• SFWMD identifies critical area of public interest within Everglades project footprint
WEST PALM BEACH, FL, Oct. 8, 2007 -- A new directive from the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is strengthening protection for critical areas within the proposed footprints of environmental restoration projects in South Florida. Citing the scarcity of coastal lands available for Everglades restoration in Miami-Dade County, the District Governing Board recently identified nearly 6,400 acres along Cutler Bay and within the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands restoration project footprint as a critical area of public interest.
Under the new directive, unanimously approved by the Governing Board at its September meeting, applications for environmental resource permit (ERP) within the critical area of public interest will be denied to protect the lands for restoration. Permit applications within the overall boundaries of the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project, but outside of the identified critical coastal area, will be processed on a case-by-case basis and will face a high level of scrutiny to ensure that the proposed use does not impact the Everglades restoration project.
"The South Florida Water Management District will not allow development to dictate the boundaries of this agency's important environmental projects," said SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Eric Buermann. "Once the District has established a project footprint, we will work diligently to acquire those lands or at minimum to ensure their use is consistent with the public interest. This is a significant first for Everglades restoration."
Part of the State of Florida's Acceler8 initiative, the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project will expand and restore the wetlands adjacent to Biscayne Bay in Miami-Dade County, enhancing the ecological health of Biscayne National Park. Now underway, phase I of this project consists of the design and construction of two essential flowways located at Deering Estate and Cutler Ridge. The project also consists of adding culverts to promote sheet flow as opposed to point source discharges. So far, more than 90 percent of the land -- or 5,782 acres -- needed to complete the restoration project is in public ownership.
"In other areas where there is more flexibility within project footprints, the District regularly works with ERP applicants to ensure the appropriate environmental safeguards are in place to accomplish restoration. In the case of Biscayne Bay, land is scarce," added SFWMD Deputy Executive Director Ken Ammon. "Given South Florida's dramatic growth and projected expansion, it is likely that scarcity of land will continue to drive similar actions in the footprints of other environmental projects."
At present, the District has received five applications for ERPs within the overall Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project footprint, with two of these concerning lands in the newly designated critical area. District staff has responded to the Board's directive by already acquiring one of the parcels outside the critical area and has expedited efforts to acquire the two parcels within the critical area.
The South Florida Water Management District is a regional, governmental agency that oversees the water resources in the southern half of the state -- 16 counties from Orlando to the Keys.
---
Also see:
-- "Bio-control fly targets 'Evil Weevil'"
-- "Students explore Everglades restoration"
###
