The Biscayne Bay Southeastern Everglades Restoration (“BBSEER”) Project seeks to combine several projects originally proposed in the 1999 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (“CERP”) with a focus on restoring more natural, clean freshwater flows into southeastern Everglades wetlands and Biscayne Bay. ELC participates in Project Delivery Team meetings and collaborates with partners to help ensure the project results in significant benefits to Biscayne Bay, but not at the expense of future projects and increased flow to Florida Bay and Everglades National Park.
In addition to backfill of the lower C-111 canal, the other critical project goal of BBSEER – and one that remains unquantified – is addressing the dire need to deliver more clean, freshwater to Biscayne Bay during the dry season. We understand that the PDT continues to explore all options for increasing water flow including operational changes, redistribution features, and wastewater reuse. We strongly urge the PDT to thoroughly assess opportunities for natural storage features in southern Miami-Dade County as the preferred method of securing new water.
May 10, 2022 Letter from ELC, Audubon Florida, Tropical Audubon Society and the National Parks Conservation Association to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
ELC Managing Attorney Elizabeth Fata Carpenter was appointed to the BBSEER Project Development Team by the Village of El Portal as its representative. She is also a member of the Plan Formulation Subteam.