2019 EVERGLADES SYSTEM STATUS REPORT Assessment period of 2012–2017 A product of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) REstoration COordination and VERification (RECOVER) program This page was intentionally left blank ii acknowledgments As a product of the REstoration COordination and VERification (RECOVER) Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP), this report details the evaluation of systemwide performance measures and their targets (or goals) using the ecological tools developed over the past several years under the RECOVER’s MAP program to measure restoration progress. The key findings detailed in the System Status Report can assist decision-makers with the timing of planning and implementation of Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) features, such as those in the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP). This report also serves as a mechanism to inform the scientific community in south Florida. The 2019 System Status Report will also provide input into the 2020 Report to Congress, required by the Water Resources Development Act of 2000. Produced every five years, the intent of the Report to Congress is to inform the highest levels of the U.S. government on the progress made toward the goals and objectives of CERP. Program Managers D. George US Army Corps of Engineers [email protected] P. Gorman South Florida Water Management District [email protected] Technical Lead G. Ehlinger US Army Corps of Engineers [email protected] Contributors Wossenu Abtew, Christian Avila, Brent Bachelder, Michael Baranski, Jeff Beal, Tyler Beck, Amanda Booth, Sarah Bornhoeft, Richard Botta, Laura Brandt, Joan Browder, Eric Carlson, Bahram Charkhian, Zhiqiang Chen, Michael Cherkiss, Carlos Coronado, Andrea Dominguez, Thomas Dreschel, Dan Crawford, Therese East, Gretchen Ehlinger, Rebecca Elliott, Robert Ellis, David Essien, Seth Farris, Peter Frederick, Brad Furman, Evelyn Gaiser, Dale Gawlik, Lawrence Glenn, Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez, Paul Gray, Timothy Gysan, Caitlin Hackett, Penny Hall, Rachel Harris, Chuck Hanlon, James Heffernan, Herve Jobert, Alyssa Jordan, Amanda Kahn, Chris Kavanaugh, Chris Kelble, Phyllis Klarmann, Glenn Landers, Diego Lirman, Jerry Lorenz, Andrew Loschiavo, Jessica Lunt, Jenna May, Frank Mazzotti, Amanda McDonald, Agnes McLean, Miles Meyer, Sue Newman, Beth Orlando, Richard Paperno, Melanie Parker, April Patterson, Michelle Petersen, Patrick Pitts, Jed Redwine, Jennifer Rehage, Andrew Rodusky, LeRoy Rodgers, Michael Ross, David Rudnick, Courtney Saari, Jay Sah, Fabiola Santamaria, Steve Schubert, Joe Serafy, Alexandra Serna Salazar, Michael Simmons, Fred Sklar, Erik Stabenau, Michelle Stephens, Philip Stevens, Cassondra Thomas, Joel Trexler, Tiffany Troxler, Anna Wachnicka, Barbara Welch, Zach Welch, Mark Zucker, and Christa Zweig. This report was compiled, edited, and designed by Caroline Donovan, Alexandra Fries, Emily Nastase, and William Nuttle of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Integration & Application Network and John Gentile of Harwell Gentile & Associates, LC. i This page was intentionally left blank ii table of contents Introduction 1 1.1 Everglades restoration 1 1.2 The RECOVER team reports progress 3 1.3 About the System Status Report 4 1.4 2012–2017 Everglades report card 6 System-wide science 2 2.1 Introduction 11 2.2 Key findings (2012–2017) 12 2.3 Climate change 12 2.4 Events of ecological significance (2012–2017) 16 2.5 Adaptive management projects 25 Northern Estuaries 3 3.1 Introduction 32 3.2 Key findings 35 3.3 Indicators 36 3.4 Discussion 66 3.5 Restoration 66 Lake Okeechobee 4 4.1 Introduction 68 4.2 Key findings 70 4.3 Indicators 71 4.4 Discussion 88 4.5 Restoration 90 Greater Everglades 5 5.1 Introduction 92 5.2 Key findings 94 5.3 Indicators 95 5.4 Discussion 116 5.5 Restoration 118 Southern Coastal Systems 6 6.1 Introduction 122 6.2 Key findings 124 6.3 Indicators 125 6.4 Discussion 160 6.5 Restoration 164 Looking ahead 7 7.1 Recover is working to restore the Everglades 169 7.2 Project planning and implementation 169 7.3 Advancing Everglades science for adaptive management 172 7.4 Projects (2020–2025) 175 7.5 Science (2020–2025) 175 References 178 iii acronyms, abbreviations, and units of measurement °C degrees Celsius μg/L microgram per liter μm micrometer ac-ft acre-feet ANOVA analysis of variance BBCA scale Braun-blanquet cover/abundance scale BBCW Project Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project BCWPA Broward County Water Preserve Areas C&SF Central and Southern Florida Project C-111 SCWP C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project CEM conceptual ecological model CEPP Central Everglades Planning Project CERP Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan cfs cubic feet per second CGM CERP Guidance Memorandum chla chlorophyll a cm centimeter c/n chicks per nest CRE Caloosahatchee River Estuary CY Calendar Year DBHYDRO SFWMD’s hydrometerologic, water quality and hydrogeologic data retrieval system DIN dissolved inorganic nitrogen DPM Decomp Physical Model EAA Everglades Agricultural Area EDEN Everglades Depth Estimation Network EDD MAPS Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System EDRR early detection rapid response EIS environmental impact statement ENP Everglades National Park ERTP Everglades Restoration Transition Plan iv ET evapotranspiration FDEP Florida Department of Environmental Protection FWC Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission FY Fiscal Year (begins October 1 and ends September 30 of the following year) g/m2 grams per square meter GE Greater Everglades (region) GIS geographic information system GPS global positioning system ha hectare HHD Herbert Hoover Dike IBBEAM Integrated Biscayne Bay Ecological Assessment and Monitoring Project IOP Interim Operational Plan kg kilogram km kilometer km2 square kilometer LO Lake Okeechobee (region) LOSOM08 2008 Lake Okeechobee System Operations Manual LRD Loxahatchee River District LRE Loxahatchee River Estuary LSU landscape sampling units LWL Lake Worth Lagoon m meter m2 square meter MAP Monitoring and Assessment Plan MFL minimum flows and levels mg/L milligram per liter Miami-Dade DERM Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management mm millimeters N nitrogen NAVD 88 North American Vertical Datum of 1988 NE Northern Estuaries (region) NGVD National Geodetic Vertical Datum v NGVD 29 National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NPS National Park Service NTU Nephelometric Turbidity Unit P phosphorus PIR project implementation report POR period of record ppb parts per billion ppt parts per thousand PSRP Picayune Strand Restoration Project PSU Primary Sampling Unit RECOVER Restoration Coordination and Verification Sy specific yield difference SAV submerged aquatic vegetation SCS Southern Coastal Systems (region) SD standard deviation SE standard error SFWMD South Florida Water Management District SGGE Southern Golden Gate Estates SIRL Southern Indian River Lagoon SLE St. Lucie Estuary SRP soluble reactive phosphorus SRS Shark River Slough SSR System Status Report TTI Ten Thousand Islands TN total nitrogen TP total phosphorus USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers USDA United States Department of Agriculture USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS United States Geological Survey vi VEC Valued ecosystem components WCA Water Conservation Area WY Water Year (Begins May 1 and ends April 30 of the following year) vii This page was intentionally left blank viii Introduction Aerial view of Rookery Bay. Photo by Franco Tobias. introduction 1.1 everglades restoration Restoring the Everglades is important for south Florida and beyond The Florida Everglades encompasses a network of sub-tropical freshwater wetland and estuarine ecosystems across south Florida. Although it suffered the impact of development during the 20th century, the Everglades remains an invaluable ecological resource. People from around the world visit south Florida because of the unique environment and ecological attributes of the Everglades region. South Florida is home to five national parks, dozens of state parks, refuges and preserves, and numerous rare and endangered species. Tourism and outdoor recreation make a significant contribution to the regional economy. The nearly eight million residents of south Florida depend on the Everglades for their water supply and flood protection. The condition of the Everglades’ ecosystem is critical to many people who live in south Florida, the US, and around the world. Rapid growth and development in south Florida comes at a cost to the Everglades, and threatens the essential natural services that it provides. At the beginning of the past century most of south Florida was a wilderness area. Fewer than 50,000 people lived there in 1900. Today, about 8 million people live there, 41% of Florida’s total population. About half of the original Everglades has been converted for farming and urban land use. The Miami/Fort Lauderdale region is now one of the most densely populated areas in the United States. Beginning in 1948, construction of the Central and Southern Florida Project (now operated by the South Florida Water Management District) for drainage, water supply, and flood protection has permanently altered the region’s hydrology (Figure 1.1). By 2018, over 2,100 miles of canals, 2,000 miles of levees, 657 water control structures, and 77 major pump stations have been constructed to control water levels and flow over an area of