough (Looking W).............................................................................................34 Figure 22. Pasture Land View on FEC (26.97610N, 81.51333W) ....................................................34 Figure 23. A View of Tree Line on Pasture from Farabee Road (26.97078N, 81.51617W)...........34 Figure 24. A View of Tasmania Road (26.97690N, 81.49090W) ......................................................35 Figure 25. A View from Intersection of CR 74 and CR 731 (26.94492N, 81.48886W) ...................35 Figure 26. A View of Cattle on the Study Area (26.94116 N, 81.37667 W).....................................35 Figure 27. Fisheating Wildlife Management Campground Entrance on US 27 ............................35 Figure 28. FWMA - Fisheating Creek Campground.........................................................................36 Figure 29. Another View from the Study Area (26.99999 N, 81.45618 W) .....................................36 Figure 30. A View of a Private Land Entrance .................................................................................36 Figure 31. FEC Basin from CR 731 ...................................................................................................36 Figure 32. A View of FEC from Clark Road (27.32236 N, 81.48840 W) (Looking S) ....................37 Figure 33. Discharge Point of FEC to the Lake Okeechobee (26.96220 N, 81.12110 W) .............37 iv Figure 34. Cowbone Marsh (1) ..........................................................................................................37 Figure 35. Cowbone Marsh (2) ..........................................................................................................37 Figure 36. Cowbone Marsh (3) ..........................................................................................................38 Figure 37. Cowbone Marsh (4) ..........................................................................................................38 Figure 38. Cowbone Marsh (5) ..........................................................................................................38 Figure 39. Cowbone Marsh (6) ..........................................................................................................38 Figure 40. Lykes Marsh Reservoir ....................................................................................................39