RECOVER PDT Workshop COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN April 18, 2002

What is RECOVER? A.A support group B.Data rescued from a crashed hard drive C.When you’re no longer ill D.None of the above

What is RECOVER? l RECOVER - Restoration Coordination and Verification l An interagency, interdisciplinary team of scientists, modelers, planners, and resource specialists l Role - Organize and apply scientific and technical information to support the objectives of CERP

Adaptive Management - the key to CERP implementation Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works July 27, 2000 “The Committee does not expect rigid adherence to the Plan as it was submitted to Congress. This result would be inconsistent with the adaptive assessment principles in the Plan….Instead the Committee expects that the agencies….will seek continuous improvements of the Plan based on new information, improved modeling, new technology and changed circumstances.”

WRDA 2000 Adaptive Management Provisions l Authorization of adaptive assessment and monitoring program - $100 million l Programmatic Regulations - process for ensuring that information developed through adaptive management is integrated into the Plan l Independent scientific review l Periodic reports to Congress

RECOVER Authorization SFWMD/USACE Design Agreement: “...during the period of design, activities related to restoration, coordination, and verification as identified in the Comprehensive Plan, which includes, but is not limited to, adaptive assessment, monitoring, peer review, development and refinement of system level analytical model tools, and continuing review and refinement of the Comprehensive Plan,” (Article I (b))

Detailed Design Operate Project Implementation Report (including NEPA) Plans & Specs Plans & Specs Construct State & Congressional Authorization Development Process For Individual CERP Projects Real Estate Acquisition Project Mgmt Plan Project Mgmt Plan Monitoring and Assessment Project Cooperation Agreement Project Cooperation Agreement

Why RECOVER? l Evaluate and assess Comprehensive Plan performance l Recommend refinements and improvements in design and operations of CERP components l Review effects of other restoration projects on Comprehensive Plan performance l Ensure that system-wide focus is maintained

Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan RECOVER Leadership Group Operations Planning Team Model Development and Refinement Team Comprehensive Plan Refinement Team Regional Evaluation Team Adaptive Assessment Team Adaptive Assessment Team Water Quality Team

Three RECOVER Missions l Evaluation - To work with Project Delivery Teams to evaluate (through modeling) and maximize the contribution made by each project to the system-wide performance of CERP l Assessment - To measure (through monitoring) and interpret actual responses in the natural and human systems as CERP projects are brought on line l Planning and Integration - To identify potential improvements in the Plan, consistent with the goals and purposes of the Plan, and to ensure that the components of the Plan are integrated

Evaluation and Assessment Evaluation - Analysis of proposed plans or projects to determine expected performance Assessment - Analysis of actual performance of projects

Primary RECOVER Tasks l Create and periodically refine an official set of CERP system-wide performance measures l Develop and implement a protocol for evaluating the system-wide performance of each project l Develop and implement a system-wide monitoring and assessment strategy l Develop a set of Interim goals for CERP l Develop and implement a protocol for periodic CERP updates and improvements

CERP is…. An integrated program

Opportunities to Improve CERP Performance New Information REFINEMENTS IN MODELS & PERFORMANCE MEASURES CERP UPDATE MODELING CORPS & SFWMD (et al.) REVIEW & APPROVAL RECOVER EVALUATIONS & PROJECT SUPPORT REFINED PROJECT DESIGNS & OPERATIONS D-13-R PMP/PIR PROCESS Evaluation REFINED CERP DESIGN & OPERATIONS ADAPTIVE ASSESSMENT PROCESS RECOVER MONITORING & ASSESSMENT PLAN Assessment

Project Delivery Team Support PDT l NEPA Scoping l ID Objectives and Constraints l Define Existing Condition l Define Without Plan Conditions CPR l System-wide Performance l Presents Existing Condition l Defines Without Plan Condition l Inventory Resources l Environmental Assessments l Initial Data Collection AAT l Coordinate with the System- wide Monitoring Program

Project Delivery Team Support l Develop sub-regional simulation models MRT l Assist in Ensuring Consistency with the System- wide Models l Provide System-wide Performance Measures AAT RET WQT PDT l ID Performance Measures

Project Delivery Team Support l Develop & Evaluate Alternative Plans l Develop Cost Estimates l Environmental Assessments l Incremental Cost Analysis l System-wide Simulation & Evaluations of Alternative Plans RET WQT OPT MRT PDT

Project Delivery Team Support l Design Selected Plan l Develop Draft Operating Manual l Develop Monitoring Plan l Quantify Water Made Available l Assist in the Development of the Draft Operating Manual l Coordinate with System-wide Monitoring Plan AAT OPT PDT

CERP System-Wide Monitoring and Assessment Plan Overall Goals - l To identify the parameters of the natural and human systems of south Florida that should be measured in order to determine the progress and success of CERP l To create a single, integrated system-wide monitoring and assessment program that will be used and supported by all agencies as the primary means of tracking the success of CERP

CERP System-Wide Monitoring and Assessment Plan Objectives - l Measure status and trends for CERP performance measures l Determine baseline variability for measures l Identify unexpected non-target responses l Improve understandings of cause and effect relationships among key ecological and hydrological linkages l Provide information needed to support the adaptive assessment protocol