March 2018
FACT SHEET
COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN
Central Everglades Planning Project
Construction General (C)
Congressional Districts: 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
1. DESCRIPTION
The Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) was selected to be formulated as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) National Pilot Program for Feasibility Studies. The pilot initiative for the project provided an opportunity to test principles that have been outlined in the USACE Recommendations for Transforming the Current Pre-Authorization Study Process (January 2011) and associated presentation materials. The Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) of 2000 provided authority for the project study in Section 601(b)(1)(A). The Record of Decision and letters transmitting the Final Project Implementation Report / Environmental Impact Statement (PIR/EIS) and the Chief of Engineers Report to Congress for authorization were signed in August 2015. The project was authorized under P.L. 114 322 Water Infrastructure Improvements (WIIN) Act, Title 1 – Water Resources Development, Subtitle D – Water Resources Infrastructure, SEC. 1401, Project Authorizations.
The purpose of CEPP is to improve the quantity, quality, timing, and distribution of water flows to the central Everglades (Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA 3) and ENP). The project area for the CEPP encompasses the Northern Estuaries (St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon and the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary), Lake Okeechobee, a portion of the Everglades Agricultural Area, the Water Conservation Areas; Everglades National Park (ENP), the Southern Estuaries (Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay), and the Lower East Coast. The project beneficially affects more than 1.5 million acres in the project area.
2. FUNDING
| Estimated Total Cost |
$3,040,500,000 |
| Estimated Federal Cost |
$1,520,200,000 |
| Allocation thru FY17 |
$9.784,000 |
| Allocation for FY18 |
$1,000,000 |
| President’s Budget FY19 |
$0 |
3. SPONSOR
South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)
3301 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, Florida 33406
4. STATUS
The USACE completed the study within the 3 years specified by the USACE SMART planning guidance. CEPP was authorized for construction in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act) of 2016. The authorized project consists of increments of six CERP components at a total project cost of $1.98 billion.
The Chief's Report for authorization of CEPP requires a Validation Report for each of CEPP PPA South, CEPP PPA North, and CEPP PPA New Water. The Validation Report for CEPP PPA South was started October 2017. The USACE is working with SFWMD to advance the construction of project features in CEPP PPA South. The Validation Report for CEPP PPA North is scheduled for FY19. The Validation Report for CEPP PPA New Water is scheduled for FY21.
