The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District invites Project Delivery Team members, stakeholders, partners, and members of the public to attend a virtual Project Delivery Team (PDT) Meeting for the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (BBSEER) Project study on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, from 1 to 4 p.m., AND requests RSVPs for In-Person (Hybrid) back-to-back PDT Meetings Thursday, April 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday, April 28, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the South Florida Water Management District Headquarters at 3301 Gun Club Road in West Palm Beach.

“Please join the BBSEER Project Delivery Team on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, as we evaluate Round 2 alternatives,” said April Patterson, BBSEER Senior Project Manager. “The BBSEER team will review model results, assess findings using eight ecological performance measures to determine benefits and calculate habitat units. An in-person workshop will be held on April 27 and 28, 2023, at the South Florida Water Management District Office in West Palm Beach for the team to formulate the Round 3, Final Array of Alternatives.” BBSEER alternative plans are intended to restore freshwater flows to terrestrial and coastal wetlands in Biscayne Bay and the Southeastern Everglades.

Please join the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Project for a virtual Project Delivery Team (PDT) Meeting on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Details: https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/BBSEER/

If you have any questions, please send an email to BBSEERComments@usace.army.mil.

Virtual Meeting Instructions:

• Unless you are calling in only and will not be viewing the virtual meeting, please sign in on the virtual meeting website first and, when prompted, select the audio connection “Call Me” option. This will allow the meeting to call you directly and may operate better than if you opt to dial in.
• At the beginning of the meeting, please sign in via chat and include your first and last name, agency or group affiliation if applicable, and email. PDT members should also include the PDT designation.
• Please mute your phone unless you are speaking, and do not put the call on hold.
• PDT members should provide their full name and the agency or group that they represent when speaking.
• Members of the public will have an opportunity to provide comments during the specified public comment periods.

BBSEER PDT MeetingTuesday, April 4, 2023, from 1 to 4 p.m.Webex Login: https://usace1.webex.com/meet/April.N.PattersonMeeting Number: 199 320 6340Call-in toll-free number: 844-800-2712Call-in number (ATT Audio): 669-234-1177Access Code: 199 320 6340BBSEER Meeting Objectives:

• Review Round 2 Model Results
• Review Ecological Performance of Round 2
• Share Sub Team Updates and Future meetings
• Receive PDT and Public Comments
• Next Steps and Closing Comments

TENTATIVE AGENDA

• 1:00 - 1:10 PM: Welcome and Schedule Update
• 1:10 – 1:55 AM: Round 2 Model Results
• 1:55 – 2:35 AM:  Review Ecological Performance
• 2:55 - 3:10 AM: PDT Comment
• 3:10 - 3:15 PM: Public Comment
• 3:15 - 3:45 PM: Sub Team Updates: Model, Engineering, Water Supply, Water Quality
• 3:45 - 3:55 PM: PDT and Public Comment
• 3:55 - 4:00 PM: Next Steps and Closing Comments

BBSEER Hybrid In-Person and Virtual Project Delivery Team Meetings April 27 and 28

USACE requests RSVPs for in-person BBSEER Project Delivery Team Meetings on April 27 and 28, with a virtual option.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District requests RSVPs for two back-to-back in-person Project Delivery Team (PDT) Meetings for the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (BBSEER) Project study on Thursday, April 27, and Friday, April 28, 2023, at the South Florida Water Management District Headquarters at 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33406. There will also be a virtual option available for those unable to attend in-person.

“The BBSEER team is looking forward to discussing changes to Round 2 alternatives that provide better distribution to Biscayne Bay, the Southern Glades, and eastern panhandle of Everglades National Park, and many other concepts and measures for entry into Round 3 of modeling,” said Brad Foster, BBSEER Senior Planning Technical Lead.

Please join the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Project Delivery Team (PDT) for back-to-back in-person and virtual (hybrid) meetings with break-out sessions at the South Florida Water Management District Headquarters at 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33406, on Thursday, April 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday, April 28, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

IF YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING THE IN-PERSON MEETING AT THE SFWMD HEADQUARTERS ON APRIL 27 and 28, 2023, PLEASE RSVP to nniemeye@sfwmd.gov WITH YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE (recommended subject: RSVP for BBSEER Apr 27 and 28, 2023 In-Person PDT Meeting).

There will also be a virtual option for those unable to attend in-person.

BBSEER HYBRID PDT Meeting (Breakout Groups)Thursday, April 27, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.WebEx Login: https://usace1.webex.com/meet/jennifer.h.john Call-in toll-free number: 844-800-2712Access Code: 199 320 6340##

TENTATIVE AGENDAApril 27, 20238:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. - Summarization and Breakout Group Meetings Instructions (B-1 Auditorium)
• 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. - Lunch
• 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Breakout Group Meetings

BBSEER HYBRID PDT Meeting (Final Breakout Groups)Friday, April 28, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.WebEx Login: https://usace1.webex.com/meet/jennifer.h.johnCall-in toll-free number: 844-800-2712Access Code: 199 320 6340##

TENTATIVE AGENDAApril 28, 2023, from 8:30 am. - 3 p.m.

• 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. - 5 to 6 Final Breakout Group Meetings
• 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. - Lunch
• 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - Final Thoughts and Next Steps (B-1 Auditorium)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is in the planning phase for the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (BBSEER) Project, an important part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is our partner as the non-federal sponsor for this project.

The BBSEER Study is focused on formulating plans to restore parts of the south Florida ecosystem in freshwater wetlands of the Southern Glades and Model Lands, the coastal wetlands and subtidal areas, including mangrove and seagrass areas, of Biscayne Bay, Biscayne National Park, Manatee Bay, Card Sound and Barnes Sound. These areas have been affected by over-drainage and by large-volume freshwater releases from canals, such as the C-111 Canal. As part of the study, the USACE will publish information in a Draft Integrated Project Implementation Report (PIR) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document.

To meet BBSEER objectives, this study will identify, consider, and assess a comprehensive list of features and operational changes. The features and operational changes may include, but are not limited to, canal plugs and backfilling, structure removal, conveyance features, stormwater treatment areas, reservoir and storage areas, seepage capture, treated wastewater, new levees or berms and controlled burns. During the study, additional measures may be added, and project locations and dimensions will be specified in the draft integrated PIR/NEPA document.

Similar to other CERP studies where multiple components are combined into one planning effort and Project Implementation Report, the BBSEER Study will also include more than one CERP component. The BBSEER Study will begin with six CERP components identified in the 1999 study known as the “Restudy” or “Yellow Book.” These components include:

• Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands
• Biscayne Bay Coastal Canals
• C-111N Canal Project
• South Miami Dade County Reuse
• West Miami Dade Reuse
• North Lake Belt

For additional information regarding the project, please visit the project webpage www.saj.usace.army.mil/BBSEER

View the Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Project (BBSEER) Fact Sheet at https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll11/id/5451

The Everglades ecosystem encompasses a system of diverse wetland landscapes that are hydrologically and ecologically connected across more than 200 miles from north to south, and across 18,000 square miles of southern Florida. In 2000, the U.S. Congress authorized the federal government, in partnership with the state of Florida, to embark upon a multi-decade, multi-billion-dollar Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) to further protect and restore the remaining Everglades ecosystem while providing for other water-related needs of the region.

The BBSEER Study is the first CERP Study to incorporate the evaluation of sea level change early in the planning process and is the next important step for CERP.

Original source can be found here.