Photos by South Florida Water Management District
Annual report shows progress on Everglades restoration is improving south Florida’s ecology.
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) recently released their annual environmental report, documenting an important year of restoration and water-quality progress for the Kissimmee Basin, Lake Okeechobee, Everglades, and South Florida coastal areas.
Among other things, the 2,642-page report, titled South Florida Environmental Report, highlights recent progress by SFWMD and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on critical Everglades restoration projects, noting that more than 50 Everglades projects have been completed, broken ground, or hit a major milestone since January of 2019.
Despite what’s going on right now with red tide, the report is a reminder that there are many pieces to this water-quality puzzle in south Florida. It’s going to be a long-term effort to fix them all, but intermediate progress is happening, and that’s encouraging.
Think of it like getting into really good shape after you’ve eaten ice cream three-square meals a day and laid around on the couch for a few months. It’s going to take a long time and there are a variety of things that you’ll need to improve in order to be in perfect physical shape: strength, endurance, conditioning, different body groups, etc.
Through the process of working towards perfect physical shape, you might make immediate improvements on some of those aspects, while others take more time and effort before you see noticeable improvements.
Much the same, there are still many things that need to happen to see full-scale relief from our water-quality issues, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still appreciate the progress in the meantime—and more importantly, use it as motivation to continue the effort as a whole.
You can check out the full highlights from the report here or keep reading to learn more about a few of them.
Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir
2020: Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) breaks ground
2023: Storage Reservoir breaks ground
The EAA Reservoir Project is one of the most important Everglades restoration projects of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The project will provide ecological benefits, reduce harmful discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, and send more clean freshwater south to the Everglades.
Taylor Slough Flow Improvement Project groundbreaking
2023: By creating infrastructure for water to pass through the Old Ingraham Highway, which currently blocks flows, this environmental restoration project will allow more clean, freshwater to flow south through Taylor Slough and onto Florida Bay, where it is needed to balance salinity levels and promote ecological health. Project is expected to be complete in Summer 2023.
Major components of Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir are advancing
The Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir aims to reduce harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee Estuary and provide beneficial freshwater flows to the estuary in the dry season. This project is a major part of CERP and designed to store approximately 170,000 ac-ft of water. Project is expected to be complete and fully operational within the next couple of years.
Completed C-44 Reservoir & STA to curb harmful discharges to St. Lucie Estuary
2021: This reservoir provides 50,000 ac-ft of new water storage and 6,300 acres of new wetlands. This is the largest CERP project ever completed.
Indian River Lagoon-South C-23/C-24 STA breaks ground: another pivotal moment for St. Lucie River & Indian River Lagoon
2022: This important project will capture and treat local run-off from the C-23 and C-24 basins and reduce the sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen going to the St. Lucie River Estuary and the southern portion of the Indian River Lagoon.
Underground seepage wall supports Everglades restoration and mitigates flooding
2022: Groundbreaking on the CEPP New Water Seepage Barrier Wall Project extends the successful underground wall that was built as part of the 8.5 Square Mile Area Seepage Wall Project. The project supports ongoing restoration efforts to move water south through the Everglades and into Florida Bay while mitigating potential flooding impacts in communities outside of Everglades National Park.
Old Tamiami Trail Roadbed Removal Project completed six months ahead of schedule
2021: This project is a critical Everglades restoration project that removed nearly six miles of roadbed from Old Tamiami Trail to allow more water to naturally flow south into Everglades National Park. Old Tamiami Trail is a historic highway that was built across the Everglades to connect Tampa and Miami in the early 1900s. By removing the roadbed, the project helps restore the ecologically important sheet flow of water south through the Everglades.
Record hydration in the Everglades
Current water depths in two key locations, Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough, demonstrate that restoration projects and operations work well together when coupled with rainfall to nourish the Everglades and send water south to support the health of Florida Bay.
Photos by South Florida Water Management District
Annual report shows progress on Everglades restoration is improving south Florida’s ecology.
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) recently released their annual environmental report, documenting an important year of restoration and water-quality progress for the Kissimmee Basin, Lake Okeechobee, Everglades, and South Florida coastal areas.
Among other things, the 2,642-page report, titled South Florida Environmental Report, highlights recent progress by SFWMD and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on critical Everglades restoration projects, noting that more than 50 Everglades projects have been completed, broken ground, or hit a major milestone since January of 2019.
Despite what’s going on right now with red tide, the report is a reminder that there are many pieces to this water-quality puzzle in south Florida. It’s going to be a long-term effort to fix them all, but intermediate progress is happening, and that’s encouraging.
Think of it like getting into really good shape after you’ve eaten ice cream three-square meals a day and laid around on the couch for a few months. It’s going to take a long time and there are a variety of things that you’ll need to improve in order to be in perfect physical shape: strength, endurance, conditioning, different body groups, etc.
Through the process of working towards perfect physical shape, you might make immediate improvements on some of those aspects, while others take more time and effort before you see noticeable improvements.
Much the same, there are still many things that need to happen to see full-scale relief from our water-quality issues, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still appreciate the progress in the meantime—and more importantly, use it as motivation to continue the effort as a whole.
You can check out the full highlights from the report here or keep reading to learn more about a few of them.
Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir
2020: Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) breaks ground
2023: Storage Reservoir breaks ground
The EAA Reservoir Project is one of the most important Everglades restoration projects of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The project will provide ecological benefits, reduce harmful discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, and send more clean freshwater south to the Everglades.
Taylor Slough Flow Improvement Project groundbreaking
2023: By creating infrastructure for water to pass through the Old Ingraham Highway, which currently blocks flows, this environmental restoration project will allow more clean, freshwater to flow south through Taylor Slough and onto Florida Bay, where it is needed to balance salinity levels and promote ecological health. Project is expected to be complete in Summer 2023.
Major components of Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir are advancing
The Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir aims to reduce harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee Estuary and provide beneficial freshwater flows to the estuary in the dry season. This project is a major part of CERP and designed to store approximately 170,000 ac-ft of water. Project is expected to be complete and fully operational within the next couple of years.
Completed C-44 Reservoir & STA to curb harmful discharges to St. Lucie Estuary
2021: This reservoir provides 50,000 ac-ft of new water storage and 6,300 acres of new wetlands. This is the largest CERP project ever completed.
Indian River Lagoon-South C-23/C-24 STA breaks ground: another pivotal moment for St. Lucie River & Indian River Lagoon
2022: This important project will capture and treat local run-off from the C-23 and C-24 basins and reduce the sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen going to the St. Lucie River Estuary and the southern portion of the Indian River Lagoon.
Underground seepage wall supports Everglades restoration and mitigates flooding
2022: Groundbreaking on the CEPP New Water Seepage Barrier Wall Project extends the successful underground wall that was built as part of the 8.5 Square Mile Area Seepage Wall Project. The project supports ongoing restoration efforts to move water south through the Everglades and into Florida Bay while mitigating potential flooding impacts in communities outside of Everglades National Park.
Old Tamiami Trail Roadbed Removal Project completed six months ahead of schedule
2021: This project is a critical Everglades restoration project that removed nearly six miles of roadbed from Old Tamiami Trail to allow more water to naturally flow south into Everglades National Park. Old Tamiami Trail is a historic highway that was built across the Everglades to connect Tampa and Miami in the early 1900s. By removing the roadbed, the project helps restore the ecologically important sheet flow of water south through the Everglades.
Record hydration in the Everglades
Current water depths in two key locations, Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough, demonstrate that restoration projects and operations work well together when coupled with rainfall to nourish the Everglades and send water south to support the health of Florida Bay.