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Section 7 Environmental Effects of the Selected Plan

EAA Storage Reservoirs Revised Draft PIR and EIS February 2006

7-10

concurrent with this project include the Everglades Construction Project, in

particular, the proposed expansion of STAs 2 and 5. These projects, like the

Selected Plan, will have various pump stations and other structures that may

pose a risk to the manatee.

In order to protect the manatee and reduce the risk of adverse impact, the Corps

will implement the following conservation measures:

The USFWS’s Standard protection measures for the Florida Manatee will be

used during all construction-related activities where appropriate, including

observer protocols upstream and downstream of turbid conditions to ensure

manatees are not in the vicinity during construction.

The Manatee Blasting Protocol will be used when explosives are required,

including having ground and boat observers, and turbidity curtains or other

temporary barrier to keep manatees out of the danger zone of the canal.

Intake canals and structures for the proposed project would include an

aluminum grate extending from the bottom of the structure to approximately

one foot above high water, with 8- inch bar spacing. The grates can be designed

for temporary removal in the event of a water emergency. The Interagency

Manatee Task Force has recommended that barriers be placed at the Lake

Okeechobee structures (S-351, 352, and 354) to prevent manatees from entering

the EAA. If barriers are in place prior to construction of the EAA Project,

adverse effects to manatees in the EAA will be minimized, and observer

protocols and barriers at individual structures of the EAA Project will be

unnecessary. The manatee barriers would be in place prior to any operational

testing of pumps associated with the proposed project.

With these conservation measures in place, the USACE determines that the

Selected Plan “may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect” the manatee.

7.9.3 Wood Stork

Wood storks typically forage in a variety of wetlands throughout the state, often

far from known rookeries. However, during breeding season, productive

wetlands providing good forage near rookeries are important to reproductive

success. Seasonally flooded agricultural fields are also wood stork foraging

habitat (Pearlstine et al. 2004). Loss of foraging habitat will occur in the project

footprint as a result of reservoir construction, both from elimination of at least

206 acres of functional wetlands and the loss of seasonally flooded agricultural

fields. As embankments will be steep and covered with riprap/rock along the

interior face of the reservoir, the embankments will likely provide limited

resting/foraging areas for wood storks. Of greater importance to wood storks is

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Wenger 72944 Spezifikationen Seite 276