Plus, quantifying flood protection value from coral reef
Florida’s drought prompts new water use restrictions and calls for conservation, new research quantifies the value of coral reefs in protecting against coastal flooding, and a federal dredging project threatens Florida’s last thriving coral reef. It’s all in this week’s Environmental and Engineering Digest.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Florida Drought: Sadly, the drought we reported in mid-February is getting worse in many parts of the state with red, extreme drought indicators spreading across North and South Florida. Not only is wildfire risk at an all-time high, but Southwest Florida Water Management District officials are warning that the conditions have all but dried up the area’s rivers, triggering a Stage 3 Extreme Regional Supply Shortage on March 1. “Flows are so low we can’t take any water for the region, for our system. All the water we use in our surface water plant now is from the regional reservoir,” Warren Hogg, chief science officer for Tampa Bay Water, told WUSF. The St. John’s River Water Management District has declared a Phase II water shortage as of March 3, expanding voluntary water conservation measures, with the Suwannee River Water Management District following suit on the 10th. The South Florida Water Management District has varying warnings across counties, but Lee County had Phase IV water shortage restrictions imposed on residents as of February 23. Northwest Florida seems to be faring slightly better, with the Northwest Florida Water Management District lifting burn bans in mid-February. With all of Florida under some drought condition, hopes are set on the usual spring rains to alleviate this nearly record-breaking drought.
Source: USGS (Click to enlarge)
Coral Reef Breaking Waves: It’s no secret that Florida’s coral reefs are fading due to disease and rising ocean temperatures. These bustling ecosystems not only add beautiful color, they also act as breakwaters, dissipating wave energy before it makes landfall, reducing storm surge and flood risk from storms. The Florida Legislature is formally recognizing this, with passage of HB 1035 that encourages nature-based coastal resilience measures, including living shorelines, vegetation planting, and seagrass restoration. New research by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) shows coral reefs around the U.S. provide annual flood protection benefits around $1.8 billion, protecting more than 18,100 people and their properties along the way.
The first-ever study took several storm scenarios and modeled the damages incurred from each with the current coral reef levels and with the projections for further degraded reefs. The numbers were shocking. About 17% of Florida’s coastline would be further exposed, with damages likely exceeding $1 million per kilometer each year. In relative terms, the annual flood risk would rise 42% for people and 47% for buildings. All told, that’s more than $438 million in economic loss, all prevented by our polyp pals. With just a 1-meter loss in reef height, the 100-year floodplain would change drastically, increasing by 104 square kilometers and putting 51,000 people and $5 billion in property in peril. The numbers speak for themselves in a way the coral cannot, underscoring the vital role these organisms play in the wider ecosystem, making the case even stronger to combat the conditions that have left them in such dire straits.
A Florida coral reef. Courtesy, Shaun Wolfe, National Park Service
To Dredge or not to Dredge: Almost in defiance of the groundbreaking research and legislation comes a dredging proposal just off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, where one of the last thriving Florida coral reefs resides. The Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) is leading a $1.35 billion dollar endeavor to deepen the Port Everglades channel from 42 to 48 feet to make room for Neo-Panamax container ships and tankers to navigate the waters more efficiently, which would most likely cost the lives of some 10-million corals living just under the water’s surface. The threatened area has been described as a treasure trove of endangered staghorn corals which are still thriving despite the triple threat of ocean temperatures rising, human footprint, and deadly diseases.
Environmentalists at all levels have decried the project, with NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast regional administrator Andy Strelcheck calling it “the largest impact to coral reefs permitted in U.S. history.” Detractors cite a similar project 30 miles south, where PortMiami was dredged from 2013 to 2015, and the sediments kicked up from the ground-moving processes suffocated over 250 acres of reef. While Port Everglades officials and the ACOE have proposed several safeguards, such as close monitoring and coral relocation, the project remains at a crossroads, waiting for high level legal battles to be resolved. Many, including the Washington Post, are framing this as a deciding moment in the balance between progress and preservation.
LMA Newsletter of 3-16-26
