Senate Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #826 Lake Okeechobee Restoration
Requester:	Frank Bernardino		Organization:		South Florida Water Management District
Project Title:	Lake Okeechobee Restoration		Date Submitted:		01/28/2000 10:56:06 AM
District Member:	John Laurent		Service Area:		Statewide
Counties Affected:	Okeechobee
Recipient:	South Florida Water Management District		Contact:		Frank Bernardino
	P.O. Box 24680		Contact Phone:		(305) 546-8836
	West Palm Beach 33416-4680
Project Description:
This project involves four sub-projects geared to work in concert to improve water quality in Lake Okeechobee: (1) Lake Okeechobee Daries Phosphorus Discharge Remediation - Involves the construction and other remediation activities aimed at reducing the runoff of phosphorus from dairy and other agricultural operations into tributaries that drain to Lake Okeechobee. For dairies, these activities will include construction of confinement barns and expanded lagoon facilities, remediation of phosphorus hot spots, and BMPs where applicable. For all agricultural operations, this will include the development and implementation of comprehensive nutrient management plans and other state/federal cost-shared BMPs that reduce surface flows and improve water quality from pastures and other residual sources; (2) Restoration of Isolated Wetlands - A voluntary, landowner-based program to modify water management systems on approximately 20 agricultural parcels containing drained wetlands. These wetlands will be either reflooded or recreated to retain/detain water in the watershed, thereby slowing runoff and attenuating peak flows; (3) Lake Okeechobee Water Retention / Phosphorus Removal ? Involves a buy-out of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers? (USACE) cost-share (50:50) of the Lake Okeechobee Critical Project, which would shift responsibility of design and construction of this project from the USACE to the SFWMD, but in return, would provide greater certainty and control over the project schedule (thereby expediting the process); and (4) Retrofit Water Control Structures ? Involves retrofitting project culverts (e.g. baffle boxes, sediment traps) on main tributaries flowing into Lake Okeechobee. These devices would result in a reduction in sediment loads from reaching the lake and improve water quality in the process
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
Lake Okeechobee is listed under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act (40 CFR, Part 130) as a Florida impaired water body. The lake is impaired due to excessive concentrations of phosphorus (P), which have caused accelerated eutrophication, algal blooms, and other biological changes. Concentrations of total P in the lake water are more than two-fold higher than the SWIM goal of 40 ppb, and P loading has consistently exceeded the target of 40% load reduction specified in the 1987 SWIM Act (Chapter 373.4595 FS). Phosphorus discharge limits of 180 ppb, established for the four priority basins in Chapter 40E-61 FAC, also have consistently been exceeded. Numerous dairy sites in those basins discharge water with total P concentrations in excess of 2,000 ppb. These recurring water quality issues are documented in the Lake Okeechobee SWIM Plan (SFWMD, 1997) and in the Lake Okeechobee Action Plan (1999). The projects that comprise this grant proposal are aimed at reducing tributary P concentrations and P loads to the lake.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
The goal of these projects is to reduce the phosphorus concentrations of the runoff from each of the sites to, or below, the target required by the Works of the District Regulatory Program
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$38,500,000
Total cost of the project:		$77,000,000

Request has been made to fund:			Construction
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?					Unknown
Was this project previously funded by the State?					No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?					Yes
	Amount:	$10,000,000
	Purpose for future year funding:			YesNon-recurring Construction and To be determined Monitoring
	Will this be an annual request?				Unknown
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?					Yes
	Agency:	Environmental Protection, Department Of
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?					Yes
Is there a documented need for this project?					Yes
	Documentation:	Lake Okeechobee SWIM Plan
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?					No