1. 29th Annual Environmental Permitting Summer School
Orlando
July 9, 2015
AquaTech Eco Consultants
Tampa, FL 33684
813-867-3600
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2.  AquaTech Eco Consultants has over 16 years of experience with seagrass mitigation, restoration and
research projects in Florida, the Caribbean Sea, Chesapeake Bay, and Texas
 Project development and oversite
 Staff have been involved with techniques that have been the subject of peer reviewed scientific research
and publications by NOAA, FWCC and seagrass experts within the scientific community
 Past projects have received various Environmental Awards
 AquaTech Eco Consultants employs local laborers for product manufacturing and project implementation
 AquaTech Eco Consultants uses both innovative and traditional technologies to increase overall viability of
restoration and mitigation plans
 Restoration partner of The Ocean Foundation for the SeaGrass Grow campaign along with Rock The
Ocean
About AquaTech Eco Consultants
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3. Seagrass is important because:
• Seagrass grows in beds and meadows in shallow coastal waters
• Seagrass beds support one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet
• Seagrass beds protect and nurture fisheries
• Seagrass beds improve water quality
• Seagrass beds protects coral reefs and mangrove systems
• Seagrass beds protect coastlines from erosion and storm surges
• Seagrass beds sustain thousands of plant and animal species including
many endangered species such as manatees and seahorses
• Over a billion people live within 30 miles of a seagrass meadow
• Millions of people obtain their protein from animals that live in seagrass
• Seagrasses are the first line of defense along much of the world’s
coastlines, intercepting pollution that would harm the ocean
In Florida alone:
• In 1950, is was estimated that Florida had over 5 million acres of seagrass.
Today, less than 500,000 acres exist.
• In 1994, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection determined
that over 174,000 acres of prop scarring existed in Florida’s shallow
coastal waters
• Some of the most severe scarring exists in the Florida Keys Charlotte
Harbor and Tampa Bay
• Seagrass beds help support Florida’s $184 Million per year commercial
fishing industry
Seagrass Overview
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4. Seagrass Overview
The Value of Seagrass to the Environment – Carbon Sequestration
• Seagrasses represent 15% of the total surplus carbon fixed in the global ocean.1 Keeping it protected
and restoring its abundance is important to storing carbon in the ocean. Any loss of seagrass is thus
cause for concern, particularly given the very slow rate of recovery observed for many seagrass
species.
• As perennial structures, seagrasses are one of the few marine ecosystems which store carbon for
relatively long periods. 2
• Seagrass sequesters approximately 3.5x as much carbon as a pine tree forest = roughly 7.84 metric
tons per year and can be fully grown in less than 2 years compared to 90 years
1 Duarte, Carlos M. and Carina L. Chiscano “Seagrass biomass and production: a reassessment”Aquatic Botany Volume 65, Issues 1-4, November 1999, Pages
159-174
2 Green, Edmund P., and Frederick T. Short (Editors) World Atlas of Seagrasses (University of California Press, 2003) Page 15
Right: St. Petersburg, FL
shown after a 1.25 meter
rise in sea levels
Left: Tampa Bay shown
after a 1.5 meter increase
in sea levels
Source: Architecture
2030 – depicts estimated
sea levels rise in the year
2030
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5. The Value of Seagrass to the Environment – Water Clarity
• Seagrasses protect the coast by trapping and stabilizing marine sediments, raising the sea
floor at rates of 0.04 inch per year
• Seagrass dissipates wave energy and shelters coasts from storms
• Seagrass is paramount to the natural cycling of runoff nutrients in near-shore areas, thus
removing excess nutrients from the ocean
Seagrass Overview
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6. Mitigation Solutions
Common Shallow Water Seagrass Injuries
Propeller or Hull Scarring
• Formed by dredging effects from propellers or vessel hulls as boats travel over shallow banks
• Severity (width and depth) vary due to size of vessel and extent to which propeller or hull is forced into seagrass bed
Blowholes
• Concentrated force of propeller wash from grounded vessel powering off a bank or the prop wash from a salvage
vessel pulling the grounded vessel off the bank
• May also occur in deeper waters due to dredging and construction activities
Berms
• Produced from sand, coral fragments and other substrate excavated during the creation of prop scars and blowholes
that accumulate around the perimeter of an injury, burying healthy grass
• May also occur in deeper waters due to dredging and construction activities
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7. Mitigation Solutions
Successful Restoration of Propeller / Pipeline Scarring
Sediment Tube Technology (FPEIS)
 Used on Propeller Scarring and Boat Groundings
 Returns the injury site to grade
 Made from biodegradable materials
Propeller Scar and Blowhole – Illustrative depiction of Restoration Activities
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8. Mitigation Solutions
Successful Restoration of Boat Groundings and Propeller / Pipeline Scarring
 Used on Propeller Scarring and Boat Groundings
 Returns the injury site to grade
 Blowholes are filled with rock or sediment and capped with Sediment Tubes
 Highly effective in low energy and high energy areas
 Restoration complete in less than 24 months in most cases
 Effective means for mitigation, shortens monitoring requirements
 Useful Public Interest component to Mitigation Plans
 Pipeline impact restoration and solutions for consent orders
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Mitigation Solutions
Site Selection

10. Prior to the decision to transplant, site selection should be
carefully evaluated. In many cases where the injury was
mechanically derived, restoration can often be achieved, but
may also require engineering interventions to “fix” the site,
such as filling excavation holes caused by vessel groundings. Proper
filling designs should be used when adjusting the site
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Mitigation Solutions
Site Design

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Mitigation Solutions

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Mitigation Solutions

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Mitigation Solutions

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Mitigation Solutions

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Mitigation Solutions

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Mitigation Solutions
• Traditional Buoys cause halos
• Pole Buoys are more visible
• Less maintenance
• Engineered to withstand Cat 4 Hurricanes

17. Project Location Map:
Project Plan Map:
Project background:
The initial mapping effort occurred in June, 2009 while the second mapping
effort occurred in September of 2009. To identify additional mitigation acreage
as required by Miami-Dade County DERM Staff, a third survey was conducted in
August, 2010. Aerial photography and direct observations were utilized to
identify individual seagrass injuries within the selected mitigation sites. Seagrass
injuries within the sites selected for restoration are hereafter referred to as
restoration sites. During these three separate mapping efforts, over 2.5 acres of
deep propeller scars (greater than 20 cm. deep) were mapped and surveyed for
restoration options and inclusion in FPL's compensation plan. The intent was to
demonstrate the ability to locate sufficient propeller scarring and vessel
groundings in the selected mitigation areas.
Project Description:
•Restoration of 111,078 square feet of prop scars using Sediment Tubes
•Restoration of over 217,800 square feet of prop scars through the use of bird
stakes
•Enhancement of nearly 64,000 square feet of other damaged areas
•Manufacturing of over 58,000 Sediment Tubes by Americans with Disabilities
•Restoration of damaged essential fish habitat
•Installation of 98 seagrass caution markers to help protect the Banks from
further damage
•Create public awareness of the importance of seagrass
Case Study: FP&L Mitigation Project
Project Update (Adam Gelber: ATKINS):
• The sediment tubes installed in deep prop scars and blow holes were either visible or buried.
In both instances, seagrass was observed growing over the sediment tubes. Thus, this
technique currently appears to be successful and no corrective action is recommended at this
time.
• All sediment subsidence stations have satisfied the success criteria which states < 10 cm of
sediment subsidence at sites that have been stabilized with sediment placement.

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Case Study: Isle of Wight, Chesapeake Bay
Site Description. The Isle of Wight is located in Assawoman Bay near Ocean City,
Maryland. The island is part of the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources public land
system managed by the Wildlife and Heritage Service. The Isle of Wight Road and Route
90, the Ocean City Expressway, one of the main access routes into the barrier island
resort of Ocean City, divide the 0.8 km2 island. The island and surrounding waters on the
north side of Route 90 are managed as a wildlife management area. The area south of
Route 90 is managed as a day use recreation area by Worcester County. Extensive
erosion along the southeastern shoreline resulted in development of a shore erosion
control project by the USACE Baltimore District. The project would employ non-
structural protection methods including a near shore low sill with tidal marsh and a larger
protected area with more extensive tidal marsh with a public access pier. Construction of
the shore protection project began in Spring 2003 and was completed in Fall 2004. Beds
of Z. marina (eelgrass), were present within the proposed construction area.
Figure 2. Locations of donor and
transplant sites near Isle of Wight,
Chesapeake Bay.
Planting Operations. A demonstration project using the GUTS was developed to relocate
a portion of the eelgrass from the construction area to a transplant site located along the
southwest shore of the island where SAV was not present (Figure 2). One hundred sixty
five sods approximately 1.2m by 1.5m and 20 cm thick were transplanted in September
and October 2002. Monitoring was conducted immediately after transplanting and
annually for 2 years following transplanting by BayLand Consultants & Designers, Inc.
Results
•The original 165 transplants resulted in placement of 3,300 square feet of SAV in 2002.
•The 2003 monitoring showed that the transplants had survived for the most part but
had not yet reached the area on density of the original transplants.
•The 2004 monitoring showed that the monitored transplants had expanded to
approximately their original transplant area and density. Approximately half of the
monitored transplants had SAV growth beyond the original four-feet by five-feet sods
and began to take the form of a 27,000 square feet (0.6 acre) SAV bed.
•In 2008 the transplants were indiscernible from the 5.3 acre SAV bed that encompassed
the Transplant Site.
•The 2008 SAV bed extended 50 to 200-feet beyond the boundary of the original East
Transplant Area.
•The bed extended from zero to 75-feet beyond the original West Transplant Area. The
more narrowed bed was likely a result of the narrower transplant area and higher wave
energy climate at the West Transplant Area.

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•Would a Seagrass and oyster mitigation bank be beneficial
•How would a seagrass mitigation service area be established
•Florida Keys Restoration Fund?
•Private or state owned land (why can’t state land be used)
•Protection like Aquaculture lease
Mitigation Banking

20. SeaGrass Grow Campaign
The Ocean Foundation (TOF) is a community foundation with a specialized practice. Its niche is providing
high-end philanthropic advice for a community of donors who care about the coast and oceans. TOF's
mission is to support, strengthen, and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of
destruction of ocean environments around the world. Its goal is to grow the financial resources available to
support marine conservation. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, international public foundation.
All donations to the SeaGrass Grow Campaign will be made to the Seagrass Fund at:
For more information, please visit www.Oceanfdn.org
www.SeaGrassGrow.org
http://www.oceanfdn.org/index.php?tg=articles&topics=87
Tell us what you want to do for the ocean, we’ll take care of the rest
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