Posted on August 28, 2023
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District will host a virtual public meeting to discuss plans for the integration of multiple projects in southeast Fla., Tuesday, August 29, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Along with discussing the regional benefits of project integration, Corps project managers will provide updates on individual projects concerning coastal storm risk management, flood risk management, navigation and ecosystem restoration.
Project updates provided for coastal storm risk management will center around feasibility studies for Miami-Dade Back Bay, Key Biscayne and Dade County.
“The Miami-Dade Back Bay Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) feasibility study led by USACE Norfolk District in partnership with Jacksonville District is focused on analyzing potential measures to manage coastal storm risks for the back-bay communities of Miami-Dade County that are vulnerable to storm-related damages, including a particular emphasis on Environmental Justice and underserved communities,” said Abbegail Preddy, project manager for USACE’s Norfolk District. “Moving forward, the study will analyze, consider, and extensively coordinate newly formulated alternatives with the goal of integrating closely with other local USACE studies, state/local stakeholders and regulatory agencies, and Miami-Dade County with its various municipalities to address some of the nation’s most complex water resource challenges in a highly urbanized environment.”
The Miami-Dade County CSRM, focused on reducing damages resulting from erosion, flooding, and wave attack associated with coastal storms, will also be discussed under the umbrella of coastal storm risk management, along with the Key Biscayne CSRM, which seeks to reduce damages due to coastal flooding, as well as reduce the risk to life safety with considerations for recreation, tourism, life safety, and environmental resources in the study area.
Additionally on the agenda will be the Miami Harbor Improvement Feasibility Study, which aims to reduce navigation transportation costs to/from Miami Harbor. “The study will develop alternatives to meet the objective while minimizing impacts to environmental resources and providing safe, reliable, and efficient navigation over the 50-year period of analysis,” said Richard Butler, Silver Jackets Lead for the USACE Jacksonville District.
An update will also be provided for the Central and South Florida (C&SF) Section 216 study. This study, led by the Jacksonville District in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), is focused on enhancing the functionality of aging C&SF system water/salinity control structures and increasing the capacity of the system to provide flood risk management benefits due to inland inundation. “Control structure and canal conveyance improvements expected under this study will help build community resilience by improving flood risk management inland of the coastal structures,” said Angie Dunn, USACE Jacksonville District Chief of Planning and Policy Division. “The reduction in flooding in combination with other Federal, state, and local projects will reduce damages to homes, improve safety in communities and limit downtime for transportation systems and businesses after events, contributing to overall economic resilience.”
Finally, project managers from the Corps’ efforts through its Comprehensive Ecosystem Restoration Plan (CERP) in southeast Fla., to include the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (BBCW) project, the Broward County WPA C-11 Reservoir and the Biscayne Bay Southeast Everglades Restoration (BBSEER) programs will provide status updates and discuss how these monumental environmental efforts integrate into other Corps projects.
“The purpose of the August 29th engagement is to update our partners, stakeholders and the public on numerous projects the Corps is leading in southeast Florida.” said Resilience Senior Project Manager Tim Gysan. “While we’ve discussed these projects individually before, our goal now is to illustrate how these projects work together for overall regional resiliency and how we tie them together through integration.”
Members of the public are encouraged to attend, ask questions and provide comment during designated periods.
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Integration Virtual Public Meeting and Project Update
Tuesday, August 29, 2023, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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