The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District invites Project Delivery Team members, stakeholders, partners, and members of the public to attend a virtual Project Delivery Team (PDT) Meeting for the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (BBSEER) Project study on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, from 1 to 4 p.m.
“Please join the BBSEER Project Delivery Team as we review revisions to the Round 2 alternatives and model runs of the Future without Project baseline including the USACE intermediate projected sea level in 2085. The team will review changes since the last PDT meeting on December 6,” said April Patterson, BBSEER Senior Project Manager. “The BBSEER team plans to evaluate alternatives compared to the intermediate sea level projection to determine the Tentatively Selected Plan. Ecological performance measures have been developed to consider changes in salinity and hydrologic changes using the intermediate sea level change scenario. In accordance with USACE Climate Change policies, BBSEER will consider all sea level scenarios for further understanding of the plan’s performance later in the study.”
BBSEER alternative plans are intended to restore freshwater flows to terrestrial and coastal wetlands in Biscayne Bay and the Southeastern Everglades.
Please join the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Project for a virtual Project Delivery Team (PDT) Meetings on Wed, Feb. 1, 2023, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Details: https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/BBSEER/
If you have any questions, please send an email to BBSEERComments@usace.army.mil.
Virtual Meeting Instructions:
- 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 PDT Meeting
Wednesday, February 1, 2023, from 1 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##
BBSEER Meeting Objectives:
• Review Draft Round 2 Alternatives
• Review Revised Future Without Project Baseline
• Review Ecological Performance Measures
• Gather Input from the PDT and Public
• Next Steps and Closing Comments
AGENDA
1:00 - 1:10 PM: Welcome and Schedule Update (Patterson, 10 minutes)
1:10 - 1:55 PM: Revised Draft Round 2 Alternatives Presentation (John, 45 minutes)
1:55 - 2:10 PM: PDT Comment (15 minutes)
2:10 – 2:15 PM: Public Comment (5 minutes)
2:15 – 2:25 PM: Break (10 minutes)
2:25 - 3:05 PM: Future Without Project Baseline (Coman, 40 minutes)
3:05 - 3:35 PM: Ecological Performance Measures Update (30 minutes)
3:35 - 3:55 PM: PDT and Public Comment
3:55 – 4:00 PM: Next Steps (Niemeyer, 5 minutes)
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.