Specifications

Executive Summary
BENEFITS OF THE SELECTED PLAN
Alternative 4, the selected plan (preferred plan for purposes of NEPA), meets all
of the project-specific objectives established for the EAA Storage Reservoirs
project. The selected plan will improve habitat function and quality and native
plant and animal abundance and diversity in the greater Everglades ecosystem.
Based on the system formulation and evaluation, the selected plan is expected to
provide an aggregated total of 99,766 average annual habitat units for all
habitat types beneficially affected by the project, in comparison to the no-action
alternative. Habitat units gained would be in the Lake Okeechobee littoral zone,
the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries, and the Everglades Protection
Area. The average annual cost per average annual habitat unit is approximately
$627, which is well below the national average cost per unit of output for
ecosystem restoration projects.
The selected plan will provide additional water for the natural system in WCAs
3A and 3B and ENP which will be reserved or allocated for the natural system
by the State of Florida. The selected plan also provides additional water to meet
agricultural, municipal, and Tribal water supply needs. The selected plan was
also evaluated to determine effects on flood protection. The selected plan is not
expected to adversely affect flood protection, and may provide some incidental
improvement within the EAA.
Additionally, the selected plan is expected to provide the following local benefits:
incidental nutrient removal as a function of water retention and sediment
deposition (improving the function of downstream existing STAs); creation of
additional shallow seasonal wetlands (wading bird and fish habitat) in the
seepage canal littoral zones and seepage buffer areas; and creation of deep water
fish refugia in the flooded secondary agricultural canals inside the reservoir.
ADVERSE EFFECTS OF THE SELECTED PLAN
Although implementation of the selected plan may result in temporary or
permanent adverse effects, the beneficial effects of the plan significantly offset
those adverse impacts. The design of the selected plan also minimizes impacts
to cultural resources and fish and wildlife habitat and includes environmentally
responsible design features. Therefore, no separable fish and wildlife habitat,
cultural resources, or flood damage mitigation is required.
Potential adverse effects of a temporary nature include emission of dust,
mobilization of sediments and generation of noise during construction of
proposed structures, including excavation, earth moving and embankment and
STA construction. USACE construction specifications include appropriate
EAA Storage Reservoirs Revised Draft PIR and EIS February 2006
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