Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues in the 109th Congress Page: 15 of 19
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06-09-06
Indian River Lagoon-South (IRL-S) wetlands and estuarine restoration and the Picayune
Strand ecosystem restoration (also known as Southern Golden Gates Estates ecosystem
restoration) - is included in S. 728 and H.R. 2864. These two projects are the first projects
to be developed under the process established in WRDA 2000; consequently, some view
their fate as a test case of the CERP framework. Further, both bills would include the
Hillsboro and Okeechobee Aquifer project as a part of CERP, and H.R. 2864 would increase
the authorization of that project by $12.2 million to $39.2 million. This would place the
project within the framework of CERP and the requirements of WRDA 2000.
With regard to modified water deliveries to the Everglades, H.R. 2864 states that the
Secretary of the Army shall not raise Tamiami Trail until the project is authorized by law;
and that the Secretary shall submit to Congress reports requesting authorization for changes
in the projects to improve water deliveries to Everglades National Park, raise Tamiami Trail,
and modify the C-111 canal. The Statement of Administration Policy for H.R. 2864 was
critical of the Tamiami Trail language.
Indian River Lagoon. S. 728 and H.R. 2864 would authorize an IRL-S project
estimated at $1.2 billion (50% federal), as recommended by the Corps. The Corps
recommended that Congress authorize this project to restore the IRL-S wetlands and
estuary. The Indian River Lagoon is a 156-mile long estuary, located at the mouth of the
St. Lucie River in eastern Florida. The IRL-S has been altered by unnaturally large and
poorly timed freshwater discharges arriving from the St. Lucie Canal and other elements of
the Central and Southern Florida drainage project. These discharges have altered water
quality, and may have contributed to depleted water supplies in the Everglades ecosystem.
The significance of these ecosystem problems is exacerbated by the high biodiversity found
in the IRL-S.16
The Corps' report on the feasibility and implementation of the IRL-S has been
reviewed for compliance with Administration policy by the Assistant Secretary of the Army
(Civil Works), and is being reviewed by OMB. The recommended plan would divert some
of the current flow to planned storage reservoirs as well as to disperse water throughout the
IRL-S ecosystem. Four artificial reservoirs would store excess freshwater for agricultural
uses in the area. Natural storage areas would be restored by acquiring nearly 93,000 acres
of land. These storage areas would also improve native habitat (which is a goal of the larger
Everglades restoration plan) and reduce phosphorus and nitrogen loads into the IRL-S.
Further, the plan calls for removing an estimated 7.7 million cubic yards of "muck" and
disposing it elsewhere. The recommended project has evolved since the activities proposed
14 (...continued)
Study: Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for
the Indian River Lagoon-South (Jacksonville, FL, April 1999). Hereafter referred to as Corps, CERP
Plan. Available at [http://www.evergladesplan.org/pub/restudyeis.cfm#mainreport], visited on
June 9, 2006.
15 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Final Integrated Project Implementation Report and
Environmental Impact Statementfor the Indian River Lagoon-South (Jacksonville, FL: March 2004).
Hereafter known as Corps, IRL-S Final PIR. Available at [http://www.evergladesplan.org/pm/
studies/irl_south_pir.cfm], visited on June 9, 2006.
16 Corps, IRL-S Final PIR.CRS-11
IB10133
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Nicole,T. Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues in the 109th Congress, report, June 9, 2006; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc817981/m1/15/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.