Okaloosa County BOCC — March 18, 2014 — _Supplemental Intro — reading text

OKALOOSA COUNTY FWC ARTIFICIAL REEF CONSTRUCTION GRANT APPLICATION SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT 620 SOUTH MERIDIAN STREET, BOX # 4B2 TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32399 Prepared by: In support of Call for Artificial Reef Construction TAYLOR ENGINEERING, INC. Grant Applications 1221 AIRPORT RD, SUITE 210 DESTIN, FL 32541 Fiscal Year 2014-2015 (850) 460-7040 OKALOOSA COUNTY ARTIFICIAL REEF PROGRAM 84 READY AVENUE FORT WALTON BEACH, FL 32548  Contents Overview of Application Package Attachment 1 – General Location Maps Attachment 2 – Site-Specific Maps Attachment 3 – Bottom Surveys Attachment 4 – Biological Assessment Attachment 5 – Availability of Other Relevant Data Attachment 6 – Physical and Oceanographic Conditions Attachment 7 – Material Placement Forms Attachment 8 – Existing Artificial Reef Proximity Attachment 9 – Measurable Objectives Attachment 10 – Measurement of Objective Success Attachment 11 – Reef Design and Construction Attachment 12 – Stability and Durability Attachment 13 – Project Timeline and Construction Schedule Attachment 14 – Field and Administrative Management Attachment 15 – Monitoring and Assessment Plan Attachment 16 – Okaloosa County Artificial Reef Plan Attachment 17 – Marine Advisory Board Attachment 18 – Permits Attachment 19 – Public Support Attachment 20 – Presence of a Navigable Inlet Attachment 21 – Material Logistics Attachment 22 – Material Availability Attachment 23 – Material Ownership Attachment 24 – Cost Estimate for Transportation and Handling Attachment 25 – Financial Match Attachment 26 – Okaloosa County Artificial Reef Budget Attachment 27 – Okaloosa County Tax Status Attachment 28 – Okaloosa County Resolution Attachment 29 – Procurement of Commodities or Contractual Services Verification Attachment 30 – Project Funding Limits  1 of 11 Introduction In December 2013, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) conceptually awarded $80,000 to Okaloosa County through a 2013-14 Supplemental Grant. The Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department (TDD) will provide a 100% match of $80,000 to the approved grant. To provide a larger, economy-of-scale project to maximize the benefits of constructing artificial reefs with repurposed clean concrete from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the County is again soliciting funds from FWC through the FWC program. With the continued support of FWC and the TDD, the County will be able to further offset the high cost of mobilization and place an even larger volume of reef material – increasing the project’s benefit to cost ratio. The material proposed in this application will also contrast the anticipated large numbers of pre-fabricated reef modules expected to be placed in the vicinity of the proposed sites and funded through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process Phase III Early Restoration effort. The contrast is primarily in the amount of available surface area per square foot, the non-uniform nature of the material, and the appeal to a larger user group. Okaloosa County will utilize grant funds to construct up to five concrete rubble-mound structures that will offer exceptional environmental complexity, most similar to natural hardbottom features. The County has been constructing similar public access artificial reefs with repurposed concrete material since the mid 1970’s. Historically, the concrete rubble-mound reefs have provided stable and thriving ecosystems with ecological diversity similar to regional natural hardbottom communities. These observations are consistent with those presented in the Guidelines for Artificial Reef Materials, 2nd Edition, January 2004. Monitoring of the existing reefs have shown that benthic communities and game fish species, such as red snapper, quickly inhabit newly constructed reefs and provide expedient ecological and economic benefit. The stacking and locking of the large concrete materials create a variety of surface areas and void spaces to provide shelter for numerous benthic organisms and fish species throughout various life stages. Local recreational divers and anglers also prefer the intricate habitats provided by similar artificial reefs such as the Destin Bridge Rubble. The Destin Bridge Rubble has provided economic benefit to the County for over 30 years and continues to flourish ecologically. Given the benefits proven by experience and research, the preference of local stakeholders, and the opportunity to collaborate with the USAF Research Lab, the Okaloosa County Artificial Reef Program (OCARP) has strong proclivity to construct the proposed artificial reefs. The names of the proposed permitted reef construction areas are Fish Haven 13, 14, 15, 16, and Large Area Artificial Reef Site (LAARS) A. The following table lists the locations of the reef area centroids, as well as the respective reef site name. Okaloosa County FWC Construction Grant Supplemental Information  2 of 11 Reef Site Depth Distance Bearing* Permitted Reef Area Location Latitude Longitude Name (ft) (nM) (Mag) Fish Haven 13 Centroid Alpha 30° 21.391'N 86° 32.876'W -73 2.51 241° Fish Haven 14 Centroid Bravo 30° 21.141'N 86° 36.874'W -70 5.80 257° Fish Haven 15 Centroid Charlie 30° 21.891'N 86° 42.374'W -72 10.23 268° Fish Haven 16 Centroid Delta 30° 20.891'N 86° 46.874'W -67 14.21 266° LAARS A Centroid Echo 30° 06.000’N 86° 21.000’W -127 18.9 157° * From East Pass to Proposed Reef The Fish Haven designation has been used as a consistent naming convention for permitting purposes for many years in Okaloosa County. As a side note, OCARP is considering abandoning the naming convention in order to become a little less stoic and unimaginative. OCARP is considering allowing the public to name reef areas and reef sites in return for a contribution to the reef program or as a reward for an outreach activity as demonstrated with the Aquatic Life Ecosystem (ALE) Reef project funded through the 2011-2012 FWC Grant. Permit Numbers The two tables below indicate the status of permits for the proposed deployment locations. All four sites located in reef deployment areas within State waters have been permitted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and are projected for approval by the USACE in early 2014. FDEP Reef Area FDEP Permit Number Expires Fish Haven 13 46-0309090-002-EG 3/8/2017 Fish Haven 14 46-0309090-003-EG 3/8/2017 Fish Haven 15 46-0315101-001-EG 1/25/2018 Fish Haven 16 46-0315102-001-EG 1/25/2018 LAARS A * NA NA *Located in Federal Waters NA – Not Applicable USACE Reef Area USACE Project Number USACE Permit Number Expires Fish Haven 13 SAJ-2011-03485 SAJ-2011-03485(SP-SWA) 3/10/2024 Fish Haven 14 SAJ-2013-02668 SAJ-2013-02668(SP-SWA) 3/10/2024 Fish Haven 15 SAJ-2012-03221 SAJ-2012-03221(SP-SWA) 3/10/2024 Fish Haven 16 SAJ-2012-03222 SAJ-2012-03222(SP-SWA) 3/10/2024 LAARS A * NA 199603565(IP-DH) March 31, 2013** ** Extended in 6 Month Increments until LAARS Reauthorization Approval is Granted. NA – Not Applicable Okaloosa County FWC Construction Grant Supplemental Information  3 of 11 Project Site Selection and Environmental Assessment (Attachments 1 – 8) General Location Map Attachment 1 includes General Location Maps for proposed reef sites Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo. The maps display the proposed reefs with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) chart overlay, the adjacent coastline, and the distance to East Pass in nautical miles. Table 2 of Attachment A shows the bearing to each site from East Pass. The fish haven sites lie between 2.4 and 14.2 nm west-southwest of the inlet. The LAARS A centroid (Echo) lies 18.9 nm southeast of the inlet. Notably, the LAARS A General Location Map illustrates the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute hardbottom GIS polygons. Review of numerous other NOAA and historical maps reveals no documented hardbottom or cultural resources within the permitted construction areas. Site-Specific Maps Attachment 2 presents Site-Specific Maps for the five proposed reefs. Notably, no hardbottom or environmental sensitive areas appear within the proposed reef areas. Table 3 of Attachment 2 lists the characteristics of past deployments within the permitted area including the deployment date, reference name, material description, amount of material, coordinates, and depth. Bottom Surveys Attachment 3 contains the Site Survey results for the centroid locations of Fish Havens 13 – 16. All four of these locations lie in State waters with depths less than 100 feet. The bottom surveys included SCUBA observations and fathometer surveys. SKC, LLC surveyed FH13 and 14 on February 28, 2012 and surveyed FH15 and 16 on January 21, 2013. The FDEP-permitted area surveys suggest that the sites are devoid of limestone outcroppings (hardbottom) and have sand substrate characteristic of seafloor offshore of northwest Florida. Methods and results of the survey provide reasonable assurance that the reef sites have no natural hardbottom or seagrass within 150 ft of the deployment site. Given the uncertainty of the fiscal ability to complete the deployment within LAARS A, OCARP has not completed an official fathometer survey. If the County is granted sufficient funds, the County will consult USACE and FWC prior to conducting the survey and report to them upon completion. The depth at the centroid location is approximately -127 feet. Unofficially, Scott Henson — OCARP Program Manager — has visited this location and ran transects over approximately 10,000 square feet around the centroid. The graphical return on the fathometer indicated the seafloor was relatively flat with no indication of anomalies. Environmental Assessment Attachment 4 contains a Biological Assessment (BA) that pertains to the subject sites and the region of the Gulf of Mexico offshore of Okaloosa County. The following briefly summarizes the BA and other environmental factors. The proposed site primarily comprises a thick (> 3 ft) layer of medium-grained textured