Collaborative. City of Stuart. September 7, Mark Perry, Executive Director Oceanographic Society. Upper Chain of Lakes

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1 Lake Okeechobee Collaborative Upper Chain of Lakes Lake Kissimmee Indian River Lagoon City of Stuart September 7, 2016 Kissimmee River Caloosahatchee Estuary Lake Okeechobee St. Lucie Estuary Everglades Mark Perry, Executive Director Oceanographic Society Florida Biscayne Bay Florida Bay Coral Reefs

2 Greater Everglades Ecosystem Upper Chain of Lakes flow south into Lake Kissimmee Lake Kissimmee flows south into the Kissimmee River 105-mile Oxbow River with 2-mile-wide floodplain Water takes 6-8 Months to reach Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee flows south through River of Grass, Everglades - 60-mile wide shallow (1-foot deep) river flowing at 1 mile in 4 days. River of Grass Water takes 16 Months to reach Florida Bay

3 Drain The Swamp Dam Lake Okeechobee Stopped the flow to the River of Grass

4 Upper Chain of Lakes Lake Kissimmee Indian River Lagoon Lake Okeechobee St. Lucie Estuary Caloosahatchee Estuary Biscayne Bay Florida Bay Coral Reefs 1.7 Billion Gallons per Day of freshwater is wasted to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico! ($ 2.2 Billion/year)

5 Northern Coastal Estuaries St. Lucie River Estuary Caloosahatchee River Estuary

6 C-24 Canal Atlantic Ocean Indian River Lagoon Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center C-23 Canal St. Lucie River Estuary St. Lucie Inlet Nearshore Reefs Lake Okeechobee C-44 St. Lucie Canal Discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie River Estuary and Indian River Lagoon

7 2016 Flows to Estuary 39% 13% Historic Watershed: 210,060 acres Total Present Day: 525,816 acres 48% Present Day: 2.5 X Historic Watershed St. Lucie Estuary Watershed Calculations-Gary Goforth,PhD

8 Jan - Aug 2016 Discharges Average Annual Discharge s ( ) From Lake Okeechobee to Caloosahatchee Estuary Phosphorus MT Nitrogen 2,132 MT TSS 8,754 MT 804 BG From Lake Okeechobee to St. Lucie Estuary Phosphorus MT Nitrogen 1,088 MT TSS 21,545 MT 184 BG St Lucie Estuary 111 BG (21 %) 405 BG Caloosahatchee Estuary 244 BG (46 %) 90 BG 48 BG To the Everglades 55 BG (13 %) Agriculture 118 BG (20 %) EAA Runoff 196 BG Provisional Data-Gary Goforth, Ph.D.

9 344 BG 326 BG 303 BG 189 BG 178 BG 184 BG 136 BG 2016 Provisional Data-Gary Goforth, Ph.D. Lake Okeechobee releases to the St. Lucie River Estuary , 2016

10 St. Lucie River Estuary Oyster Reef Habitat 1940s 470 acres acres acres

11 Roosevelt Bridge Stress Harm Death 140 Days Salinity Tolerance for Oysters 2013 Results: 99% loss of living Oysters Death 7 Days For Spat & Juveniles Days For Adults

12 Indian River Lagoon Seagrass Beds Before Discharges During Discharges Effects of Freshwater Discharges on Seagrasses - St. Lucie River Estuary & Indian River Lagoon- State Aquatic Preserves, National Estuary Program 700 acres of Seagrass Habitat Johnson s Seagrass - Threatened Species- ESA

13 Evans Crary Bridge Death Death 95 Days Salinity Tolerance for Seagrass 2013 Results: 75% loss of Seagrass cover Death 14 days < 9 ppt 3 days < 5ppt

14 St. Lucie Inlet Nearshore Reefs Before Discharges Sediment Plume 6-8 miles offshore During Discharges Silt & Sediment Freshwater & Pollutants St. Lucie Inlet State Preserve Reef south and Sabellariid Reef north both nominated for National Marine Sanctuary (1995)

15 St. Lucie River Estuary Muck 4-8 ft. thick on bottom - 12 million cubic yards Fish Lesions and Abnormalities 33 Species of Fish - 6% of the population

16 Toxic Algae - Microcystis Health Warnings posted - St. Lucie River Estuary 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016 (8 Events)

17 Water-Related Benefits to Martin and St. Lucie Counties TOTAL: $840 million annually Sales - $519 million/year Marinas Boat sales/repairs Fishing tackle/bait/charters Personal income - $206 million/year 6,600 jobs supported Marine Industries Guide/commercial fishing Repair personnel 20,500 jobs supported Tourism Food/beverage services Hotel/motel personnel Tourism - $115 million/year Visitation to beaches/hotels Recreational fishing/boating PLUS-Property Values - $588 million Plus (Martin County)

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19 Biscayne Bay Restoration Plans for the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Upper Chain of Lakes Lake Kissimmee Kissimmee River Caloosahatchee Estuary Lake Okeechobee Indian River Lagoon St. Lucie Estuary Everglades Florida Bay Coral Reefs

20 Rescuing an Endangered Ecosystem: The Plan to Restore America s Everglades December 11, 2000 President signed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000, approving: Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan The Central and Southern Florida Project Comprehensive Review Study (The Restudy) CERP 50/50 - Federal/State 30+ years $7.8 Billion (Now $10-14 Billion)

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22 Current Restoration Projects SFWMD September 3, 2014

23 Schedule for Everglades Restoration Projects - Nov 2015

24 Non-CERP WRDA Projects WRDA Projects WRDA 2016? 6 Projects Planning (3 yrs) 6 Projects 20-Year Schedule ( ) 14 Projects- Federal/State

25 Desired Flow Stop destructive discharges to the Northern Estuaries and Move Water South to Restore the River of Grass. Need the capacity for enough annual Storage, Treatment & Conveyance of water south from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades