FLORIDA GULF OF MEXICO RESTORATION PROJECT SUBMITTAL FORM
Form Purpose and Instructions:
•To assist the project proposal and review process, please complete this Submittal Form. Completion of the Form will contribute to the appropriate information being completely and accurately submitted for each project.
Take as much space as needed for each question, but please keep responses as focused as possible. It may assist you to review all the questions before addressing any one question.
If you have multiple projects – please submit one Form for each project.
When you have completed the form hit the submit button in the upper right hand corner. Once your Form is successfully submitted, you will receive a confirmation email from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Submit all back-up maps, information, etc. to Restoration.Projects@dep.state.fl.us
To submit updated information, please fill out this form and update fields as needed. All of the following are Required Fields for project updates
Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System. Redeployment of the C-14 Buoy
Annette Doying, Emergency Management Director, adoying@pascocountyfl.net, 727-847-2411 ext 8114
Curtis Franklin, RESTORE Act Program Coordinator, cfranklin@pascocountyfl.net, 727-847-2411 ext 8468
(Include a map, if possible, and the city, county, watershed, longitude/latitude dec.deg, Parcel # if Applicable)
Off the coast of Pasco County, FL
28.311 N 83.306 W (28°18'40" N 83°18'22" W)
(Describe all aspects of the project)
Repair, configure and re-deploy the C14 buoy, which is part of the Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMPS), complete with meteorological and oceanographic instrumentation. This buoy provides near real time scientific data to the University of South Florida and NOAA, which is available to the general public and used by recreational and commercial boaters and fishers. When previously deployed the buoy was important for explaining and predicting the ocean currents that affected oil transport from the DW Horizon oil spill, and was similarly used for explaining red tide occurrence and juvenile fish recruitment. Data to be collected will be readily available to the public via websites (USF and NOAA) and these
data, along with coordinated model simulations and forecasts (similarly available on the web), provide necessary information on how the Gulf of Mexico operates as an ecological system.
(Describe the estimated costs of the project, including any assumptions for contingency
and ongoing operations/maintenance. Identify other secured funding sources such as matching funds, in-kind contributions or state/federal dollars. In addition, if possible, complete and submit the Cost Appendix Sheet associated with this Form)
The estimate provided is based on a 5 year minimum deployment time. To reconfigure, deploy
and maintain the buoy over the five year interval would be approximately $825,000. While this estimate includes reasonable contingency plans based on past experience the cost may vary depending extreme or unanticipated events.
(Indicate if the project is submitted for any potential funding or if it may be used to leverage additional funding, if so, please describe the funding source [e.g. State/Federal Grants])
Funding would be shared in part by the County. There is also the potential of County support in
providing boat services to maintain the buoy.
(Describe the technologies involved and any relevant past experience or proven success with similar projects)
Such buoys with near real time telemetry have been maintained by the respondents since 1998.
We note that as a re-deployment of a previously existing system, the project is based on proven past success. The same moored buoy system would be redeployed with an updated suite of sensors and newly re-engineered data logging and telemetry equipment to provide increased reliability for data collection in the Gulf of Mexico coastal ocean waters. Both USF-COMPS and NOAA websites presently serve such data from other buoys deployed along Florida's west coast, and these data are readily available on the internet for access by any concerned user. In other words, the respondents are experienced and ready to accomplish the objectives of this proposal.
(Describe any ongoing activities in the project implementation area,
if the project is part of another plan, and why the project does or does not interfere with that work. Please consider how the project may complement existing local, regional, and state efforts/plans/objectives)
The COMPS program contributes information to both the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean
Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) and the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing
System (GCOOS), both of which have assets deployed in the Gulf of Mexico. SECOORA and GCOOS, in turn, are two of eleven regional systems that are part of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). The C-14 buoy will complement and become a part of these other data sources. In total the constellation of COMPS buoys, together with other observing assets and simulation models, are intended to provide a comprehensive look at how the the Gulf of Mexico functions. Thus the redeployment of C-14 will allow for a more comprehensive view of what is occurring in the Gulf.
(Describe any concerns or potential conflicts)
There are no conflicts with regulations. This project is a redeployment.
(Describe if the project has had any design or permitting work started or
completed [attach permits or design work]. Please address any issues that may delay start or finish of the project) The buoy is currently at the College of Marine Science, USF in St. Petersburg, FL. Reconfiguration and deployment of the buoy could occur within 6 months of funding. That includes all necessary requirements for satellite telemetry and data delivery via the Internet. The structure of the buoy, currently in storage, is ready. Required prior to deployment are instrument system calibrations, installations and testing, plus lead time to schedule deployment using the Florida Institute of Oceanography R/V Weatherbird or a similarly equipped vessel.
(Describe the nature, magnitude, and timing of any environmental benefits attributable
to the project. If possible, describe potential environmental performance measures [e.g. pollutant reduction]. Please address any potential environmental impacts associated with implementing or maintaining the project [e.g. loss of a habitat or conversion of habitat from one type to another during implementation])
Environmental stewardship is predicated on understanding complex system functionality so that
forecast may be made regarding consequences of either human or natural occurrences. Meteorological and oceanographic data are critical to understanding how the Gulf of Mexico works as a system. Some examples of previous accomplishments in this regard include tracking
of harmful substances, for example the DW Horizon oil spill, assisting in search and rescue operations, predicting hurricane storm surge and accompanying waves, understanding and predicting why red tide blooms occur and why in some years there may be an absence of such blooms, and explaining conditions for which certain fish species (e.g., gag grouper) have successful recruitment years, and conversely, thereby contributing to science-based resource management.
(Describe the economic and social benefits including those related to the project’s improved ecosystem services and any estimates on jobs created or preserved)
As a peninsula nearly surrounded by water there is little of the Florida economy that is not
influenced by the ocean. Even inland agriculture is influenced by land-sea breeze and the ensuing rainfall. Tourism, in particular, is related in large measure to the attraction of the sea and Florida's bountiful living marine resources. The understanding of ecosystem functionality begins with the data collection proposed and its use in conjunction with diagnostic and predictive models. Matters of real property and personal safety under extreme conditions require the ability to track storm systems, forecast storm surge and waves and provide information for use by emergency managers. Direct near real time observations of winds, waves and currents, along with associated model forecasts that these observations facilitate are important for recreational and commercial boaters and fishers to inform safe and successful outings.
Understanding Gulf ecosystem functionality is also critical for assessing and measuring environmental and social impacts caused by either human-induced or natural variations This buoy along with a constellation of such measurement systems will provide both the real time and the longer term baseline data necessary to understand the workings of the Gulf of Mexico. Direct employment will be of technical and scientific staff related to buoy operations and related science. Indirect employment will derive through improved tourist attraction by facilitating improved environmental stewardship. These data and model simulations will also serve the present and next generation of students through outreach and education.
(Describe if the project assists Florida’s ability to anticipate, withstand, or recover from hazards or threats [e.g. hurricane preparedness, establishing living shorelines])
Provides potential warnings on storm surge and severe weather directly contributing to the
safety of the local community as well as providing solid data to perform predictions on oil spill spreads and red tide blooms.
(Describe any known or potential public approval or opposition to the project)
This has public acceptance as it provides real time data to a myriad of people who use the data for ocean current conditions as well as researchers trying to understand how the system works. Recreational boaters can also access the data easily on-line to plan trips into the gulf.
Additional Information you wish to provide:
(Please include any maps, designs, drawings, photos or background
resources that may assist in completely and accurately understanding the project. If these are too large to attach here, please email them to
Restoration.Projects@dep.state.fl.us
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=42021 http://comps.marine.usf.edu/
Contracts | |
Feasibility | |
Engineering, Design, Land Rights & Bid Prep | 100,000 |
Restoration Plan | 220,000 |
Site Visits & Cost of Site Selection | |
Administration, Overhead and Indirect | |
Other |
320,000
Contracts | |
Administration & Mobilization/Demobilization | 150,000 |
Other |
150,000
Contracts | 355,000 |
Data Collection | |
Monitoring Administration | |
Other |
Supervision
355,000
825,000
Contingency (traditionally calculated at 10% of the subtotal)
82,500
907,500
Year 1 | 190,000 |
Year 2 | 180,000 |
Year 3 | 155,000 |
Year 4 | 143,000 |
Year 5 | 146,000 |
Year 6 |