The public comment period for the General Re-evaluation Report for Tamiami Trail on Modified Water Deliveries to Everglades National Park ends March 22, 2004. This is just one of many projects that are part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)–a federal/state initiative to save the Everglades. Please take a few minutes right now to help insure the health of our downstream coral reefs by writing a letter to: James C. Duck, Chief, Planning Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, Fl. 32232.
The final recommendation for the Tamiami Trail/Modified water delivery to Everglades National Park is to construct a 3,000 foot raised bridge and remove the existing highway fill adjacent to the bridge. This became necessary when modeling results revealed that increased water flows may threaten the integrity of the Trail and other low lying areas.
This project will increase the flow of water that contains harmful nutrients from nitrogen and phosphorus into the southern Everglades and Florida Bay. Reef Relief concurs with the comments provided by the US EPA that water quality considerations should play a central role in how discharge operations occur. Specifically, we recommend that limits to nitrogen as well as phosphorus levels be established. A long term monitoring program will help analyze change as a result of this action. But it is imperative that efforts be taken to reduce nitrogen levels prior to any increases in water flows. Monitoring efforts should document both the before and after of this project with respect to nitrogen loading. Future modifications that will be made as part of the CERP will benefit from a water quality monitoring program and the establishment of a nitrogen standard against which to measure the impact of this and subsequent projects on Florida Bay and the downstream coral reefs.
Phosphates and nitrates are the two nutrients that are primarily responsible for the loss of coral reefs from eutrophication, a condition that results from too many nutrients in the water leading to algal blooms that smother coral reefs, reduce oxygen levels and kill marinelife. The Dead Zone in Florida Bay is a result of eutrophication. Red tide events are another threat to the biodiversity of Florida Bay. Both of these past events have had debilitating impacts on the downstream coral reefs and we urge the Everglades planners to prevent any further impacts on our already severely endangered coral reefs.
Please help build support for this important clean water initiative. Write to James Duck today urging Clean Water Now for our downstream Coral Reefs!
The report is online at: http://planning.saj.usace.army.mil/envdocs/Miami-Dade/Tamiami_Trail/index.html