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SJRWMD FY 2017-2018 Final Budget <br />the final components of the Upper St. Johns River Basin Project, cumulatively <br />restoring more than 160,000 acres of the St. Johns River headwater wetlands for <br />flood protection, water supply and wetland restoration. <br />Upon receiving funding from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation <br />Commission (FWC), the District was able to complete the first phase of <br />reconnection of Emeralda Marsh Area 3 to Lake Griffin. The District is currently <br />completing the phase two reconnection, with a likely completion date of <br />November 2017. <br />The District has completed 60 percent of the design for the C-10 water <br />management area, which will provide an additional 1,300 acres of land and a <br />projected storage of 6,500 acre-feet. <br />Restoration Efforts <br />• The District and its partners celebrated the completion of the Upper St. Johns <br />River Basin Project, a marsh restoration and flood control project covering more <br />than 166,000 acres in Brevard and Indian River counties. <br />• The District, partnering with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection <br />(DEP), Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), Brevard County, and the City of <br />Melbourne, celebrated the groundbreaking of the Eau Gallie River muck dredging <br />project in January 2017. For FY 2016-17 $4.1 million was spent on this project. <br />Once completed in fall 2018, approximately 632,000 cubic yards of muck will <br />have been removed from the main stem of the 3.9 -mile -long Eau Gallie River, a <br />major tributary of the Indian River Lagoon. <br />• The District has spent $1.5 million on water quality improvements since <br />purchasing Silver Springs Forest Conservation Area in 2015. District staff have <br />completed construction on seven gabion weirs, two low level crossings, and <br />three other water control structures in an effort to reduce turbidity and provide <br />erosion control for the Half -Mile Creek flows into Silver River. <br />Resource Evaluation and Modelinq <br />• The District is working with the City of Ocala to conduct Lower Floridan aquifer <br />(LFA) pump tests in an effort to determine if water use can be shifted from the <br />Upper Floridan aquifer to the LFA so that flows can increase within Silver <br />Springs. <br />Natural Systems <br />Land Resources <br />• This District has begun multiple surveys to track the spread of Lygodium <br />presence and density throughout the District. This invasive species, also known <br />as the old world climbing fern, threatens plant life and habitats within the District <br />and the state. As of October 2016, a total of 147,958 acres of District lands have <br />been surveyed. Furthermore, the District completed the first phase of its mapping <br />of Lygodium within the upper St. Johns River and Ocklawaha River basins <br />(UORB). The District intends to complete Phase 2 of the Upper St. Johns River <br />Basin (USJRB) mapping and Phase 1 of the UORB to be completed in FY 2016- <br />17. <br />Page 11 <br />5, PvlI <br />