JACKSONVILLE — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District (USACE) and our partners at the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) will provide the public, stakeholders and restoration partners an update on the status of the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) during a virtual-only WERP Project Delivery Team Meeting on November 1, 2023, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Through coordination and collaboration with the WERP Project Delivery Team (PDT), USACE and the SFWMD have reached the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) Tentatively Selected Plan (TSP) study milestone. The TSP is Alternative Hybrid Natural Flow Revised (Alt HNFR). Alterative HNFR addresses input received at the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force meeting in June 2023. The details of Alt HNFR are available in Western Everglades Restoration Project updated WERP placemat: https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll11/id/6551.

“As a result of the feedback we received on our previously proposed alternative, the West Feeder Basin will now be returned to a more natural, rain driven flow-way,” said WERP Project Manager Steve Baisden.

Virtual Project Delivery Team 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.

Please join us for a Virtual-only WERP Project Delivery Team Meeting

Virtual-only WERP Project Delivery Team Meeting
November 1, 2023, from 1 to 5 p.m.
https://usace1.webex.com/meet/stephen.a.baisden
Call-In Number: 1-844-800-2712
Access code: 199 665 6695#
Attendee ID: 173515#

“The team is preparing the Draft Project Implementation Report for release to the public for review and comment. We expect to release the Draft Report in December 2023,” said Baisden. “You will have 45 days to review and provide comments. We will issue a news release with information on how to review and provide comment on the document, and hold a meeting to discuss the details in the near future.”

“We appreciate everyone’s continued engagement, and look forward to completing the study,” Baisden said.

The goals of WERP are to improve the quantity, quality, timing, and distribution of water in the Western Everglades in the effort to re-establish ecological connectivity, reduce the severity and frequency of wildfires, and restore low nutrient conditions.

The Western Everglades Restoration Project is a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, which was authorized under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2000. The study area covers approximately 1,200 square miles. If the project is authorized, it will improve the quantity, quality, timing, and distribution of water in the western Everglades.

WERP Alternative HNFR: restore rain-driven system, existing water and operational flexibility. [Photo courtesy USACE]