U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Grant: Integrated HAB Prediction and Management for Florida’s St. Lucie Estuary System

Background:

Aquatic nuisance species, including harmful algae, impact US waterways (including those maintained by USACE), infrastructure, and associated resources across the Nation; it’s estimated that Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) cause an estimated $1B per year in lost tourism revenue alone. In response, innovative, cost-effective, and scalable technologies for early detection, protection, and management of aquatic nuisance species are required. HABs are increasing in frequency and duration, resulting in environmental, socio‑economic, and human/wildlife health concerns. Technologies that can effectively predict HAB events and guide proactive HAB mitigation via physical, chemical, or biological approaches is particularly needed. This research effort focuses on the prediction and management of HABs within Florida’s St. Lucie River and Estuary System (SLE), which conveys water discharged from Lake Okeechobee toward the Atlantic Ocean.

This project will establish a multi-sector and interdisciplinary collaboration between USACE and a South Florida-Caribbean CESU network member in Florida. This collaboration will leverage resources to identify research opportunities and pursue actions necessary for accelerating the delivery of HAB prediction and management technologies for the SLE. This collaboration will seek to build upon and expand (but in no way duplicate) current HAB research efforts ongoing in Florida, thus leading to expanded technology transfer opportunities. Special topics of interest for this funding opportunity announcement are described as part of the “brief description of anticipated work” section below. Investigators should have demonstrated experience pertaining to HABs and aquatic nuisance species control techniques.

Brief Description of Anticipated Work:

Required Work Objectives: This CESU project is intended to develop and demonstrate scalable solutions that will minimize the frequency and effects of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in Florida’s St. Lucie River and Estuary System (SLE) and produce knowledge and deliverables that benefit water resource development projects nationwide.

Year one of this project will: (1) establish the initial structure of the project, including tasks that support enhanced water quality characterization as needed to fill data gaps that may exist within the SLE; (2) assimilate existing research, water quality data and modeling tools that will form the foundation of SLE HAB predictive capability development; and finally, (3) begin designing a user-friendly tool capable of integrating (a) Lake Okeechobee water quality and operations and associated predicted impacts on water quality and HAB risk within SLE, and (b) existing or in-development water quality/HAB predictive tools for Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary System (CES).

Year two of this project will: (1) continue SLE characterization and data gap filling as needed; (2) calibrate the water quality and HAB risk predictive model for SLE; and (3) demonstrate utility of the integrated tool, which links Lake Okeechobee water quality and operations with SLE and CES water quality and HAB risks.

Year three of this project will (1) validate the SLE and integrated HAB predictive tools; (2) host end-user workshops and trainings to ensure the integrated tool can be properly used and maintained; and (3) complete technology transfer efforts to ensure knowledge gained and tools developed are maximally useful to Florida and other water resource development projects. Recall, years 2 and 3 are optional and contingent on Congressional authorization and funding appropriation.

Successful proposals will (a) clearly identify question(s) the proposed project will seek to answer (i.e., project technical objectives); (b) clearly describe the tasks and data required to answer those question(s) (i.e., data quality objectives); and (c) describe envisioned project deliverables by task and by year. Successful proposals will also describe approach to maximize use of existing federal and state HAB programs, activities, and data. Successful proposals will identify quantitative and/or qualitative success criteria for each project task and objective; go/no-go decision points at the end of each year is encouraged.