Projects, Projects and More Projects!!

An Update on Current CERP Projects

Recent developments in the Everglades restoration process indicate that the gridlock that has stymied any progress in restoring the vitality of the “River of Grass” is about to end.  Chief among these was the appointment of Terrence “Rock” Salt to be deputy assistant secretary of the Army to oversee the Corps of Engineers.  Mr. Salt is a savvy, 18-year veteran of the “restoration wars,” and he will surely begin to crack the whip in an effort to get the long-stalled projects rolling forward again. This, combined with the Obama Administration’s massive infusion of federal moneyabout a half a billion dollars to dateare clear signals that work on the multitude of Everglades restoration projects is about to move from the drawing boards to actual implementation. As a result, South Florida Anglers For Everglades Restoration (SAFER) has stepped up its efforts to ensure that the recreational rights of South Florida’s fishing enthusiasts are not adversely affected by the restoration process. Here is a listing of the projects on which we are working:

The Tamiami Trail Modifications

This week, the Corps of Engineers awarded the contract to bridge a mile of Tamiami Trail to a company based in Sunrise. This project, which has been in the works for 20 contentious years, is a cornerstone of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) that will begin to restore much needed water to the parched southern reaches of the Glades. Despite the approval of the plan, and the need to push this much delayed project forward, the Corps, South Florida Water Management District and Everglades National Park recently unveiled 7 new alternatives that they could conceivably be added to the mix. These alternatives look at a variety of bridging options, the introduction of pre-constructed  concrete culverts known as conspans, and even the possibility of bringing back the much ballyhooed (and overly expensive) 11 mile skyway bridge.

The Decomp Physical Model (DPM)

Construction is slated to begin on the  DPM in the near future, and will test three different scenarios: 1. Complete backfilling of the canals, 2. No backfilling and 3. Partial backfill with navigable boat channels. This is a project SAFER has been urging for years, as we have long felt that the necessary scientific data proving that canal backfilling is an essential ingredient in the restoration process has never been tested.  We had high hopes that this modeling would provide proof that the required sheetflow of water could be attained by degrading the levees, but not backfilling the canals. But the project that we envisioned has, over time, been changed. Time constraints, issues of water quality and depth, as well as financial considerations have greatly reduced the scope and duration of the model. Given the serious implications to recreational fishing within the so-called CERP footprint, the results of the DPM will need to be carefully evaluated, and a close eye kept on any planned implementation based on these results.

 The Culvert/Swale Project on the Tamiami Trail

There are currently 19 culverts located underneath the Tamiami Trail, extending west from Krome Avenue. Over the years, failure to maintain the ability of the culverts to move water under the roadway has rendered them next to useless. For years SAFER has advocated that the necessary first step in the Adaptive Management process that, by Congressional authorization, governs the CERP process was to clean out the culverts and determine just how much water they are capable of moving. Everglades National Park has recently contracted to conduct an experiment to clean out one of the culverts, and construct a 1000 foot swale to disperse the water evenly into the northern reaches of the park. This experiment, fully supported by the Miccosukee Tribe, is long, long overdue.

 The Everglades National Park General Management Plan (ENP GMP)

Everglades National Park is in the midst of formulating its first management plan since 1979, and the resultant plan will take ENP well into the future of the Restoration process. There are currently four alternatives under consideration by ENP, ranging from leaving things as they are on one side, to a proposal that nearly bans the use of motorized vessels within the park’s boundaries on the opposite. Two middle of the road options provide for varying degrees of motorized/non-motorized boat traffic.

Another alternative, (known as Alternative E) proposed by local governments in the Keys, and supported by professional and commercial fishing interests, stresses boater education as its key component. Regardless, the very nature, and future of, recreational fishing within ENP’s boundaries is at stake. SAFER has joined forces with Tropical Anglers Club to ensure that recreational fishing is an important facet of the new GMPas it has been for decades!

With the billions and billions of dollars being spent in restoring the Everglades ($22 billion was the last, though not final, estimate) to its some semblance of its past vitality, it is incumbent on the participating agencies and stakeholders to have these waters readily accessible to the thousands of South Florida anglers who have fished this vast ecosystem for generations.  For over 10 years, SAFER has advocated the principle of “Restoration with Recreation.” We will remain focused on this task as Everglades Restoration moves into the next phase.