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allow agriculture to remain productive. Storage facilities associated with Lake
Okeechobee such as those north of the lake, and Lake Okeechobee aquifer storage
and recovery will enable the lake to remain an important source of water supply
while keeping lake stages at more ecologically desirable levels. Additional storage
facilities built throughout the system will diversify sources of water for many users
and enable recycling of water within a basin to meet dry season demands,
significantly improving the reliability of agricultural water supply in the future.
The recommended Comprehensive Plan also assures that the quality of south
Florida’s water bodies will be restored to achieve overall ecosystem restoration. The
recommended Comprehensive Plan includes many features to assure that water
quality standards will be met and water quality conditions are improved or not
degraded. The Comprehensive Plan includes the development of a comprehensive
integrated water quality plan, which will lead to recommendations for water quality
remediation programs and the integration of water quality restoration targets into
future design, construction, and operation activities as features of the recommended
Comprehensive Plan are implemented.
How the Comprehensive Plan Will Be Implemented
No plan can anticipate fully the uncertainties that are inherent in predicting
how a complex ecosystem will respond during restoration efforts. For example, the
remaining Everglades are only one-half as large as the original and current
Summary
Final Feasibility Report and PEIS April 1999
xiv
boundaries do not logically follow natural ground elevations or habitat patterns. For
these and many other reasons, the ways in which this ecosystem will respond to the
recovery of more natural water patterns almost certainly will include some
surprises. The recommended Comprehensive Plan anticipates such surprises and is
designed to facilitate project modifications that take advantage of what is learned
from system responses, both expected and unexpected, and from future restoration
targets as those become more refined. For example, future water quality
restoration targets will be integrated into the detailed design, construction, and
future operation of all recommended Comprehensive Plan features.
A new type of reporting document will be prepared as the implementation
process begins. Project Implementation Reports will bridge the gap between the
Comprehensive Plan and the detailed design necessary to proceed to construction.
In addition to supplemental National Environmental Policy Act documentation, the
Project Implementation Report process will allow for continuing public participation
on each feature. In this more detailed phase of analysis, Comprehensive Plan
components will be further investigated and appropriate actions recommended.
The Comprehensive Plan includes an aggressive adaptive assessment
strategy. This strategy ensures that new information about the natural system,
learned from continuing research and from measuring responses to implementation
of plan components, can be used to increase the ultimate level of success of the
overall restoration program. Specifically, adaptive assessment uses a well focused,
regional monitoring program to measure how well each component of the plan
accomplishes its objectives. This, in turn, sets up opportunities for refinement of
succeeding components. Such adaptive assessment and regional monitoring are
essential features of the recommended Comprehensive Plan and ensure its overall
success. Independent scientific peer review is an integral part of this process.
Pilot projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of technologies such as aquifer
storage and recovery, seepage management, and wastewater reuse are a part of the
implementation strategy. Three new feasibility studies, Florida Bay and the Florida
Keys, Southwest Florida, and a comprehensive integrated water quality plan, will
also be undertaken to assure that full implementation of the Comprehensive Plan
leads to overall ecosystem restoration in south Florida. The use of the best available
science and extensive outreach and public involvement, both of which have been an
essential part of the Restudy, will continue during the implementation process.
The recommended Comprehensive Plan described in this report will serve as
a framework and guide for modifications to the Central and Southern Florida
Project. The pilot projects and a set of specific key components are recommended for
initial authorization. The estimated total cost of these initial features are
$1,198,000,000 (October 1999 price levels) and an annual cost of $20,000,000 for
operation and maintenance. The estimated Federal cost is $599,000,000 with
Summary
Final Feasibility Report and PEIS April 1999
xv
estimated annual operation and maintenance costs of $10,000,000; and the
estimated non-Federal cost is $599,000,000 with estimated annual operation and
maintenance costs of $10,000,000.
Further, the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 provided
authorization for Critical Restoration Projects in order to expedite implementation
of the restoration effort. A similar programmatic authority is recommended to help
expedite implementation of some components in the recommended Comprehensive
Plan. This programmatic authority would be limited to those components of the
Comprehensive Plan that have a total project cost of $70,000,000 with a maximum
Federal cost of $35,000,000.
Authorization for the remaining components of the Comprehensive Plan will
be sought after completion of more detailed planning and submission of Project
Implementation Reports to Congress. Each Project Implementation Report will also
contain an analysis of the Comprehensive Plan and any recommendations
concerning modifications to the plan.
AREAS OF CONTROVERSY AND UNRESOLVED ISSUES
During the course of the Restudy, a number of important issues have
emerged. Many have been resolved, but some remain. For example:
Scientific Models. Many scientific and engineering models were used in
developing the recommended Comprehensive Plan. The models employed in the
Restudy are state-of–the-art, and represent the best understanding of the hydrology
of both the pre-drainage and current C&SF system (Natural System Model and
South Florida Water Management Model) as well as species responses to hydrology
(Across Trophic Landscape System Simulation). But by their very nature, models
are uncertain because they are simplifications of reality. The South Florida Water
Management Model and the Natural System Model have undergone technical peer
review. The conclusions that can be drawn from them are only as good as the basic
understandings and information that are the foundations of the models. Most
importantly, such conclusions must be understood in the context of model
uncertainty and appropriateness of scale, and are best utilized to compare
performance among alternative plans. The Natural System Model, for example,
depicts the hydrologic response of the pre-drained system to rainfall and other
hydrologic conditions of the period from 1965 through 1995. It does not depict the
conditions of the pre-drained Everglades system, although there is a misconception

allow agriculture to remain productive. Storage facilities associated with Lake

Okeechobee such as those north of the lake, and Lake Okeechobee aquifer storage

and recovery will enable the lake to remain an important source of water supply

while keeping lake stages at more ecologically desirable levels. Additional storage

facilities built throughout the system will diversify sources of water for many users

and enable recycling of water within a basin to meet dry season demands,

significantly improving the reliability of agricultural water supply in the future.

The recommended Comprehensive Plan also assures that the quality of south

Florida’s water bodies will be restored to achieve overall ecosystem restoration. The

recommended Comprehensive Plan includes many features to assure that water

quality standards will be met and water quality conditions are improved or not

degraded. The Comprehensive Plan includes the development of a comprehensive

integrated water quality plan, which will lead to recommendations for water quality

remediation programs and the integration of water quality restoration targets into

future design, construction, and operation activities as features of the recommended

Comprehensive Plan are implemented.

How the Comprehensive Plan Will Be Implemented

No plan can anticipate fully the uncertainties that are inherent in predicting

how a complex ecosystem will respond during restoration efforts. For example, the

remaining Everglades are only one-half as large as the original and current

Summary

Final Feasibility Report and PEIS April 1999

xiv

boundaries do not logically follow natural ground elevations or habitat patterns. For

these and many other reasons, the ways in which this ecosystem will respond to the

recovery of more natural water patterns almost certainly will include some

surprises. The recommended Comprehensive Plan anticipates such surprises and is

designed to facilitate project modifications that take advantage of what is learned

from system responses, both expected and unexpected, and from future restoration

targets as those become more refined. For example, future water quality

restoration targets will be integrated into the detailed design, construction, and

future operation of all recommended Comprehensive Plan features.

A new type of reporting document will be prepared as the implementation

process begins. Project Implementation Reports will bridge the gap between the

Comprehensive Plan and the detailed design necessary to proceed to construction.

In addition to supplemental National Environmental Policy Act documentation, the

Project Implementation Report process will allow for continuing public participation

on each feature. In this more detailed phase of analysis, Comprehensive Plan

components will be further investigated and appropriate actions recommended.

The Comprehensive Plan includes an aggressive adaptive assessment

strategy. This strategy ensures that new information about the natural system,

learned from continuing research and from measuring responses to implementation

of plan components, can be used to increase the ultimate level of success of the

overall restoration program. Specifically, adaptive assessment uses a well focused,

regional monitoring program to measure how well each component of the plan

accomplishes its objectives. This, in turn, sets up opportunities for refinement of

succeeding components. Such adaptive assessment and regional monitoring are

essential features of the recommended Comprehensive Plan and ensure its overall

success. Independent scientific peer review is an integral part of this process.

Pilot projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of technologies such as aquifer

storage and recovery, seepage management, and wastewater reuse are a part of the

implementation strategy. Three new feasibility studies, Florida Bay and the Florida

Keys, Southwest Florida, and a comprehensive integrated water quality plan, will

also be undertaken to assure that full implementation of the Comprehensive Plan

leads to overall ecosystem restoration in south Florida. The use of the best available

science and extensive outreach and public involvement, both of which have been an

essential part of the Restudy, will continue during the implementation process.

The recommended Comprehensive Plan described in this report will serve as

a framework and guide for modifications to the Central and Southern Florida

Project. The pilot projects and a set of specific key components are recommended for

initial authorization. The estimated total cost of these initial features are

$1,198,000,000 (October 1999 price levels) and an annual cost of $20,000,000 for

operation and maintenance. The estimated Federal cost is $599,000,000 with

Summary

Final Feasibility Report and PEIS April 1999

xv

estimated annual operation and maintenance costs of $10,000,000; and the

estimated non-Federal cost is $599,000,000 with estimated annual operation and

maintenance costs of $10,000,000.

Further, the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 provided

authorization for Critical Restoration Projects in order to expedite implementation

of the restoration effort. A similar programmatic authority is recommended to help

expedite implementation of some components in the recommended Comprehensive

Plan. This programmatic authority would be limited to those components of the

Comprehensive Plan that have a total project cost of $70,000,000 with a maximum

Federal cost of $35,000,000.

Authorization for the remaining components of the Comprehensive Plan will

be sought after completion of more detailed planning and submission of Project

Implementation Reports to Congress. Each Project Implementation Report will also

contain an analysis of the Comprehensive Plan and any recommendations

concerning modifications to the plan.

AREAS OF CONTROVERSY AND UNRESOLVED ISSUES

During the course of the Restudy, a number of important issues have

emerged. Many have been resolved, but some remain. For example:

Scientific Models. Many scientific and engineering models were used in

developing the recommended Comprehensive Plan. The models employed in the

Restudy are state-of–the-art, and represent the best understanding of the hydrology

of both the pre-drainage and current C&SF system (Natural System Model and

South Florida Water Management Model) as well as species responses to hydrology

(Across Trophic Landscape System Simulation). But by their very nature, models

are uncertain because they are simplifications of reality. The South Florida Water

Management Model and the Natural System Model have undergone technical peer

review. The conclusions that can be drawn from them are only as good as the basic

understandings and information that are the foundations of the models. Most

importantly, such conclusions must be understood in the context of model

uncertainty and appropriateness of scale, and are best utilized to compare

performance among alternative plans. The Natural System Model, for example,

depicts the hydrologic response of the pre-drained system to rainfall and other

hydrologic conditions of the period from 1965 through 1995. It does not depict the

conditions of the pre-drained Everglades system, although there is a misconception