JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As progress continues to be made in restoring America’s Everglades, an incremental water operations field test has been initiated to take a deeper look at what operational refinements are possible to provide additional ecological benefits to the Everglades ecosystem.
The first increment of the G-3273 and S-356 Pump Station Field Test (Increment 1) started today. The test aims to increase flows to Everglades National Park and is the result of a collaborative effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of the Interior and the State of Florida.
"This field test is an important step towards our comprehensive restoration effort as it delivers much-needed water to Everglades National Park," said Col. Jason Kirk, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District Commander. “It is the beginning of an extensive data collection effort that will help us better determine what opportunities exist to modify operations in the southern portion of the Everglades ecosystem."
The data collected during the field test will assess how newly-operational project infrastructure integrates with the current water management system, and how to maximize ecological restoration objectives.
"Collecting data is essential to successfully achieving restoration goals for the Everglades," said Tom Teets, South Florida Water Management District Director of Everglades Policy and Coordination. "Cooperation between state and federal agencies is critical, and this pump test will help us better deliver water to Everglades National Park."
Increment 1 will evaluate the raising or removing of the maximum stage constraint (currently 6.8 feet) at the downstream G-3273 gage in Everglades National Park, operating the S-356 pump station for control of seepage into the L-31N Canal, and maintaining the maximum operating limit for the L-29 Canal water level at 7.5 feet. These operations will produce a small but important increase in the net flow of water into Northeast Shark River Slough in Everglades National Park. Increment 1 is planned for approximately two years, with a minimum duration of one year.
The field test will be conducted in three increments. During the duration of the first two increments, data will be collected and analyzed; natural, agricultural and urban system responses to project operations will be assessed; and ecological monitoring will be maintained.
“We are excited to begin the first incremental field test for improved water operations under the Modified Water Deliveries and C-111 South Dade projects,” said Everglades National Park Superintendent Pedro Ramos. “This is the next step in implementing a new water control plan focused on beneficial water management operations in Water Conservation Area 3A, Everglades National Park, and south Dade.”
The information obtained from the first two increments will be used in the development of the Combined Operating Plan, a comprehensive integrated water management plan for the southern portion of the Everglades ecosystem: Water Conservations Areas 3A and 3B, Everglades National Park, and the South Dade Conveyance System, which includes the Modified Water Deliveries to Everglades National Park (Mod Waters) and C-111 South Dade projects.
Restoring historic water flows to Everglades National Park is a complex endeavor that requires many projects to work in concert. Two of these projects are the Mod Waters and C-111 South Dade projects. They are part of the Foundation Projects, which the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) builds upon to deliver essential ecosystem restoration benefits.
The Mod Waters and C-111 South Dade projects provide critical infrastructure that will enable larger quantities of water to flow into Everglades National Park. The majority of construction has been completed on these projects and the remaining features are scheduled to be completed within the next few years.
Currently operational constraints exist to mitigate for potential flooding risks to adjacent residential, commercial and agricultural lands, and effects to endangered species. Since the majority of project features have been constructed for the Mod Waters and C-111 South Dade projects, opportunities exist to begin relaxing these constraints and increasing water deliveries to Northeast Shark River Slough in Everglades National Park.
Real-time data from this field test are available on the project Web page and will be maintained throughout the duration of the field test. This data, along with additional information on the G-3273 and S-356 Pump Station Field Test, are available at: http://bit.ly/MWD_FieldTest.
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