BBSEER and Southern Everglades Studies Push Restoration Forward in South Florida

The Biscayne Bay and Southeastern Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (BBSEER) venture continues to maneuver ahead as a serious planning effort below the Complete Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Led by the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers (the Corps) in partnership with the South Florida Water Administration District, BBSEER goals to revive freshwater flows into southern Miami-Dade County. Consequently, BBSEER ought to straight result in enchancment of nearshore situations of Biscayne Bay, Biscayne Nationwide Park, and close by freshwater and coastal wetland communities.

Background

Traditionally, freshwater flows into Biscayne Bay unfold throughout the panorama, filtering via wetlands earlier than reaching the bay. Many years of growth and canalization have led to freshwater pulses from canals, resulting in unnatural volumes, timing, and distribution of water that negatively impression the coastal ecosystem. BBSEER seeks to enhance the timing and distribution of freshwater flows into southern Miami-Dade County via quite a few proposed options, together with canal modifications, water storage and remedy areas, and seepage administration.

Restoring freshwater flows on this space is crucial to rehydrate wetlands that buffer in opposition to the detrimental results of sea stage rise and saltwater intrusion. With out well timed implementation of BBSEER, coastal communities and the Biscayne Aquifer stay more and more weak, threatening ingesting water provides, coastal ecosystems, and mangrove communities that shield Miami-Dade County from storm surge.

Backfilling the C-111 Canal

A crucial element of BBSEER is the backfilling of the C-111 canal in southern Miami-Dade County. South Florida depends closely on the Biscayne Aquifer, a shallow groundwater supply that’s extremely weak to saltwater intrusion. Canals just like the C-111 drain recent water away too shortly, decreasing groundwater ranges, which permits salt water from the coast to maneuver inland and threaten our ingesting water. Backfilling of the C-111 wouldn’t solely rehydrate and join wetland habitat, benefiting quite a few plant and animal species, but additionally sluggish or forestall saltwater intrusion farther inland.

Motion within the Southern Everglades Restoration

The Southern Everglades Restoration Venture kicked off in January of this 12 months, with the primary public assembly held in early April as a part of the Corps’ initiation of the Nationwide Environmental Coverage Act evaluation. The Southern Everglades Examine seeks to make use of a sequence of water administration options, notably using seepage partitions alongside western Miami-Dade County, to enhance the amount, high quality, timing and distribution of freshwater in Water Conservation Space 3B and jap Everglades Nationwide Park. The venture may also embody an analysis of recharge alternatives inside the Chook Drive Basin, an space that Audubon has constantly advocated for as crucial to Everglades restoration. Regardless of the phasing out of the Chook Drive Basin below BBSEER, Audubon is inspired to see the basin’s inclusion within the Southern Everglades Examine.

Working Collectively

BBSEER and the Southern Everglades Examine symbolize crucial subsequent steps in advancing Everglades restoration within the southeastern portion of the system, a extremely urbanized and sophisticated area. Each tasks are tackling long-standing water challenges which have disrupted freshwater movement and degraded coastal and estuarine ecosystems.

Audubon will proceed to advocate for these tasks to maneuver ahead with the simplest methods.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2026 State of the Everglades Report.