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NPS Mission - National Park Service

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<strong>National</strong> <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Service</strong> FY 2013 Budget Justifications<br />

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR<br />

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN<br />

FY 2013 – 2017<br />

<strong>National</strong> <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Service</strong><br />

PROJECT DATA SHEET<br />

Project Score/Ranking: 680 / 9<br />

Planned Funding FY: 2013<br />

Funding Source: Line Item Construction<br />

Project Identification<br />

Project Title: Modify Water Delivery System, Completion<br />

Project No: 016547 Unit/Facility Name: Everglades <strong>National</strong> <strong>Park</strong><br />

Region: Southeast Congressional District: FL25<br />

Project Justification<br />

State: FL<br />

DOI Asset Code Real Property Unique Identifier API FCI-Before FCI-Projected<br />

NA 95152 NA NA NA<br />

Project Description: This project involves construction of modifications to the Central and Southern<br />

Florida (C&SF) Project water management system and related operational changes to provide improved<br />

water deliveries to Everglades <strong>National</strong> <strong>Park</strong> (ENP) as authorized by the 1989 ENP Protection and<br />

Expansion Act. The project consists of constructing additional water control structures and developing new<br />

operational plans to restore more natural hydrologic conditions within ENP. The project consists of four<br />

components: 1) 8.5 SMA, 2) Conveyance and Seepage Control, 3) Tamiami Trail, and 4) Project<br />

Implementation Support.<br />

The current status and plans for FY 2012 are described below:<br />

1) Construction of the 8.5 SMA component is complete.<br />

2) The purpose of the Conveyance and Seepage Control component is to convey water through<br />

reservoirs upstream of ENP into the Shark Slough drainage basin of ENP more consistent with historic<br />

hydrologic conditions. In addition, these project features will also return project-induced increased<br />

seepage from the project area to ENP in order to maintain flood protection to adjacent areas. The<br />

purpose of the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) component is to modify the existing highway in a manner<br />

consistent with the design specified in the 2008 Limited Reevaluation Report, authorized for<br />

implementation by Congress in 2009. This component is currently being constructed and is scheduled<br />

to be completed in 2013.<br />

3) FY 2012 and 2013 funding will complete the one mile Tamiami Trail bridging component and includes<br />

additional contingency funds. An unexpected need to relocate utilities and other minor contract<br />

modifications depleted the original contingency funds. Additionally, the original Tamiami Trail was<br />

constructed in 1928, with little or no improvements to the subgrade of the highway since, except for<br />

routine maintenance. When the <strong>NPS</strong> contractor initiated the improvements to the un-bridged portion of<br />

the roadway as specified in the contract, much of this portion was found to have unsuitable material<br />

preventing the contractor from constructing safe roadway improvements. Additional work was required<br />

to remove the unsuitable material within the 8.7 mile roadway corridor and add more stable materials<br />

to ensure the subgrade will be safe for the projected traffic and associated loads. The Corps of<br />

Engineers has estimated the costs based on the prevalence of unsuitable material found to date and<br />

used these data to estimate the final costs of the contract modification for the remainder of the<br />

highway corridor. This removal of the unsuitable material and its replacement to stabilize the subgrade<br />

has resulted in the need for the additional funding requested and changes to the original contract<br />

schedule.<br />

Project Need/Benefit: Research conducted in the Everglades <strong>National</strong> <strong>Park</strong> indicates substantial<br />

declines in the natural resources of the park and adjacent habitats. Since the park is located at the<br />

downstream terminus of the larger water management system, water delivery to the park is often in conflict<br />

with the other functions of the system, such as water supply and flood control. Construction of the project<br />

features improved operational plans for water delivery that will allow the timing, distribution and volumes of<br />

water delivery to the park to be more consistent with historic conditions. Some of the anticipated project<br />

benefits include increased connectivity of the Everglades ridge and slough habitats, improved conditions to<br />

the vegetation and aquatic communities due to increased duration of flooding in the slough and Rocky<br />

Glades habitats, improved hydrolgical conditions in the endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow habitats,<br />

and increased flows to the estuaries to reduce the frequency of hypersaline events.<br />

CONST-26

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