26
The ENRP was built in three phases. Phases I and II included the construction of
perimeter levees, pump stations, and other major structural elements associated
with the project. Phase III, on the other hand, consisted of building interior levees,
canals and water control structures, and establishing wetland vegetation (about
810,000 seedlings and shoots) in the growing cells. Some of the most challenging
aspects of the construction included working with the thick muck topsoil, the hardness of the underlying caprock, managing surface runoff during construction, and
the sheer magnitude of the planting effort (Perry 2008). The success of the ENRP
would be based on the constructed wetlands producing the following performance
requirements: achieve a 75% reduction in total phosphorus [TP] (i.e. measure of all
the forms of phosphorus, dissolved or particulate, that are found in a sample) once
waters are treated, producing effluent with a long-term average TP concentration no
greater the 50 μg L
−1
(Childers et al. 2002; Payne et al. 2000). This long-term outflow TP threshold was originally established as an interim goal for STA treatment
performance, while the State of Florida has adopted a 10-μg L
−1
limit to protect the
ecological integrity of the Everglades (Payne et al. 2000; Perry 2008; Sklar et al.
2005).
1.3.6 Multi-species Recovery Plan
In 1999, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and
the South Florida Water Management District all worked together to form the South
Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan (MSRP), which evaluated impacts to listed
species in south Florida during the restoration of the Everglades. The MSRP is one
of the first recovery strategies specifically designed to meet the needs of multiple
species that do not occupy similar habitats and contains information on the biology,
ecology, status, trends, management, and recovery actions for 68 federally listed
species found in south Florida, as well as the ecology and restoration needs of 23
natural communities in the Everglades region (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).
It is also one of the first designed plans to restore the Everglades by specifically
addressing the needs of entire watersheds, which included: the KissimmeeOkeechobee- Everglades watershed, the Caloosahatchee River-Big Cypress watershed, and the Peace-Myakka River watershed. Using an ecosystem-wide approach,
the MSRP identifies the recovery and restoration needs of threatened and endangered species, along with maintaining the about 67,500 km
2
of natural community
biodiversity in the southernmost regions of Florida (Mazzotti et al. 2001; Perry
2004; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).
The MSRP is outlined in a 2200-page document divided into two volumes. The
first volume is entitled The Species and contains information on the biology, ecology, distribution, status, trends, management, and recovery actions needed for the
68 federally-listed species in the Everglades region. The second volume, entitled
The Ecosystem, provides an overview of south Florida’s Everglades ecosystem and
C.W. Finkl and C. Makowski
The ENRP was built in three phases. Phases I and II included the construction of
perimeter levees, pump stations, and other major structural elements associated
with the project. Phase III, on the other hand, consisted of building interior levees,
canals and water control structures, and establishing wetland vegetation (about
810,000 seedlings and shoots) in the growing cells. Some of the most challenging
aspects of the construction included working with the thick muck topsoil, the hardness of the underlying caprock, managing surface runoff during construction, and
the sheer magnitude of the planting effort (Perry 2008). The success of the ENRP
would be based on the constructed wetlands producing the following performance
requirements: achieve a 75% reduction in total phosphorus [TP] (i.e. measure of all
the forms of phosphorus, dissolved or particulate, that are found in a sample) once
waters are treated, producing effluent with a long-term average TP concentration no
greater the 50 μg L
−1
(Childers et al. 2002; Payne et al. 2000). This long-term outflow TP threshold was originally established as an interim goal for STA treatment
performance, while the State of Florida has adopted a 10-μg L
−1
limit to protect the
ecological integrity of the Everglades (Payne et al. 2000; Perry 2008; Sklar et al.
2005).
1.3.6 Multi-species Recovery Plan
In 1999, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and
the South Florida Water Management District all worked together to form the South
Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan (MSRP), which evaluated impacts to listed
species in south Florida during the restoration of the Everglades. The MSRP is one
of the first recovery strategies specifically designed to meet the needs of multiple
species that do not occupy similar habitats and contains information on the biology,
ecology, status, trends, management, and recovery actions for 68 federally listed
species found in south Florida, as well as the ecology and restoration needs of 23
natural communities in the Everglades region (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).
It is also one of the first designed plans to restore the Everglades by specifically
addressing the needs of entire watersheds, which included: the KissimmeeOkeechobee- Everglades watershed, the Caloosahatchee River-Big Cypress watershed, and the Peace-Myakka River watershed. Using an ecosystem-wide approach,
the MSRP identifies the recovery and restoration needs of threatened and endangered species, along with maintaining the about 67,500 km
2
of natural community
biodiversity in the southernmost regions of Florida (Mazzotti et al. 2001; Perry
2004; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).
The MSRP is outlined in a 2200-page document divided into two volumes. The
first volume is entitled The Species and contains information on the biology, ecology, distribution, status, trends, management, and recovery actions needed for the
68 federally-listed species in the Everglades region. The second volume, entitled
The Ecosystem, provides an overview of south Florida’s Everglades ecosystem and
C.W. Finkl and C. Makowski