In 2004, the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (SWFWMD) Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) section completed a habitat improvement project at the Gateway Tract in Pinellas County, Florida. URS Corporation (URS) assisted SWFWMD in the design and construction oversight of the project. As part of the project, URS identified for restoration approximately 43 hectares (107 acres) of upland areas dominated by dense Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), scattered stands of melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia), and mangrove swamps. These areas also included a network of mosquito control ditches with spoil mounds covered with Brazilian pepper. The Gateway Tract restoration project consisted of the restoration and enhancement of areas through upland enhancement, saltwater marsh creation and restoration, shallow open water creation, and mangrove habitat enhancement. The mangrove enhancement portion of the project allowed for a unique opportunity to utilize an innovative technique for the removal of spoil mounds created during excavation of mosquito control ditches. Historically, enhancing and restoring mangrove habitat through the removal of mosquito control ditch spoil mounds has been a problematic procedure. To rid a mangrove area of exotics without continuous maintenance, the spoil mounds must be removed. However, the use of standard construction equipment resulted in mangrove impacts which often out-weighed the benefits of the enhancement. For this project, a technique using high pressure/low volume portable pump systems to remove the Brazilian pepper dominated spoil mounds was utilized. With this "hydroblasting" technique, it was possible to remove shell, sand, and rock from below Brazilian peppers without damaging surrounding mangrove wetlands. The material was pushed back into ditches and/or broadcast over surrounding areas. Removal of the mounds to an elevation below the existing mangrove line prevented the reestablishment of Brazilian pepper and is allowing mangroves and other native species to establish in the restored areas.
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机译：2004年，西南佛罗里达水管理区（SWFWMD）地表水改善和管理（游泳）部分完成了佛罗里达州Pinellas County Gateway Dract的栖息地改善项目。 URS公司（URS）协助SWFWMD在项目的设计和施工监督方面。作为项目的一部分，鉴定恢复的URS约为43公顷（107英亩）的高地区域，由密集的巴西辣椒（Schinus Terebinthifolius），散落的Melaleuca（Melaleuca Quinquenervia），以及红树林沼泽地。这些领域还包括一个蚊子控制沟渠网络，用巴西胡椒覆盖的泥土。网关道恢复项目包括通过高地增强，盐水沼泽创造和恢复，浅滩露天创作和红树林栖息地增强地区的恢复和增强。该项目的红树林增强部分允许一个独特的机会利用一种创新技术来删除在蚊子控制沟渠的挖掘过程中产生的弃土机。从历史上看，通过删除蚊子控制垄泥的掠夺土墩增强和恢复红树林栖息地一直是一个有问题的程序。为了摆脱不断维护的外部的红树林区域，必须去除弃土机。然而，使用标准施工设备导致红树林的影响，这些撞击频率往往称重增强的益处。对于该项目，使用了一种使用高压/低容量便携式泵系统去除巴西胡椒占据粪便土堆的技术。通过这种“对软体血糖体”技术，可以从巴西辣椒下方除去壳，沙子和岩石，而不会损坏周围的红树林湿地。将材料推回沟渠和/或在周围区域广播。将土墩移除到现有的红树林下方的升高，阻碍了巴西胡椒的重建，并允许红树林和其他天然物种在恢复的地区建立。
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