There are a lot of factors involved in building a project in the Florida Keys, such as obtaining required permits, having plans drawn up, and the actual construction itself. However, one aspect of the process people may not be as familiar with is getting a benthic survey. These surveys are important for preserving marine life, but they are not always necessary, so how can you tell if your project needs a benthic survey?
What is a Benthic Survey?
Firstly, it’s important to know what exactly a benthic survey is. Essentially, it is a survey of the benthic resources in a body of water, being coral, seagrass, fish, or any other living things. The survey occurs when a diver—whether a scuba diver or snorkeler—certified by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary dives the project area to photograph, measure, and map out all the resources within the work area.
This survey is then adapted into a PDF format and sent to the Army Corps, FDEP, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The purpose of this is for these agencies to see if there could be any possible negative impact on marine life. An impact may not necessarily seem apparent at first, but even the act of erecting a dock could potentially shade an area where seagrass needs light in order to grow and thrive.
How Do You Know If You Need a Benthic Survey?
Before you start googling “How To Get a Benthic Survey,” take a step back. You don’t necessarily need to conduct a survey right from the get-go. Instead, go apply for a permit from the Army Corps and FDEP, who will then look at the geographical location where you intend to build your project and decide whether or not you even need to have the survey conducted. They will have reliable knowledge and mappings of the different geographical regions, so they know where seagrass or coral lies without needing to go physically inspect the different areas each time. This information will help determine if you need a survey.
What If I Need a Benthic Survey?
While it won’t always be required, you will occasionally need to undergo a survey. If they deem it necessary, you will have to put your project on hold until the survey has been completed. They will also decide if you need to pay mitigation fees for the project or change its design in order to avoid disruption to the benthic resources. Mitigation fees can differ depending on if you impact seagrass or coral, in which you buy mitigation credits from a mitigation bank. The two mitigation banks in The Keys are the Everglades Mitigation Bank and the Keys Restoration Fund.
This ensures that in the event that you do end up disrupting coral life, for example, your fee will go towards a coral nursery program to regrow said coral in another location. Once you show your credit for the mitigation fees, you will be allowed to continue on with your project.
Final Thoughts
Luckily, you don’t actually need a benthic survey at the time of applying for your permit, as they will come up naturally during the process. You may not even need to deal with a survey at all, but in the case that you do, your project might end up requiring mitigation fees or a construction redesign, but at the end of the day, it’s not that uncommon, and nothing that can’t be easily navigated.
Want to learn more about building your project in the Florida Keys and how to best go about obtaining permits and other services? Let Rapid Permits and Engineering help you out. Simply contact us today or call 365-916-1400 to get started!
