The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was developed over a period of six years by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District and more than 30 tribal, federal, state and local agencies. It is the primary planning vehicle for achieving the goal of improving the quantity, quality, timing and distribution of water that will return health to this seriously degraded system. CERP proposes costs in excess of $7.8 billion and a time frame of about 30 years to complete this massive and unprecedented restoration effort.

Both the U.S. Government and the State of Florida have made initial funding commitments for Greater Everglades ecosystem restoration.

The complexity of this undertaking and the magnitude of the risks involved in an undertaking that includes some 68 interrelated engineering projects and feasibility studies mandates a science-based approach to implementation of CERP. The USGS, through its Greater Everglades Science Program Place Based Studies initiative, has committed to providing the highest level of scientific expertise to support decision-making and ensure a successful restoration of the Greater Everglades and adjacent coastal ecosystems.

USGS Role in South Florida Ecosystem Restoration

As the Department of the Interior’s science agency with a multi-disciplinary, non-regulatory, and non-advocacy focus, as well as an established, long-term presence in south Florida, the USGS is well positioned to pursue baseline and monitoring activities such as data collection from surface- and ground-water monitoring networks, cooperative studies with local and State agencies, and research through extensive national programs such as Place-Based Studies, Global Change Research, National Water Quality Assessment program (NAWQA), and other national research programs. In addition, about one half of the area to be restored is public land administered by the National Park Service (NPS), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), state agencies, and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). The U.S. Geological Survey science leadership in the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force's Working Group and Science Coordination Team, CERP, and other ecosystem restoration efforts in south Florida is closely linked to its mission goal "to provide science for a changing world in response to present and anticipated needs; to expand our understanding of environmental and natural resource issues on regional, national, and global scales; and to enhance predictive/forecast modeling capabilities." The multidisciplinary approach applied by the USGS is necessary to provide a process level as well as holistic ecosystem-level evaluation of system responses to proposed restoration alternatives and plans.

Building Scientific Knowledge Develop new information - Identify the pertinent issues, formulate critical scientific questions related to the issues, and address the questions through appropriate modeling, monitoring and empirical studies. Communicate - Promote improved communication among restoration scientists and managers through scientific conferences, workshops and the mutual exchange of information. Synthesize Scientific Knowledge Relevant to the Issues - Develop techniques for integrating and synthesizing restoration data and distribute the techniques to others involved in restoration efforts. Manage Integrated Data - Archive inventories and other available databases in multigovernmental database management systems that are accessible through the internet and updated regularly.

Historically, the USGS in Florida has operated basic data collection networks and conducted investigations that provide the foundation for the wise stewardship of water and biological resources of the State. The hydrogeologic framework has been described in many reports, aquifer characteristics have been determined through geophysical logging and pumping tests, and ecological conditions have been monitored. The data that have been collected for the advancement of general knowledge of our natural resources provide the foundation for the understanding of the fate of contaminants in the environment. The data also have been used in the development of hydrologic and ecological models for predicting the effects of additional stresses on the natural resources and provide the tools for evaluation of effects of land use changes and potential contaminant releases in the environment. Real-time data networks, which include the application of satellite or cellular telephone technology to existing data-collection sites across the State, are providing needed information for advanced warning of floods and droughts.

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