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SFWMD Contract No. C-15967-WO04-06
Freshwater Flow and Ecological Relationships in Biscayne Bay
Page No.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ES-1
SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION 1-1
PROJECT BACKGROUND 1-1
PURPOSE AND SCOPE 1-2
RELATIONSHIPS OF SALINITY, ECOSYSTEMS AND POTENTIAL
HARM
1-3
MFL WORK IN OTHER FLORIDA ESTUARINE SYSTEMS 1-4
SECTION 2 – BISCAYNE BAY CHARACTERISTICS 2-1
PROJECT BOUNDARIES AND SUB-REGIONS 2-1
FRESHWATER FLOWS AND SALINITY CONDITIONS 2-11
EXISTING SPECIES/ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS 2-13
Snake Creek/Oleta River 2-14
Northern Biscayne Bay 2-15
Miami River/Government Cut 2-17
Central Biscayne Bay 2-19
South-Central Biscayne Bay 2-20
Southern Biscayne Bay 2-23
SECTION 3 – SUMMARY OF PROJECT TASKS 3-1
TASK 2 - LITERATURE AND DATA REVIEW 3-1
TASK 3 – INTERVIEWS WITH EXPERTS 3-2
TASK 4 - ALTERNATIVE MFL APPROACHES 3-3
SECTION 4 – VALUED ECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS AND
CURRENT IMPACTS
4-1
HABITATS 4-1
Mangrove forests 4-1
Tidal marshes 4-1
Seagrass meadow and macroalgae 4-2
Oyster bars 4-3
Hardbottom 4-4
Table of Contents
Freshwater Flow and Ecological Relationships in Biscayne Bay ii
Softbottom 4-5
POTENTIAL INDICATOR SPECIES 4-5
Micro-organisms 4-5
Foraminifera 4-5
Phytoplankton 4-7
Diatoms 4-7
Listed Species 4-8
American Crocodile 4-12
Roseate Spoonbill 4-14
West Indian Manatee 4-18
Johnson’s Seagrass 4-30
Oysters 4-32
Crustaceans 4-33
Fish 4-39
Seagrass 4-41
SALINITY TOLERANCES, PREFERRED HABITATS AND LIFE
CYCLES OF POTENTIAL INDICATOR SPECIES OR SUITES OF
SPECIES
4-42
SECTION 5 – POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES FOR
MFL DEVELOPMENT FOR BISCAYNE BAY
5-1
STATIC AND DYNAMIC HABITATS 5-1
VALUED ECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS 5-8
INDICATOR SPECIES 5-9
PRE-DEVELOPMENT SCENARIOS 5-12
ECOLOGICAL PRESERVATION OR STATUS QUO 5-13
REQUIREMENTS FOR PREFERRED FISH COMMUNITIES 5-13
COMMUNITY INDICES 5-14
FOOD WEB SUPPORT 5-14
SOILS 5-14
EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES 5-15
SECTION 6 – RECOMMENDED APPROACHES 6-1
SNAKE CREEK/OLETA RIVER 6-3
NORTHERN BISCAYNE BAY 6-3
MIAMI RIVER/GOVERNMENT CUT 6-4
CENTRAL BISCAYNE BAY 6-5
SOUTH-CENTRAL BISCAYNE BAY 6-6
SOUTHERN BISCAYNE BAY 6-7
Table of Contents
Freshwater Flow and Ecological Relationships in Biscayne Bay iii
SECTION 7 – INFORMATION DEFICIENCIES AND NEEDS 7-1
REFERENCES REF-1
FIGURES DESCRIPTION
1 General Location Map showing Sub-regions 2-2
2 Snake Creek/Oleta River Sub-region 2-4
3 Northern Biscayne Bay Sub-region 2-5
4 Miami River/Government Cut Sub-region 2-6
5 Central Biscayne Bay Sub-region 2-7
6 South-Central Biscayne Bay Sub-region 2-8
7 Southern Biscayne Bay Sub-region 2-9
8 Halophila johnsonii Critical Habitat 2-16
9 Boundaries of Biscayne National Park and Biscayne
Bay Aquatic Preserve
2-21
10 Crocodylus acutus Critical Habitat 2-24
11 Crocodile Sightings and Captures in Biscayne Bay 4-15
12 Crocodile Sightings in Relation to Salinity 4-16
13 a-c Manatee Sightings in Biscayne Bay 4-21 thru
4-23
14 a-b-c-d Essential Manatee Habitat Areas 4-24 thru
4-27
15 Stationary and dynamic habitat components from
Browder and Moore (1981)