The Florida Trustee Implementation Group is drafting its third post-settlement restoration plan and environmental assessment to address natural resource injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We began this restoration planning effort in November 2022 by requesting project ideas from the public. We greatly appreciate your input in response to the request for project ideas.
The Florida Trustees’ Draft Restoration Plan 3/Environmental Assessment: Water Quality will address water quality using a range of approaches to enhance ecosystem services and recreational use along the Florida Gulf coast by reducing pollutants, nutrients, and pathogens discharged to coastal watersheds and improving hydrology. These restoration approaches include: reducing pollution and hydrologic degradation; reducing nutrient loads; creating, restoring, and enhancing coastal wetlands; and protecting and conserving marine, coastal, estuarine, and riparian habitats.
Additional information about the Water Quality Restoration Type can be found in Water Quality Type Restoration section, Chapter 5 of the Trustee Council Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and in Chapter 5 Appendices (Sections 5.5.5, 5.D.1.1, 5.D.1.7, and 5.D.2).
We propose to use a portion of the Florida Trustees’ Water Quality Restoration Type allocation for the projects included in the Final Restoration Plan 3 and Environmental Assessment: Water Quality.
The Florida Trustees have approved two previous post-settlement restoration plans.
The Draft Restoration Plan 3 and Environmental Assessment will be drafted consistent with the Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan. We expect to release the draft in early 2024. We will provide an opportunity for the public to review and provide input on the proposed restoration plan, including specific projects. After the public comment period ends, we will review, consider, and incorporate public comments before releasing a final restoration plan.
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