23
dependent animals (Childers et al. 2002; Gaiser et al. 2005). More than 90% of the
waterfowl that once graced the wetlands disappeared and the number of bald eagle
nesting territories decreased by 70% (Ogden 1994). After the waterway was transformed into a straight, deep canal, it became oxygen-depleted and the fish community it supported, such as largemouth bass fisheries, gave way to fish species more
tolerant of low dissolved oxygen conditions (Chimney and Goforth 2001; Rader and
Richardson 1994).
After realizing the devastating effects inflicting upon this area, the Kissimmee
River Restoration Project was authorized by Congress in the 1992 Water Resources
Development Act and authorized the restoration of the middle third of the channelized Kissimmee River (Gerlak and Heikkila 2011; Light et al. 1995). The Kissimmee
River Restoration Project was projected to restore about 65 km of meandering river
and more than 50 km
2
of wetlands, including Lake Kissimmee, Lake Cypress, and
Lake Hatchineha, along with the Kissimmee River and associated floodplain
between Lake Kissimmee and Lake Okeechobee (Light and Dineen 1994). This
project was a 50/50 cost share agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). The SFWMD provided the state’s funding and was responsible for the land acquisition, the biological
monitoring, and public educational outreach as part of the plan.
Construction for the Kissimmee River Restoration Project began in 1999 and
included backfilling of approximately one-third of the C-38 canal in order to reconnect and restore hydrologic flow to the river (Gunderson and Light 2006). Other
construction associated with the project included levee removal, water control structure improvements, flood protection, and various infrastructure improvements.
Upon completion, which was originally set for 2019, the Kissimmee River
Restoration Project is projected to return natural flow to a portion of the meandering
Kissimmee River and to once again allow seasonal rains and flooding to inundate
the floodplain within restored areas (Fuller et al. 2008; Gunderson 2001).
1.3.3 Everglades Construction Project
The Everglades Construction Project (ECP) forms the backbone for one of the largest ecosystem restoration programs in the world. The ECP involves 12 inter-related
construction projects, all located between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, to
create man-made isolated wetlands in the form of stormwater treatment areas, or
STAs (Guardo et al. 1995). Totaling over 190 km
2
, these STAs use naturally occurring biological processes to become flow-through filtration marshes and reduce the
excess levels of nutrients, mostly phosphorus, that enter the Everglades from the
EAA (Perry 2008; Walker 1995).
Costing an estimated $635 million for construction and operation of the STAs
(Clark and Dalrymple 2003), plus an additional $190 million for land acquisition
(Holl and Howarth 2000), the primary goal of the ECP is to reduce phosphorus
concentrations from EAA discharged water to 50 parts per billion (ppb), as well as,
1 The Florida Everglades: An Overview of Alteration and Restoration
dependent animals (Childers et al. 2002; Gaiser et al. 2005). More than 90% of the
waterfowl that once graced the wetlands disappeared and the number of bald eagle
nesting territories decreased by 70% (Ogden 1994). After the waterway was transformed into a straight, deep canal, it became oxygen-depleted and the fish community it supported, such as largemouth bass fisheries, gave way to fish species more
tolerant of low dissolved oxygen conditions (Chimney and Goforth 2001; Rader and
Richardson 1994).
After realizing the devastating effects inflicting upon this area, the Kissimmee
River Restoration Project was authorized by Congress in the 1992 Water Resources
Development Act and authorized the restoration of the middle third of the channelized Kissimmee River (Gerlak and Heikkila 2011; Light et al. 1995). The Kissimmee
River Restoration Project was projected to restore about 65 km of meandering river
and more than 50 km
2
of wetlands, including Lake Kissimmee, Lake Cypress, and
Lake Hatchineha, along with the Kissimmee River and associated floodplain
between Lake Kissimmee and Lake Okeechobee (Light and Dineen 1994). This
project was a 50/50 cost share agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). The SFWMD provided the state’s funding and was responsible for the land acquisition, the biological
monitoring, and public educational outreach as part of the plan.
Construction for the Kissimmee River Restoration Project began in 1999 and
included backfilling of approximately one-third of the C-38 canal in order to reconnect and restore hydrologic flow to the river (Gunderson and Light 2006). Other
construction associated with the project included levee removal, water control structure improvements, flood protection, and various infrastructure improvements.
Upon completion, which was originally set for 2019, the Kissimmee River
Restoration Project is projected to return natural flow to a portion of the meandering
Kissimmee River and to once again allow seasonal rains and flooding to inundate
the floodplain within restored areas (Fuller et al. 2008; Gunderson 2001).
1.3.3 Everglades Construction Project
The Everglades Construction Project (ECP) forms the backbone for one of the largest ecosystem restoration programs in the world. The ECP involves 12 inter-related
construction projects, all located between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, to
create man-made isolated wetlands in the form of stormwater treatment areas, or
STAs (Guardo et al. 1995). Totaling over 190 km
2
, these STAs use naturally occurring biological processes to become flow-through filtration marshes and reduce the
excess levels of nutrients, mostly phosphorus, that enter the Everglades from the
EAA (Perry 2008; Walker 1995).
Costing an estimated $635 million for construction and operation of the STAs
(Clark and Dalrymple 2003), plus an additional $190 million for land acquisition
(Holl and Howarth 2000), the primary goal of the ECP is to reduce phosphorus
concentrations from EAA discharged water to 50 parts per billion (ppb), as well as,
1 The Florida Everglades: An Overview of Alteration and Restoration