The Water Management Legacy of the Central and Southern Florida Project and Future Operational Challenges of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and Acceler8 Projects

Abstract

This paper will discuss the history of water management in South Florida, the legacy of engineering and the challenges facing those responsible for the future management of the water resources of south Florida. The historic Everglades watershed was an interconnected system comprised of the Upper and Lower Kissimmee, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. Anthropogenic changes have radically altered the natural flow of water from a generally interconnected system that expanded and contracted as dictated by hydrologic conditions to a spatially distributed, rigid and highly managed system. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and Acceler8 Projects seek to restore some interconnectedness and flexibility to the greater Everglades system. The components of this plan will link together with existing features of the Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) Project and Stormwater Treatment Areas and will be managed by a complex and evolving Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA). History of Water Management in South Florida The historic Everglades watershed was an interconnected system comprised of the Upper and Lower Kissimmee, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. The Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades formed the dominant watersheds that connected a mosaic of wetlands, uplands, coastal areas, and marine areas. The physiographic areas included: the Kissimmee River Valley, Immokalee Rise, Atlantic Coastal Ridge, Lake Okeechobee, Everglades, Big Cypress, Florida Bay, Biscayne Bay, Florida Reef Tract, near shore coastal waters and the Florida Keys. Interspersed with the unique natural areas are urbanized areas, the Everglades Agricultural area (EAA), Seminole and Miccosukee Tribal areas and Water Conservation Areas (WCAs). (USACE, 1999) Like most areas of our world, man has forever changed the landscape and in Florida it is a little easier to trace. Privateers searching for the road to prosperity unknowingly started the ripple effect that cascaded into massive environmental and socioeconomic impacts that have endured through time. Hamilton Disston was a pioneer relentless in his pursuit of opening the Everglades up to commerce and farming as evidenced by his start in 1881 with the dredging of the Caloosahatchee River. The river did not fully connect to Lake Okeechobee rather the Gulf of Mexico