Florida unveils $2bn. plan to increase Florida Everglades by 300 square miles
The Everglades used to cover almost 11,000 square miles of southern Florida. 100 years ago water flowed down the Kissimmee River into Lake Okeechobee, then onwards south through the Everglades to Florida Bay. However due to the draining the marshland for agriculture, development and flood control, the Everglades now covers just 50% of the area of a century ago. Endangered species
Dubbed the River of Grass for the sawgrass that flourished throughout the marsh, the Everglades is a mosaic of freshwater ponds, prairies and forested uplands that supports a rich plant and wildlife community. Known throughout the world for its wading birds and wildlife, the Everglades is home to dozens of threatened and endangered species, including the Florida panther, American crocodile, snail kite and wood stork. The mix of salt and freshwater makes it the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side.
Now the Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, has unveiled a momentous strategy that could bring about one of the largest environmental land acquisitions in the America's history and provide a "missing link" needed to protect Florida's coastal estuaries as well as reviving and preserving the Everglades.
$1.75 billion cost
The proposed agreement between the South Florida Water Management District and the United States Sugar Corporation involves the public purchase of nearly 300 square miles spanning four counties in South Florida. The District will also take ownership of the company's assets, including 200 miles of railroad, a state-of-the-art sugar mill, sugar refinery and citrus processing plant. Subject to independent appraisals and approval by the District's Governing Board, water managers will invest $1.75 billion in cash and certificates of participation to finance the acquisition.
Benefits from the land acquisition will allow:
- Huge increases in the availability of water storage, significantly reducing the potential for harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee to Florida's coastal rivers and estuaries when lake levels are high.
- The ability to deliver cleaner water to the Everglades during dry times and greater water storage to protect the natural system during wet years.
- Preventing thousands of tons of phosphorus from entering the Everglades every year.
- Eliminating the need for "back-pumping" water into Lake Okeechobee from the Everglades Agricultural Area to augment the water supply needs. The District's Governing Board this year voted not to back-pump into the lake during the ongoing water shortage to protect water quality.
- Additional water storage alternatives, relieving some pressures on the Herbert Hoover Dike while the federal government undertakes repairs.
- Sustainability of agriculture and green energy production.