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

sand, which indicates a firm substrate to support the proposed artificial reef structures. Okaloosa County FWC Construction Grant Supplemental Information  4 of 11 Vegetation: Anecdotal evidence indicates no submerged aquatic vegetation has been observed in the area of deployment. The proposed deployment site lies at water depths that preclude the growth of submerged grasses and no known coral outcrops/formations are present in the sites. Bottom surveys ensure that no live bottom is present. Threatened or endangered species: No threatened or endangered species occur at this site. Wildlife: Most typically observed species on the offshore sand bottom areas include the beaded sea star and the pearly razorfish. Water Quality: The proposed project should not adversely impact water quality. Reef material deployment will likely suspend some in-situ sediments and cause a temporary localized increase in turbidity. This temporary impact to water quality will rapidly disappear as the re-suspended sediments settle on the sea floor. Cultural Resources: No submerged cultural resources have been observed or are suspected to lie within ½-mile radius of the site based on results of a Florida Master File search of each proposed reef site (results included as Appendix C of Attachment 4). Science and observation suggests that a wide variety of marine organisms will assemble on the artificial reefs. This would include a variety of sponges (porifera), segmented worms (annelida), shrimp, crabs, lobsters, hermit crabs, barnacles (arthropoda), bryozoans (ectoprocta), and tunicates (chordate). The primary fish species expected to utilize the newly created habitats and take up permanent residence or pass through would include, but not limited to, red snapper, gray snapper, vermillion snapper, goliath groupers, pinfish, red porgy, sheepshead, shark, Spanish mackerel, cobia, great barracuda, tomtate, scamp, gag, black sea bass, sand perch, hogfish, peacock flounder, leopard toadfish, spotted goatfish, yellow goatfish, cubbyu, nurse shark, Gulf flounder, gray triggerfish, and greater amberjack. All of these species are commonly found in the general vicinity of the permitted sites and these species represent a mix of demersal and pelagic species. Monitoring of other reef material in this area (LAARS A) supports the assumptions above. The minor subsidence that will occur will provide a stable foundation for the material. The County expects the proposed artificial reefs to have insignificant impact to any non-living marine resources in either the immediate vicinity or the surrounding area. Because these sites lie significant distances from other known public reefs, nominal migration of benthic fish or mobile invertebrates will occur. However, observations of other artificial reefs in the region have shown substantial populations of benthic and reef fish within six months to two years of deployment. Migratory pelagic species will pass through, either staying on a temporary basis or staying longer depending on the availability of food. Current fiscal restrictions do not allow for a sustained marine population investigation. Okaloosa County FWC Construction Grant Supplemental Information  5 of 11 With these reefs, the County seeks to enhance the fisheries habitat for such species as the grouper, snapper, and amberjack, which have been widely observed in other artificial reef systems deployed in LAARS A. Given the high limestone content of the construction material and the relatively steep relief, the County expects that substantial marine growth across the food chain spectrum will colonize the new reef in short order. Availability of other Relevant Data A variety of studies regarding artificial reefs and ecology of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico have been published. These data are useful to put the proposed reef project into prospective with the current knowledge base and its intended objectives. Today's artificial reef projects include specific design goals, as opposed to previous years when materials were indiscriminately discarded. Emphasis on increased awareness and stewardship of the marine environment has directed the artificial reef community’s focus toward sustainable and stabilized reef structures. Scientific studies also show data demonstrating targeted fisheries species enhancement may be possible through proper reef design and management. Attachment 5 contains a discussion and additional detail about the relevant biological and environmental data that Okaloosa County incorporates into the design and management of its artificial reefs. Physical Oceanography Conditions Attachment 6 describes the Physical Oceanography Conditions in the waters offshore of Okaloosa County. The document details research from various sources including The Gulf of Mexico Data Atlas and the USACE Wave Information Studies, to provide comprehensive analysis of the physical and oceanographic characteristics of the permitted reef sites. The physical and oceanographic conditions include geological characteristics, range of wind and wave characteristics, current velocities, temperature, salinity, visibility, tidal range, dissolved oxygen and nutrient composition, and geographic description. The physical and oceanographic conditions at the proposed reef sites are ideal for successful ecological habitation, longevity, as well as recreational and economic benefit. Material Placement Report Forms There have been no previously unsubmitted, non-FWCC funded public reef projects completed during the last calendar year (Attachment 7). Existing Artificial Reef Deployments No known existing artificial reef systems occur within 0.25nm of the proposed reef sites Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo (Attachment 8). Project Objectives (Attachments 9 – 10) Specific Project Objectives The primary objective of this project is to construct artificial reef habitat compliant with applicable regulations in a manner that will provide a productive long-term marine resource to the citizens of Okaloosa County and area visitors. See Attachment 9 for an additional discussion of Specific Project Objectives and County reef program goals. Okaloosa County FWC Construction Grant Supplemental Information  6 of 11 Objective Achievement Plan Attachment 10 defines how the County plans to achieve the primary objective of constructing artificial reef habitat compliant with applicable regulations in a manner that will provide a productive long-term marine resource to the citizens of Okaloosa County and area visitors. It also provides a detailed plan to achieve and measure the success of additional specific measurable objectives defined in the preceding section. Project Design (Attachments 11 – 12) Reef Design and Construction The proposed artificial reef project design will consist of constructing a circular-based rubble-mound structure at the centroids of the permitted Fish Haven/LAARS sites. The size of the reefs, in plan view and vertical relief, will be based on the winning bidder’s proposal and compliance with permit restrictions. OCARP anticipates that fiscal constraints will dictate the quantity placed, due to the abundance of the material source. Future deployment plans include the construction of several patch reefs within each permitted site, for a total of nine reef systems within the Fish Haven reef areas, see Attachment 2. The currently proposed centroid construction location will preserve an approximate 600- ft buffer between the proposed construction limits and the permitted boundary. When the future patch reefs are constructed within the fish havens, the interstitial spacing between reef patches will be range between 350 and 450 ft. The outer perimeter of the rubble-mound base will primarily comprise massive concrete material that will contain large and small concrete rubble pieces built into a conical shape to an approximate height of 15 – 20 feet, not to exceed the maximum height allowed by the permit. This simple design configuration will provide opportunity for recreational fishing and diving as well as provide shelter for targeted marine life. The materials in the proposed concrete rubble reef offer outstanding environmental complexity. The stacking and locking of the large concrete materials creates varying sizes of interstitial spaces, or void space, and provides a variety of species shelter from currents and predators. The variety of surface areas created by the random placement of varying shape concrete material will achieve a desirable simulation of natural habitat characteristics. Attachment 11 includes additional details of the reef design and material placement. The attachment highlights the habitat complexity and aims to achieve the ecological diversity of regional natural hardbottom through incorporation of experience and research. Stability and Durability Attachment 12 demonstrates the stability and durability of the proposed clean concrete construction materials. Historical evidence and research presented in the attachment provides confirmation that the proposed materials are sufficiently massive to remain in place and are structurally capable of performing as an artificial reef well beyond the required 20-year life. As proven with the 30+ year-old Destin Bridge Rubble site, the proposed construction will provide long-term ecological and economic benefit to the region. Okaloosa County FWC Construction Grant Supplemental Information  7 of 11 Project Planning and Management (Attachments 13 –18) Project Timeline and Construction Schedule Attachment 13 outlines the projected project timeline and construction schedule of the proposed construction activities. The County expects project completion and submittal of close out documentation within approximately 24 weeks of receiving the executed grant contract from FWC. Administrative and Field Management Okaloosa County personnel from the Purchasing Department, Finance Department, County Extension Office, Information Services, and Public Works work together to ensure the project meets all grant requirements. Expertise beyond or complimentary to County resources can be accessed through an array of contracts with private consulting firms. Attachment 14 contains a more detailed discussion of Administrative and Field Management resources. Okaloosa County currently has sufficient staff to execute the terms of the grant and is currently adding an additional staff member to spearhead artificial reef construction and monitoring efforts. Artificial Reef Monitoring and Assessment Plan In 1999, the Okaloosa County Artificial Reef Committee prepared an Artificial Reef Plan (Attachment 15), which serves as a living document that is continually updated. Appendix II of the Artificial Reef Plan shows the previous iteration of the Artificial Reef Monitoring Plan, and it differs slightly from the monitoring plan shown in Attachment 15. The Plan established a prioritized set of monitoring actions