USACE requests RSVPs for in-person BBSEER Project Delivery Team Meetings on Oct. 26 and 27, with a virtual option

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District
Published Oct. 19, 2022
BBSEER Project

BBSEER Project

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District requests RSVPs for two back-to-back in-person Project Delivery Team (PDT) Meetings for the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (BBSEER) Project study on Wednesday, October 26, and Thursday, October 27, 2022, at the FAU Davie Campus at 3200 College Avenue, Davie, Florida, 33314. There will also be a virtual option available for those unable to attend in-person.

“The BBSEER team is looking forward to enhancing the alternatives by adding in measures that provide better distribution to Biscayne Bay, the Southern Glades, and eastern panhandle of Everglades National Park, and many other concepts and measures for entry into Round 2 of modeling,” said April Patterson, BBSEER Senior Project Manager.

BBSEER alternative plans are intended to restore freshwater flows to terrestrial and coastal wetlands in Biscayne Bay and the Southeastern Everglades.

Please join the back-to-back in-person Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Project for back-to back in-person Project Delivery Team (PDT) Meetings for break-out sessions at the FAU Davie Campus at 3200 College Avenue, Davie, Florida, 33314 on Wednesday, October 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday, October 27, 2022, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

IF YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING THE IN-PERSON MEETING AT THE FAU DAVIE CAMPUS ON OCTOBER 26 and 27 2022, PLEASE RSVP to April.N.Patterson@usace.army.mil WITH YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE (recommended subject: RSVP for BBSEER OCT 26 and 27 2022 In-Person PDT Meeting).

There will also be a virtual option for those unable to attend in-person.

Details: https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/BBSEER/

If you have any questions, please send an email to BBSEERComments@usace.army.mil.

Meeting Instructions:

  • This will be HYBRID meeting (both in-person and virtual).
  • For those who will be attending virtually: Unless you are calling in only and will not be viewing the virtual meeting, please sign in on the virtual meeting website first and, when prompted, select the audio connection “Call Me” option. This will allow the meeting to call you directly and may operate better than if you opt to dial in.
  • At the beginning of the meeting, please sign in via chat and include your first and last name, agency or group affiliation if applicable, and email. PDT members should also include the PDT designation.
  • Please mute your phone unless you are speaking, and do not put the call on hold.
  • PDT members should provide their full name and the agency or group that they represent when speaking.
  • Members of the public will have an opportunity to provide comments during the specified public comment periods.

BBSEER HYBRID PDT Meeting (Breakout Groups)
Wednesday, October 26, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WebEx Login: https://usace1.webex.com/meet/April.N.Patterson
Call-in toll-free number: 844-800-2712
Access Code: 199 320 6340##

TENTATIVE AGENDA
October 26,2022
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. - Summarization and Breakout Group Meetings Instructions (Auditorium)
  • 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Lunch
  • 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. - Breakout Group Meetings

BBSEER HYBRID PDT Meeting (Final Breakout Groups)
Thursday, October 27, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to12:30 p.m.

WebEx Login: https://usace1.webex.com/meet/April.N.Patterson
Call-in toll-free number: 844-800-2712
Access Code: 199 320 6340##

TENTATIVE AGENDA
October 27, 2022, from 8:30 am. – 12:30 p.m.

  • 8:30 a.m. to – 10:30 a.m. 5 to 6 Final Breakout Group Meetings with Due Outs
  • 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Final Thoughts and Next Steps (Auditorium)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is in the planning phase for the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (BBSEER) Project, an important part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is our partner as the non-federal sponsor for this project.

The BBSEER Study is focused on formulating plans to restore parts of the south Florida ecosystem in freshwater wetlands of the Southern Glades and Model Lands, the coastal wetlands and subtidal areas, including mangrove and seagrass areas, of Biscayne Bay, Biscayne National Park, Manatee Bay, Card Sound and Barnes Sound. These areas have been affected by over-drainage and by large-volume freshwater releases from canals, such as the C-111 Canal. As part of the study, the USACE will publish information in a Draft Integrated Project Implementation Report (PIR) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document.

To meet BBSEER objectives, this study will identify, consider, and assess a comprehensive list of features and operational changes. The features and operational changes may include, but are not limited to, canal plugs and backfilling, structure removal, conveyance features, stormwater treatment areas, reservoir and storage areas, seepage capture, treated wastewater, new levees or berms and controlled burns. During the study, additional measures may be added, and project locations and dimensions will be specified in the draft integrated PIR/NEPA document.

Similar to other CERP studies where multiple components are combined into one planning effort and Project Implementation Report, the BBSEER Study will also include more than one CERP component. The BBSEER Study will begin with six CERP components identified in the 1999 study known as the “Restudy” or “Yellow Book.” These components include:

  • Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands
  • Biscayne Bay Coastal Canals
  • C-111N Canal Project
  • South Miami Dade County Reuse
  • West Miami Dade Reuse
  • North Lake Belt

For additional information regarding the project, please visit the project webpage www.saj.usace.army.mil/BBSEER

View the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Project (BBSEER) Fact Sheet at https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll11/id/5451

The Everglades ecosystem encompasses a system of diverse wetland landscapes that are hydrologically and ecologically connected across more than 200 miles from north to south, and across 18,000 square miles of southern Florida. In 2000, the U.S. Congress authorized the federal government, in partnership with the state of Florida, to embark upon a multi-decade, multi-billion-dollar Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) to further protect and restore the remaining Everglades ecosystem while providing for other water-related needs of the region.

The BBSEER Study is the first CERP Study to incorporate the evaluation of sea level change early in the planning process and is the next important step for CERP.


Contact
Erica Skolte
561-801-5734 (cell)
Erica.A.Skolte@usace.army.mil

Release no. 22-061