S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

THE ROLE OF LILA IN EVERGLADES RESTORATION: HARNESSING THE POWER OF A PHYSICAL MODEL

Fred H. SklarSouth Florida Water

Management District

With

Eric Cline, Tom Dreschel, Rene Price,

Pam Sullivan, Len Scinto, Mike Ross,

Jennifer Rehage and Scot Hagerthey

April 20, 2016

Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA)

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

A SCULPTED RIVER OF GRASS: Presentation Outline1. Why build LILA?

2. LILA design

3. The LILA Legacy

Fred H. SklarSection Administrator

Everglades System Assessment Section

South Florida Water Management District

Presentation to the USACOE EAB

and Chief

December 2, 2015

Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA)

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Example: Tree Islands in the Everglades

WHY BUILD LILA?

Left: a typical tree island of the Everglades in WCA-3. Right: A ghost tree island in WCA-2 with most of the trees having been replaced with herbaceous vegetation.

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Date: 2004 Count: 496 (-55.2%) Hectares: 2,291.3 (-58.1%)RECOVER Tree Island Mapping – SRS Results

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Tree Islands: Why are 60% of the tree islands in the extant Everglades gone? What are the hydrologic requirements for a landscape of tree

islands? How did these islands become P rich?

Ridge and Slough: Is the decline of slough habitat the cause of the 90% decline in

wading birds? What is the role of flow? What hydroperiods prevent soil subsidence?

WHY BUILD LILA?

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

LILA ObjectiveDefine the hydrologic regimes that will sustain and restore a healthy

Everglades landscape with an emphasis on tree islands, ridge and slough patterns and wading bird communities

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

LILA DESIGN

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

L-40 levee

Header cell

M4 M3 M2 M1

Collection canal

Gate sensor Island CulvertStage gauge CR10 BoardwalkFlow station Enclosure

LILA Design: Each Macrocosm (M1-M4) is 20 acres

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Construction of LILA Pump and Trash Rake

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Construction of LILA 2002 – 2003

March 2003

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

WCA-1

L-40

Peat soil from the deep slough is used to construct tree islands.

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

WCA-1

L-40

One island in each macrocosm is constructed of limestone levee material

1.01.21.41.61.82.02.22.42.62.83.03.23.43.63.84.04.24.44.64.85.05.25.45.65.86.0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210

Distance (m)

Cross-section of a macrocosm

Levee

Tree island

Ridge

Shallow slough

Shallow and deep alligator holes

Deep sloughElevation (m NGVD)

Canal refugia

Slough constriction

Shallow and deep alligator holes

Levee

--- Occur discontinuously

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

LILA OPERATIONAL HYDROGRAPH

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

WCA-1

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Italia Gray

May 2004

3000 trees3 days30 people

Eric ClineSite Manager

Tree Planting I

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Tree Planting II and III: March 2006 & March 2007

George Pelt Len Scinto, Rene Price

Mike Ross, Susanna Stoffella and volunteers

Five –thousand seven-hundred and thirty-six (5,736) native trees

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

2006

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

2007

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

2008

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

2009

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

2010

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

2011

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

2014

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Survival and growth of eight tree species along an hydrologic gradient on two tree island types

Mike RossSusanna StoffellaTom Dreschel

A Physical Investigation of Groundwater-Surface Water Interaction

Rene’ Price; Pamela SullivanTom Dreschel

Determination of nutrient limitation on trees growing on tree islands

Mike RossSuresh SubediEric Cline

The LILA Legacy: Tree Islands

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

The LILA Legacy: Role of flow on the distribution of sediments

Slough Flow Direction

Newly Planted LILA Tree Island

Scot Hagerthey (SFWMD) and Kevin Black (PARTRAC, Ltd)

Flow in the Everglades is

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Ridge and Slough Transplant (RAST) StudyLeonard Scinto Ryan DesliuEric Cline

Crayfish population studies in LILA: Drought Response / Predator Release

Nate van DornCraig der HeidenMark Cook

Tracking fish movement using passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology.

Jennifer Rehage, Mark Cook, ??

The LILA Legacy: Ridge and Slough

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Mar-09 Sep-09 Mar-10 Sep-10 Mar-11

A.

B.

D t

Small

Fish D

ensit

y (m

ean #

/m2

±SE)

Crayfi

sh De

nsity

(m

ean #

/m2

±SE)

Before After

Control Wetland (M1)

Dried Wetland (M3)Control Wetland (M2)

Dried Wetland (M4)

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

Tracking wading bird prey: Jennifer Rehage

30

The LILA Science is Cutting Edge

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

The LILA Budget is Modest:

Name FUND Amount

LILA Imagery 101 $6,000

Veg Mgmt. (Contract Service) 101 $7,500

Maintenance & Repair 101 $25,000

COOP with LNWR 101 $15,000

Ridge & Slough Science 220 $170,000

Faunal Response to Hydrology 220 $30,000

Pump Fuel 101 $1,500

Tools and Equipment 101 $6,000

Pump Electricity 101 $8,800

TOTAL $269,800

S O U T H F L O R I D A W A T E R M A N A G E M E N T D I S T R I C T

The LILA Future is Bright

Study Objective Tree Islands Nursery techniques for creation of tree islands.

Tree Islands Determine the processes and hydrology that accounts for prevalence of tree island elevation loss

Ridge & Slough

Develop appropriate techniques for measuring elevation change in sawgrass and slough habitats.

Wildlife Determine the effect of deep water refugia, such as canals, on native, exotic and invasive species of fish and invertebrates utilized by wading birds.

Wildlife Hydrologic needs of small heron species

Resilience Determine climate change tolerance and adaptation mechanisms in relation to hydrologic management

Study

Objective

Tree Islands

Nursery techniques for creation of tree islands.

Tree Islands

Determine the processes and hydrology that accounts for prevalence of tree island elevation loss

Ridge & Slough

Develop appropriate techniques for measuring elevation change in sawgrass and slough habitats.

Wildlife

Determine the effect of deep water refugia, such as canals, on native, exotic and invasive species of fish and invertebrates utilized by wading birds.

Wildlife

Hydrologic needs of small heron species

Resilience

Determine climate change tolerance and adaptation mechanisms in relation to hydrologic management

The Role of LILA in �Everglades �Restoration: A Sculpted �River of Grass: WHY build LILA?Slide Number 4WHY build LILA?Slide Number 6LILA DESIGNSlide Number 8Slide Number 9Slide Number 10Slide Number 11Slide Number 12Slide Number 13LILA Operational HydrographSlide Number 15Slide Number 16Slide Number 17Slide Number 18M1WPSlide Number 20Slide Number 21Slide Number 22Slide Number 23Slide Number 24Slide Number 25Slide Number 26Slide Number 27Slide Number 28Slide Number 29Slide Number 30Slide Number 31Slide Number 32