§385.39. Evaluating progress towards other water-related needs of the region provided for in the Plan. — Inbound Citations

(vi) Developing recommendations for interim targets in accordance with § 385.39;

(xv) Describe how the project contributes to the achievement of interim goals established pursuant to § 385.38 and the interim targets established pursuant to § 385.39;

(1) Projects shall be sequenced and scheduled to maximize the achievement of the goals and purposes of the Plan at the earliest possible time and in the most cost-effective way, consistent with the requirement that each project be justified on a next-added increment basis, including the achievement of the interim goals established pursuant to § 385.38 and the interim targets established pursuant § 385.39, consistent with § 385.36 and § 385.37(b), and to the extent practical given funding, engineering, and other constraints. The sequencing and scheduling of projects shall be based on considering factors, including, but not limited to:

(i) Technical dependencies and constraints;

(ii) Benefits to be provided by the project;

(iii) Availability of lands required for the project; and

(iv) Avoiding elimination or transfers of existing legal sources of water until an alternate source of comparable quantity and quality is available, in accordance with § 385.36.

(a) The Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District shall, in consultation with the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Commerce, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and other Federal, State, and local agencies, establish an adaptive management program to assess responses of the South Florida ecosystem to implementation of the Plan; to determine whether or not these responses match expectations, including the achievement of the expected performance level of the Plan, the interim goals established pursuant to § 385.38, and the interim targets established pursuant § 385.39; to determine if the Plan, system or project operations, or the sequence and schedule of projects should be modified to achieve the goals and purposes of the Plan, or to increase net benefits, or to improve cost effectiveness; and to seek continuous improvement of the Plan based upon new information resulting from changed or unforeseen circumstances, new scientific and technical information, new or updated modeling; information developed through the assessment principles contained in the Plan; and future authorized changes to the Plan integrated into the implementation of the Plan. Endorsement of the Plan as a restoration framework is not intended as an artificial constraint on innovation in its implementation.

(4) The Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District shall sequence and schedule projects as appropriate to achieve the interim goals and the interim targets established pursuant to § 385.39 to the extent practical given funding, technical, or other constraints.

(3) Progress towards interim targets for other water-related needs of the region provided for in the Plan established pursuant § 385.39 for assessing progress towards achieving the benefits to the human environment; and

(b) Interim goals shall be established in accordance with § 385.38 to provide a means for evaluating restoration success of the Plan at specific time intervals during implementation. Interim targets to evaluate progress on providing for other water-related needs of the region provided for in the Plan shall be established in accordance with § 385.39. Interim goals and interim targets shall be consistent with each other.