Northern Everglades Payment for Environmental Services: A Public Private Partnership That Pays Farmers toTemporarily Store and Clean Up Excess Surface Water

Terry A. Clark, AICP, PMPFriday, May 10, 2013

2013 ASCE Tri-County Workshop (State of South Florida's Infrastructure)

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Cardno ENTRIX Locations

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> Florida Ranchlands Environmental Services Project (FRESP) Pilot Effort – The Concept

> Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program –The State Law

> Dispersed Water Management Northern Everglades –Payment for Environmental Services – The Regional Framework

> Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project – The Implementation

Topics for Today

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August 27, 2012Hurricane Isaac

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Northern Everglades Payment for Environmental Services

September 12, 2012

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> Pilot projects to develop market-based approach to water and nutrient retention services

> FRESP partners have raised over $6 million in funding for the design and field-testing phases.

> Funding has been provided by two Conservation Innovation Grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS); the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD); Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS); the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

Florida Ranchlands Environmental Services Project (FRESP) Pilot Effort – The Concept

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> Public and Private Partners and Staff– The FRESP team is a progressive coalition of scientists, researchers, state leaders,

environmental groups and ranchers. Stepping outside their traditional roles, the members have devised novel approaches for meeting environmental goals.

> Ranchers– Jim Alderman, Alderman-Deloney Ranch – Joe Collins, Linda McCarthy and Tommy Edwards, Lykes Bros., Inc – Cary Lightsey, XL Ranch – Gene Lollis, Buck Island Ranch, Archbold Biological Station – John Payne, CM Payne and Sons – Chuck Syfrett, Syfrett West Ranch – Wes Williamson, Williamson Cattle Company – Jimmy Wohl, Rafter T Ranch

> State and Federal Agencies– Rich Budell, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – Frank Nearhoff, Florida Department of Environmental Protection – Benita Whalen, South Florida Water Management District – Greg Hendricks and Bill Reck, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation

Service

FRESP Public and Private Partners and Staff

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> Researchers– Patrick Bohlen, MacArthur Agro-Ecology Research Center – Mark Clark, Sanjay Shukla and Alphonce Guzha, University of Florida – Hilary Swain, Archbold Biological Station

> FRESP Field Staff– Steven Hollingsed – Earl Keel – Nitin Singh

> FRESP Management– Sarah Lynch, World Wildlife Fund and Director of FRESP – Len Shabman, Resources For the Future

FRESP Public and Private Partners and Staff

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> Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program (F.S. 373.4595)

– Encourage and support the development of creative partnerships to facilitate the further restoration and protection of Lake Okeechobee and the Estuaries Passed by Florida legislature in 2007

– Requires watershed protection plans for:o Lake Okeechobee o St. Lucie o Caloosahatchee

> Cost-Share cooperative projects > Easements (USDA Natural Resources

Conservation Service – Wetland Reserve Program [WRP])

> Dispersed Water Management Northern Everglades - Payment for Environmental Services (next slide)

Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection ProgramThe State Law

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Goal: establish relationships via contracts with private landowners to obtain the water management services of water retention and nutrient retention to reduce flows and nutrient loads to Lake Okeechobee and the Estuaries while enhancing economic stability of working agricultural lands. > Florida Ranchlands Environmental Services

Pilot Projects (FRESP) - Pilot projects to develop market-based approach to water and nutrient retention services

> Northern Everglades –Payment for Environmental Services

> The District released the NE-PES solicitation in January 2011 in coordination with the FDACS, FDEP, and the United State Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Dispersed Water Management Northern Everglades –Payment for Environmental Services (SFWMD)The Regional Framework

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Nicodemus Slough Project Location

Northern Everglades Payment for Environmental Services

The Implementation

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> 1986 – SFWMD Conceptual Design> 2004 – Alternative Water Storage

Project in Lake Okeechobee Watershed Protection Plan

> 2006 – Project concept submitted in response to a District request for interested partners for Alternative Water Storage/Disposal

> 2008 – Conceptual Design Study for Nicodemus Slough completed

> 2009 – Included in the Northern Everglades Planning Documents, specifically in the Fisheating Creek Sub-Watershed Feasibility Study

Nicodemus Slough Water Management Lease/Project Agreement – A Brief History

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> 14 alternatives for Nicodemus Slough were evaluated> Most important design selection criteria:

– storage volume– technical suitability – permitting

> 2 alternatives were modeled > Estimated construction costs = $5.1 M

Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project Analysis

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> 15,906 acre site located on the west shore of Lake Okeechobee in Glades County, Florida

> Project is designed to store water in the Nicodemus Slough system to reestablish a more natural sheet flow of water across the site, enhancing and restoring wetlands

> During high water events surface water will be pumped from Lake Okeechobee to the western end of the Nicodemus project site

> Water will be staged behind a series of three “low head” berms to allow for the natural treatment processes to occur– potential to store 30,300 ac-ft of water from Lake Okeechobee

Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project Description

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> Major structural project features already exist (15.7 miles of existing dike and levees)

> Final design and permitting for remaining features could be finished in less than one year

> Adjacent lands are either highways or under ownership by Lykes Bros., Inc.

> Relatively low cost> Substantial phosphorous reduction> Reduce harmful estuary discharges> Unique waterbody connections allows for significant management

flexibility> Potential dry season treated water supply to Caloosahatchee

Estuary

Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project Benefits

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“Audubon is a strong advocate for dispersed water management and has urged the South Florida Water Management District to fund the program. Nicodemus Slough is an ideal place to reverse old drainage projects and can store more than 12 billion gallons of wet season water that can be released to the lake during droughts. The project is owned by the Lykes, a company Audubon has commended for managing its land for the benefit of wildlife. “ (Audubon of Florida)

Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project Support

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> Construction of the diversion berms will require excavation and fill placement– No wetland impacts are proposed for these activities

> Two minor wetland impacts totaling 0.92 acres will be required to construct a canal to deliver surface water from Lake Okeechobee to the project

> Project will have numerous environmental benefits, in addition to water quality improvement to downstream receiving waters

– Approximately 2,064 acres of the existing wetlands will be hydrologically enhanced> Separate funding from other Programs

– Northern Everglades – Payment For Environmental Serviceso Primarily rainfall retention

– Conservation Easement Programso Primarily habitat restoration

Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project Details

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> Resource studies preformed during design– Wetland delineation– Listed species surveys– Archeological surveys

> Results of the studies allowed to minimize or avoid all impacts to resources from the berms– Minor proposed impacts to

wetlands will be offset by the enhancement of approximately 7.2 acres of wetland

Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project Design

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Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project Site Map

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> SFWMD– ERP

o Deemed complete- not issued yet

> ACOE– Formal Wetland Determination

o Information submitted; site visits completed; awaiting Rapanos review from ACOE Fort Myers staff

– Individual o Once jurisdictional determination had been approved- public notice can be used

– 408 - Herbert Hoover Dikeo Engineering review in Jacksonville ACOE office

> USFWS (Section 7 consultation under ACOE permit)– Reviewed project under consultation key

o Project not likely to affect species

Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project Permits

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> 10-year lease/project agreement– Design $350.000– Permitting $50,000– Construction $4,500,000

> Lease - $2,100,000 per year ($150/acre/year), partial lease payments as land is taken out of production for construction

> O & M $400,000 per year (not to exceed), annual adjustment of 3% or CPI whichever is greater

> Total Contract not-to-exceed $28,646,622

Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project Agreement

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> Project Agreement -Signed> Project Design - Final design pending approval of ACOE –

cultural resources> Threatened and Endangered Species Habitat Mapping-

Completed> Construction Scheduled to Begin in 2013

Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project Status

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> Sustainable– Social – Environmental– Economic

> PPP– Public– Private – Partnership

In Summary – Nicodemus Slough Pilot Project A Sustainable Public Private Partnership

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Florida Ranchlands Environmental Services Project (FRESP)http://www.fresp.org/

Northern Everglades- Payment for Environmental Services (NE-PES) Programhttp://www.fresp.org/ne_pes.php

South Florida Water Management District, Northern Everglades & Estuaries Protection Programhttp://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20protecting%20and%20restoring/other%20everglades

USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wetland Reserve Programhttp://www.airquality.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/easements/wetlands

USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The Farm and Ranch Land Protection Programhttp://www.airquality.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/easements/farmranch

Online Resources

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Terry ClarkCardno ENTRIXMobile: 561-214-2279Email: terry.clark@cardno.com