CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA PROJECT COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN BISCAYNE BAY COASTAL WETLANDS PHASE 1 FINAL INTEGRATED PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION REPORT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT Volume 1 - Main Report July 2011 U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS SOUTH FLORIDA WATER JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT MANAGEMENT DISTRICT This Report Contains [6] Volumes You Are Here Volume 1 – Main Report Executive Summary Section 1 – Introduction Section 2 – Identification of Problems and Opportunities Section 3 – Existing Conditions/Affected Environment Section 4 – Future “Without Project” Condition Section 5 – Formulation of Alternative Plans Section 6 – Evaluation and Comparison of Alternative Plans Section 7 – The Selected Plan Section 8 – Plan Implementation Section 9 – Summary of Coordination, Public Views, and Comments Section 10 – Recommendations Section 11 – List of Report Preparers Section 12 – Index Section 13 – Glossary of Terms and Acronyms Section 14 – References Volume 2 – Annexes Annex A – FWCA and Endangered Species Act Compliance Annex B – NEPA Information Volume 3 - Annexes Annex C – Analyses Required by WRDA 2000 and State Law Annex D – Draft Project Operating Manual Annex E – Project Monitoring Plan Annex F – Reports Provided by RECOVER to Support the PIR Volume 4 - Appendices Appendix A – Engineering Part I Appendix A – Engineering Part II Volume 5 – Appendices Appendix B – Cost Estimates Appendix C – Environmental Information Volume 6 – Appendices Appendix D – Real Estate Appendix E – Agency/Public Coordination Appendix F – Plan Formulation and Evaluation Appendix G – Economic and Social Considerations Appendix H – Recreation CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA PROJECT BISCAYNE BAY COASTAL WETLANDS PHASE 1 FINAL INTEGRATED PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION REPORT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS SOUTH FLORIDA WATER JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT MANAGEMENT DISTRICT July 2011 This page intentionally left blank Abstract CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA PROJECT COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN BISCAYNE BAY COASTAL WETLANDS PHASE 1 INTEGRATED PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION REPORT AND FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT Responsible Agencies: The lead agency is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District. The South Florida Water Management District is the non-Federal cost-sharing partner for the project. Other agencies participating in the development of this Environmental Impact Statement include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the National Park Service, the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The US Environmental Protection Agency, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, US Geological Survey, Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management, and the National Oceanographic and the Atmospheric Administration / National Marine Fisheries Service were invited to be Cooperating Agencies. Of the agencies invited only the US Environmental Protection Agency has accepted (conditionally) this invitation to become a cooperating agency for this Environmental Impact Statement. Abstract: This report documents studies for the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project, in accordance with the requirements of Section 601(d) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (WRDA 2000) and recommends authorization of this project. This project addresses the need to restore the ecosystem function in southeastern Florida by rehydrating coastal wetlands and reducing point source freshwater discharges into Biscayne Bay by replacing lost overland flow and partially compensating for the reduction in groundwater seepage by redistributing, through a spreader system, available surface water entering the area from regional canals. The proposed redistribution of freshwater flow across a broad front is also expected to help restore saltwater wetlands and nearshore bay habitat. The purpose of the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project is to contribute to the restoration of Biscayne Bay and adjacent wetlands as part of a comprehensive plan for restoring the south Florida ecosystem. The project intends to redistribute freshwater runoff from the watershed away from the existing canal discharges and into the coastal wetlands adjoining Biscayne Bay to provide a more natural and historic overland flow through existing coastal wetlands. This project will also help restore saltwater wetlands and the nearshore bay through the re-establishment of optimal salinity concentrations for fish and shellfish nursery habitat. This Project Implementation Report and integrated Environmental Impact Statement describes public and agency involvement in project development (including comments received and responses), explains the plan formulation and alternative evaluation and plan selection processes, and documents the selected plan features, including costs and environmental benefits. THE OFFICIAL CLOSING DATE FOR THE If you require further information on this document, RECEIPT OF COMMENT IS 30 DAYS FROM contact: THE DATE ON WHICH THE NOTICE OF Mr. Brad Tarr AVAILABILITY OF THIS U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT P.O. Box 4970 APPEARS IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER. Jacksonville, Florida 32232-0019 Telephone: (904) 232-3582 E-mail: [email protected] NOTE: This report includes an integrated Environmental Impact Statement within the Project Implementation Report. An asterisk in the Table of Contents notes sections required for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. BBCW Phase 1 Final Integrated PIR and EIS July 2011 i Abstract This page intentionally left blank BBCW Phase 1 Final Integrated PIR and EIS July 2011 ii Executive Summary CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA PROJECT COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN BISCAYNE BAY COASTAL WETLANDS PHASE 1 INTEGRATED PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION REPORT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, in cooperation with its cost-sharing partner, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), has prepared a Integrated Project Implementation Report (PIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (BBCW) project, located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The selected plan – Alternative O, Phase 1 – is described in this report. The Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project is recommended for implementation in two PIRs. The Selected Plan for the initial PIR (Alternative O Phase 1) is the first step toward meeting restoration goals in the study area. By rehydrating coastal wetlands and reducing damaging point source freshwater discharge to Biscayne Bay, the Selected Plan is integral to the health of the south Florida ecosystem. The remaining features of Alternative O, which will be studied in a subsequent PIR, will greatly increase freshwater wetland benefits and further achieve restoration goals. The Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands study examined the causes of nearshore hypersalinity and coastal wetlands degradation with the objectives of restoring more natural patterns of freshwater delivery into Biscayne Bay. By rehydrating coastal wetlands and reducing wasteful point source freshwater discharge, the Selected Plan will improve nearshore substrate and fish habitat, now stressed by high salinities in the dry season and reduce excessive freshwater outflow during the rainy season, The project will do this by redirecting freshwater - currently discharged directly and rapidly to the Bay through man-made canals - to spreaders in coastal wetlands adjacent to the Bay that are currently bypassed by the canals. This will help restore freshwater and saltwater wetlands, re- establish more natural salinity concentrations, and provide a more productive nearshore nursery habitat. This report has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Section 601(d) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (WRDA 2000) and Programmatic Regulations for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan BBCW Phase 1 Final Integrated PIR and EIS July 2011 iii Executive Summary (CERP) (33 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Part 385) and has been circulated as a Draft Report/DEIS for public and agency review and comment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); it will be circulated again as a Final Report and F-EIS. This PIR and EIS takes into consideration public and agency comments, which is the basis for the Chief of Engineers Report to be submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) for transmittal to Congress. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE PROJECT The purpose of the study was to identify ways to re-hydrate currently over- drained coastal wetlands located in Biscayne Bay, south of the core of the city of Miami (Figure ES-1). The study was recommended as a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program (CERP), which was approved by Congress in WRDA 2000. The conceptual project for Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands described in the CERP included a variety of management measures (pump stations, spreader swales, stormwater treatment areas, flow ways, levees and culverts, and backfill canals). The project aims to restore the overland sheetflow in an area of up to 11,000 acres, and to improve the ecology of Biscayne Bay, including its freshwater and saltwater wetlands, nearshore bay habitat, marine