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South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Audubon challenge targets farm water pollution

Environmental group wants farmers to clean up water headed to Everglades

By Andy Reid, Sun Sentinel

7:51 PM EDT, July 27, 2012

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Big Sugar should do more to clean up polluted water headed to the Everglades, according to permit challenges filed by the Florida Audubon Society Friday.

Audubon is fighting three permits that allow growers south of Lake Okeechobee to pump phosphorus-laden water toward the Everglades.

The environmental group wants the South Florida Water Management District to require sugar cane and other farmers to clean up more pollutants before it washes off agricultural fields.

Audubon argues that a new $880 million state and federal Everglades cleanup plan fails to put enough anti-pollution requirements on agriculture.

"Everglades water quality goals can be met more quickly and at less cost to the public if the district adhered to state law and required operators of the dirtiest farms to implement additional cleanup measures to reduce the amount of phosphorus leaving their farms," said Eric Draper, president of the Florida Audubon Society.

The South Florida Water Management District contends that existing pollution cleanup requirements on farmland are significantly reducing the amount of phosphorous that would otherwise end up in the Everglades.

The new Everglades cleanup plan does include stepped up "source controls" targeting pollution efforts where phosphorus levels have been historically higher.

Phosphorus, found in fertilizer, animal waste and the natural decay of soil, washes off agricultural land and urban areas and drains into the Everglades.

Elevated levels of phosphorus fuel the growth of cattails that crowd out sawgrass and other vital natural habitat in areas already suffering from decades of draining to make way for farming and development.

Farms are supposed to grow crops and manage stormwater discharges in ways that limit phosphorous discharges, but environmental advocates contend they aren't required to do enough to clean up pollution.

Florida has constructed more than 40,000 acres of filter marshes - called stormwater treatment areas - that remove some of the phosphorus from water that flows off the farms, before it gets to the Everglades.

But the cleanup efforts have yet to meet the ultimate goal of reducing phosphorous levels in the water headed to the Everglades down to 10 parts per billion.

abreid@tribune.com, 561-228-5504 or Twitter@abreidnews

Copyright © 2012, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Posted on July 24, 2012

A coalition of environmental groups is suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, arguing that the way the agency dumps polluted water from Lake Okeechobee is causing toxic algae blooms throughout the Caloosahatchee River near Fort Myers.

"This is making people sick, figuratively and literally," said Becky Ayech of the Environmental Coalition of Southwest Florida, citing complaints about everything from nausea to earaches among people who live along the river. "People have a right to clean water."

When heavy rains push the water level in Lake Okeechobee too high, the Corps opens floodgates that dump millions of gallons of lake water into the Caloosahatchee and also into the St. Lucie River on the state's east coast. But the lake water is full of pollutants, especially nutrients that can fuel algae blooms.

Algae blooms have plagued the Caloosahatchee eight of the past 11 years, the lawsuit points out. Last year's algae bloom lasted for eight weeks, during which officials in Glades, Hendry and Lee counties warned residents to avoid contact with the river water and not to eat the fish.

Even worse, according to the suit filed Monday in federal court, is the fact that what the Corps is releasing from the lake is so polluted it forces the shutdown of a water plant that is supposed to use the river to quench the thirst of 40,000 people.

The problem, according to the suit, is that when water levels are low, the Corps holds water back from the rivers —- to the point where the Caloosahatchee sometimes runs backward. That not only lets the freshwater river turn salty, it also bottles up the pollution in the lake and makes it worse when it's finally released, the suit contends.

Corps spokesman John Campbell said the agency normally does not comment on litigation. However, he said, the Corps manages the lake level in accordance with a 2008 guide that was prepared with the help of some environmental groups.

 via evergladesfoundation.org

An internal study by the county’s Water and Sewer Department says deteriorated water and sewage treatment plants, along with aging pipelines, will require more than $1 billion for immediate repairs.

A massive, five-month internal study by the county’s Water & Sewer Department shows a vast deterioration of water and sewage treatment plants, and aging pipelines, and says more than $1 billion is needed immediately for repairs.

TIM CHAPMAN / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

• Final Water and Sewer Report

By Charles Rabin

crabin@MiamiHerald.com

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/24/2909494/repair-bill-over-1-billion-to.h...

Miami-Dade County’s three main water treatment plants and nearly 14,000 miles of pipelines are so outdated it would take more than $1.1 billion just to replace the “most deteriorated, vulnerable sections” of the system, a newly released internal study shows.

Corrosion is so pervasive in the county’s water and sewage-treatment plants, and pipes that move water and sewage, that initial repairs could take from three to eight years, the five-month study found.

Each day 300 million gallons of waste and 459 million gallons of drinking water pass through the county’s system — the 10th largest water-and-sewer utility in the nation.

“The infrastructure we have out there is aged,” said John Renfrow, director of the water and sewer department. “Many of the pipes with leaks out there were built at the same time. It reminds me of an apartment where all the lights are put in at the same time, and you know how all the lights go out at the same time.”

Federal regulators told the county two months ago that it must perform repairs and upgrades. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice, along with the state Department of Environmental Protection, are expected to take another four months discussing with Miami-Dade how to fix and pay for a system that Renfrow said is “being held together by chewing gum.”

The study, requested by Commissioner Barbara Jordan, shows the majority of the initial fixes — about $736 million of immediate work — is needed for sewer lines. Water lines would take another $364 million to repair.

The county’s main water treatment in Hialeah, and two sewage plants, on Virginia Key and in South Miami-Dade, are 56, 45 and 87 years old, respectively.

Fixing wire and concrete erosion in pipes would cost about $10 million, and fixing water mains, tanks and pumps would cost another $129.4 million, the study estimated.

Using Hialeah’s John E. Preston water treatment plant as a typical example, the report noted that it “has numerous mechanical, electrical and process components which have exceeded the end of their useful economic service lives, which is usually 20 years.” A picture in the report shows a collapsed interior wall in the plant, which has been in operation since 1966.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said not much in the report surprised him.

Gimenez, Renfrow and several commissioners agree it’s going to take a combination of rate hikes, grants and revenue bonds to get the system up to date.

They said a budget decision to forego borrowing $25 million from the water and sewer coffers this year is a good start. That money, if left untouched each year unlike in the past, when it was moved to the county’s general fund, could pay the debt service on a $300 million bond, they said.

And despite not wanting to raise taxes or fees as the economy stumbles along, Gimenez and several commissioners say they expect a water rate hike in the near future. Historically, Miami-Dade has one of the lowest water rates in the state.

The county’s aging system — not unlike similar systems in most major cities throughout the Unites States — is in such disrepair that it has ruptured at least 65 times over the past two years, spilling more than 47 million gallons of untreated human waste into waterways and streets from one end of the county to the other.

Just this week a 36-inch main gave way in Little Haiti, leaving several families distraught and in search of a place to stay until their homes dry out.

Renfrow said his department will pay for home repairs.

“The funny thing is we checked the Little Haiti pipes in June for leaks. We didn’t miss anything,’’ he said. “The material is just old, it’s just going to break.’’

Similar main breaks were the focus of warning letters sent by federal authorities to the county from 2010 through May, when they finally came calling. The letters warned of possible civil penalties of up to $10,000 a day.

Talks between the county and the feds are expected to lead to an agreement over repairs and upgrades, as well as the funding mechanism.

“How it will be paid for will be figure out by us,” Gimenez said.

The report notes that the funding methods are not likely to be similar to the early 1970s when Congress passed the Clean Water Act, and grants were available for about 75 percent of repairs.

 

By Melissa L. Meeker, SFWMD Executive Director

Everglades restoration recently took a significant step forward, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concurred with a comprehensive plan — first proposed by Governor Rick Scott last October — that will vastly improve water quality in the famed River of Grass.

This far-reaching strategy to address the concerns of two federal courts includes state-issued Clean Water Act permits and a suite of new water storage and treatment projects. It is a watershed moment in the history of Everglades restoration and welcomed news, as reflected in the outpouring of support across the state. For many, one of the strongest aspects of the plan is that it moves us closer to resolving the decades-long litigation associated with Everglades water quality.

As Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District, the agency that will construct the water quality improvement projects, I want to highlight key features in this scientifically sound and financially feasible plan that will solve long-standing environmental challenges and ensure we achieve the stringent water quality requirements established for the Everglades.

First, our proposal will invest $880 million to construct state-of-the-art water quality improvement projects without raising taxes. We're going to do this on a realistic schedule, not only because this is cutting-edge work being implemented on a vast scale but also because the District must balance environmental restoration with its other critical missions like providing flood control and ensuring a sustainable supply of water for 7.7 million South Floridians.

Second, the new water quality projects now incorporate for the first time the use of water storage areas to work in tandem with the thousands of acres of existing treatment wetlands, known as stormwater treatment areas. After more than a decade of operating and managing these natural, water quality facilities, we have the science — and the experience — to know that extreme fluctuations in water levels brought on by South Florida's weather extremes often prevent these constructed wetlands from functioning at their best.

By connecting constructed wetlands to these water storage areas (known as flow equalization basins), we will be able to better manage the delivery of water to the treatment facilities even during droughts and storms. Altogether, the District will construct another 6,700 acres of new treatment wetlands and 110,000 acre-feet of water storage south of Lake Okeechobee to ensure that water discharged to the Everglades is cleaner than even rainwater. To provide additional assurance that our water quality goals will be met, we will also implement sub-regional source controls in several key areas where more intensive water quality improvements are needed.

Maximizing taxpayer investments already made in Everglades water quality, we are able to utilize close to 20,000 acres of land already in public ownership. This is not insignificant. Large tracts well-suited for water storage and treatment facilities are readily available for project planning and construction, saving time and taxpayer expense. In addition, we are pursuing mutually beneficial land exchanges with willing partners that will put the finishing touches on plan components in the eastern Everglades. With land in-hand and fewer hurdles to clear, construction can begin in short order — creating jobs and putting major project components on line in just six years.

This practical, science-based approach builds upon Florida's significant progress over the past decade to improve water quality, which was recently recognized by the National Academy of Sciences. With 57,000 acres of treatment wetlands already constructed and cleaning the water flowing into the Everglades, we have treated 4 trillion gallons of water to-date and removed 1,560 metric tons of phosphorus. Improved farming methods, known as best management practices, have been equally successful, preventing more than 2,500 tons of phosphorus from reaching the Everglades.

The key for success of this landmark plan is its broad support. Following months of productive negotiations between the state and federal agencies, there also has been consensus building with environmental groups, the agricultural community, elected officials and other key stakeholders. We still have several more steps to take before project construction can begin, including negotiating some regulatory details and, most importantly, our Governing Board's vote on the final regulatory package, making a decision to commit the District financially, operationally and legally to delivering on the plan.

Now, because of Governor Scott's leadership, we are poised to embark on the final leg of Florida's journey to achieving Everglades water quality standards and providing lasting protection to one of the nation's most unique natural places.

Governing Board Sets Proposed Property Tax Rates for FY2013

Rates will decrease slightly for South Florida taxpayers

At its July meeting, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board approved proposed millage rates for the coming fiscal year that will enable the agency to fulfill its core-mission responsibilities while resulting in a slight rate reduction for taxpayers in the 16-county region.

The proposed rates represent 42.9 cents per thousand dollars of value in 15 of the District's 16 counties (the Okeechobee Basin). For example, a home with a taxable value of $100,000 (assessed value of $150,000, less the $50,000 homestead exemption) would see a total District tax bill of $42.89. For Collier County and mainland Monroe County (the Big Cypress Basin), the tax rates represent 33.9 cents per thousand dollars. A similar home in this region would see a total District tax bill of $33.90.

The District is proposing an overall budget of $656.8 million to fund the agency's core mission in Fiscal Year 2013 (Oct. 1, 2012 – Sept. 30, 2013). The proposed budget would dedicate more than 75 percent of agency revenues to benefit ecosystem restoration and enhance flood control operations.

Property (ad valorem) taxes would make up approximately 41 percent of the revenues in the District's annual budget. Other funding sources include federal, state and local revenue; licenses; permit fees; grants; agricultural taxes; investment income and bond proceeds.

The District must complete and submit its tentative FY2013 budget report to Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature for their review by Aug. 1.

The SFWMD Governing Board will hold public hearings on Sept. 13 and 25 to adopt the tentative and final millage rates. Both meetings will start at 5:15 p.m. The Governing Board will also adopt the final FY2013 budget at the Sept. 25 hearing.

Top of Page

By Melissa L. Meeker, West Palm Beach

Effective strategies used in the early and mid-2000s by the South Florida Water Management District to acquire land for water resource and restoration purposes have come under recent criticism.

For anyone who lived in Florida a decade ago, it's not hard to remember the fast-paced real estate market during that time. As development increased and property values escalated, it made sense for the district to set aside lands ahead of the design and construction of projects associated with long-term restoration programs.

The SFWMD land acquisition program accomplished its goals. From 2000 to 2008, the district put close to 165,000 acres into public ownership for Kissimmee River Restoration, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and other water resource purposes.

The $1.6 billion invested in land during those years has brought tangible results. In the restored Kissimmee, for example, we have vastly expanded the river's flood plain, holding more water north of Lake Okeechobee and thereby reducing harmful discharges to coastal estuaries. For the new suite of projects that will send cleaner water to the Everglades, timely implementation would not be possible without needed tracts of land already in public ownership.

With the years of intensive land buying behind us, we are concentrating on strategic acquisitions and putting publicly owned acreage to its best use. Whether constructing on-site projects, exchanging for lands in more critical locations or leveraging our real estate assets, we are focused on targeting resources where they are needed most and implementing restoration work.

The district's policymaking, land acquisitions and surpassing activities have always been carried out under Governing Board direction in accordance with state statutes and as part of an open and public process.

For the past year, we have been reviewing and improving the agency's business, administration and operational practices districtwide. My ongoing goal is to ensure the agency is operating prudently, effectively and efficiently in the best interest of South Florida's water resources and its taxpayers.

Melissa L. Meeker is executive director of the South Florida Water Management District.

Improved farming techniques help EAA, C-139 achieve phosphorus reduction goals

For the 17th consecutive year, water flowing from farmlands in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) achieved phosphorus reductions that exceeded those required by law. Implementation of improved farming techniques, known as Best Management Practices (BMPs), produced a 71-percent phosphorus reduction in the 470,000-acre EAA farming region south of Lake Okeechobee for the 2012 monitoring period. An approved model is used to compute the reductions and makes adjustments to account for the influences of rainfall.

Just west of the EAA, the C-139 Basin also met its goal of reducing phosphorus discharges to historic levels. The 170,000-acre C-139 farming region consists primarily of pasture land, row crops, citrus and sugarcane. Results show 15 metric tons flowed from the basin during the 2012 monitoring period, less than half the target load of 32 metric tons.

"Year after year, science-based Best Management Practices deliver reductions in nutrients that are greater than required by state law, helping to significantly improve Everglades water quality," said Joe Collins, Chairman of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board. "Together with treatment wetlands, BMPs provide a solid foundation for our collective efforts to achieve the ultra-low water quality standards in the River of Grass."

In the EAA, the most commonly used BMPs are more precise fertilizer application methods, refined stormwater pumping practices and erosion controls to reduce the amount of phosphorus transported in stormwater runoff to the Everglades and connected water bodies. In the C-139 Basin, the District recently worked with landowners to develop more comprehensive and stringent BMP plans for each farm that better address the unique nutrient challenges in this basin. These plans are anticipated to result in greater phosphorus reduction results.

Monitoring Data Documents the Nutrient Reductions
Phosphorus can impact the Everglades ecosystem when stormwater runoff carries excess amounts into protected wetlands. To meet the requirements of Florida's Everglades Forever Act, the amount of phosphorus leaving the EAA must be 25 percent less than the amount before phosphorus reduction efforts started. Data show that a 71-percent phosphorus reduction was achieved for the 2012 monitoring period. The overall average reduction from the implementation of BMPs over the program's 17-year history is 55 percent, more than twice the amount required by law.

When measured in actual mass, 154 metric tons of phosphorus were prevented from entering the regional canal system, which sends water into the Everglades, during the 2012 monitoring period. Over the past 17 years, the BMP program has prevented 2,565 metric tons of phosphorus from leaving the EAA.

In the C-139 Basin, a BMP program has been in place for the past nine years with the goal of reducing phosphorus discharges to historic levels. In November 2010, the program requirements were enhanced to better control nutrient runoff. The District uses a model to determine the phosphorus load that the agricultural region must achieve each year based on rainfall. For the 2012 monitoring period, the target load was 32 metric tons. Data show the actual mass of phosphorus discharged from the basin during that time was 15 metric tons.

Stormwater Treatment Areas Provide Additional Improvements
Water leaving the EAA and C-139 Basin receives additional treatment in one of several Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) before entering the Everglades. These SFWMD-constructed wetlands are filled with native vegetation and use "green" technology to further reduce phosphorus levels.

Since 1994, the network of five STAs south of Lake Okeechobee — with 45,000 acres of effective treatment area — have treated 12.3 million acre-feet (4 trillion gallons) of water and retained more than 1,560 metric tons of phosphorus that would have otherwise entered the Everglades. Last year, the STAs treated approximately 700,000 acre-feet of water and recorded their best performance year to date, retaining 83 percent of phosphorus from water flowing through the treatment cells and treating water to an average of 19 parts per billion of phosphorus.

Through the end of April 2012, more than 4,060 metric tons of phosphorus have been prevented from entering the Everglades through treatment wetlands and the BMP program. Overall, Florida has invested more than $1.8 billion to improve Everglades water quality since 1994.

This year, the District is completing several water quality improvement projects to further enhance its water-cleaning efforts:

• Construction is complete and pump station commissioning is in progress for an STA expansion that will nearly double the size of STA-2 in western Palm Beach County to 15,500 acres. Known as Compartment B, the 6,817-acre expansion will help the STA achieve optimal performance.
• A 4,656-acre expansion of treatment wetlands in southeast Hendry County, known as Compartment C, is complete and pump station commissioning is set to begin. Compartment C will further improve water quality flowing into the Everglades. This $47.5 million investment will connect two existing Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA-5 and STA-6) in the EAA and more than double water treatment capability at the site.

In June, the state announced an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand water quality treatment that will lead to achievement of the ambient water quality standard for the Everglades. Highlights of the state's Everglades water quality improvement strategy includes:

• Design and construction of 110,000 acre-feet of additional storage adjacent to existing Everglades STAs, better controlling water flow into the wetlands and thereby improving their performance.
• Doubling the size of Stormwater Treatment Area 1-West adjacent to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, increasing by 50 percent the treatment capacity of water quality facilities currently discharging into the Refuge.
• Improving treatment in the western Everglades by adding 11,000 acre-feet of associated storage in the C-139 Basin that is capable of storing 3.5 billion gallons and constructing 800 acres of additional wetlands in STA-5.
• A robust science plan to ensure continued biological, ecological and operational research to improve and optimize the performance of water quality treatment technologies.
• Regional and sub-regional source controls in areas of the eastern Everglades where phosphorus levels in runoff has been historically higher.

For more information on the SFWMD's water quality improvement initiatives, please see Just the Facts: Providing Clean Water for the Everglades. A multimedia look at how STAs work and what water quality improvements they have delivered can be found on the District's Improving Water Quality website.

 

Phosphorus Reductions Again Improve Water Quality

Improved farming techniques help EAA, C-139 achieve phosphorus reduction goals

For the 17th consecutive year, water flowing from farmlands in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) achieved phosphorus reductions that exceeded those required by law. Implementation of improved farming techniques, known as Best Management Practices (BMPs), produced a 71-percent phosphorus reduction in the 470,000-acre EAA farming region south of Lake Okeechobee for the 2012 monitoring period. An approved model is used to compute the reductions and makes adjustments to account for the influences of rainfall.

Just west of the EAA, the C-139 Basin also met its goal of reducing phosphorus discharges to historic levels. The 170,000-acre C-139 farming region consists primarily of pasture land, row crops, citrus and sugarcane. Results show 15 metric tons flowed from the basin during the 2012 monitoring period, less than half the target load of 32 metric tons.

"Year after year, science-based Best Management Practices deliver reductions in nutrients that are greater than required by state law, helping to significantly improve Everglades water quality," said Joe Collins, Chairman of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board. "Together with treatment wetlands, BMPs provide a solid foundation for our collective efforts to achieve the ultra-low water quality standards in the River of Grass."

In the EAA, the most commonly used BMPs are more precise fertilizer application methods, refined stormwater pumping practices and erosion controls to reduce the amount of phosphorus transported in stormwater runoff to the Everglades and connected water bodies. In the C-139 Basin, the District recently worked with landowners to develop more comprehensive and stringent BMP plans for each farm that better address the unique nutrient challenges in this basin. These plans are anticipated to result in greater phosphorus reduction results.

Monitoring Data Documents the Nutrient Reductions
Phosphorus can impact the Everglades ecosystem when stormwater runoff carries excess amounts into protected wetlands. To meet the requirements of Florida's Everglades Forever Act, the amount of phosphorus leaving the EAA must be 25 percent less than the amount before phosphorus reduction efforts started. Data show that a 71-percent phosphorus reduction was achieved for the 2012 monitoring period. The overall average reduction from the implementation of BMPs over the program's 17-year history is 55 percent, more than twice the amount required by law.

When measured in actual mass, 154 metric tons of phosphorus were prevented from entering the regional canal system, which sends water into the Everglades, during the 2012 monitoring period. Over the past 17 years, the BMP program has prevented 2,565 metric tons of phosphorus from leaving the EAA.

In the C-139 Basin, a BMP program has been in place for the past nine years with the goal of reducing phosphorus discharges to historic levels. In November 2010, the program requirements were enhanced to better control nutrient runoff. The District uses a model to determine the phosphorus load that the agricultural region must achieve each year based on rainfall. For the 2012 monitoring period, the target load was 32 metric tons. Data show the actual mass of phosphorus discharged from the basin during that time was 15 metric tons.

Stormwater Treatment Areas Provide Additional Improvements
Water leaving the EAA and C-139 Basin receives additional treatment in one of several Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) before entering the Everglades. These SFWMD-constructed wetlands are filled with native vegetation and use "green" technology to further reduce phosphorus levels.

Since 1994, the network of five STAs south of Lake Okeechobee — with 45,000 acres of effective treatment area — have treated 12.3 million acre-feet (4 trillion gallons) of water and retained more than 1,560 metric tons of phosphorus that would have otherwise entered the Everglades. Last year, the STAs treated approximately 700,000 acre-feet of water and recorded their best performance year to date, retaining 83 percent of phosphorus from water flowing through the treatment cells and treating water to an average of 19 parts per billion of phosphorus.

Through the end of April 2012, more than 4,060 metric tons of phosphorus have been prevented from entering the Everglades through treatment wetlands and the BMP program. Overall, Florida has invested more than $1.8 billion to improve Everglades water quality since 1994.

This year, the District is completing several water quality improvement projects to further enhance its water-cleaning efforts:

• Construction is complete and pump station commissioning is in progress for an STA expansion that will nearly double the size of STA-2 in western Palm Beach County to 15,500 acres. Known as Compartment B, the 6,817-acre expansion will help the STA achieve optimal performance.
• A 4,656-acre expansion of treatment wetlands in southeast Hendry County, known as Compartment C, is complete and pump station commissioning is set to begin. Compartment C will further improve water quality flowing into the Everglades. This $47.5 million investment will connect two existing Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA-5 and STA-6) in the EAA and more than double water treatment capability at the site.

In June, the state announced an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand water quality treatment that will lead to achievement of the ambient water quality standard for the Everglades. Highlights of the state's Everglades water quality improvement strategy includes:

• Design and construction of 110,000 acre-feet of additional storage adjacent to existing Everglades STAs, better controlling water flow into the wetlands and thereby improving their performance.
• Doubling the size of Stormwater Treatment Area 1-West adjacent to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, increasing by 50 percent the treatment capacity of water quality facilities currently discharging into the Refuge.
• Improving treatment in the western Everglades by adding 11,000 acre-feet of associated storage in the C-139 Basin that is capable of storing 3.5 billion gallons and constructing 800 acres of additional wetlands in STA-5.
• A robust science plan to ensure continued biological, ecological and operational research to improve and optimize the performance of water quality treatment technologies.
• Regional and sub-regional source controls in areas of the eastern Everglades where phosphorus levels in runoff has been historically higher.

For more information on the SFWMD's water quality improvement initiatives, please see Just the Facts: Providing Clean Water for the Everglades. A multimedia look at how STAs work and what water quality improvements they have delivered can be found on the District's Improving Water Quality website.

Committed to healthy Everglades

By President Barack Obama, special to the Times

Published Friday, July 13, 2012

The Everglades are, and always will be, an important part of the cultural and environmental landscape in Florida. They are a national treasure and a source of pride. But more importantly, the ecosystems that make up the Everglades — from the northern freshwater marshes to the mangrove forests that lead to the Florida Bay — are critical to the local economies and jobs that so many Florida families depend on.

Over the last century, all of that has been put at risk. Population growth, development and other challenges have threatened the Everglades. For far too long, efforts to restore and protect the Everglades suffered from bureaucratic delays and a lack of leadership, including insufficient investment at the federal level. And recently, it has become clear that if we don't do something to reverse course, damage to the Everglades will continue to harm our water supply, diminish tourism, and ultimately cost us jobs.

That is why I've made restoring the Everglades a national priority. Over the last three and a half years, we have invested more than $1.5 billion in Everglades restoration — nearly as much as the previous eight years combined — to successfully jump-start restoration construction projects and support a conservation approach that is led by Floridians themselves.

On Friday, my administration released a report outlining our continuing efforts to cut the red tape, strengthen partnerships with state, tribal and local leaders, and create a strong foundation to help restore and rebuild the Everglades. This includes projects that reduce harmful runoff, and infrastructure projects — like the Tamiami Trail bridge — that will increase natural water flow while also creating thousands of jobs.

Last week, we also announced an additional $80 million investment to support farmers and ranchers who voluntarily conserve wetlands on agricultural land — helping to restore an additional 23,000 acres of wetlands vital to the water quality and wildlife habitat in the Everglades system. And to build on this success, I've proposed investing another $246 million in Everglades restoration.

These investments are critical to the long-term health of the Everglades, but they're also important for the long-term health of Florida's economy. The Everglades help provide billions of dollars in tourism, agriculture and outdoor recreation. In fact, one study estimated that every dollar we spend restoring the Everglades adds four dollars to Florida's economy. And at a time when too many families are still struggling, we need to do everything we can to give Florida families the economic security they deserve.

Restoring the Everglades is important for everyone. For cities, it means cleaner water. For rural Floridians, it means giving back to the land that's given us so much. And for all Floridians, it means more jobs, and healthier, more prosperous communities.

As we work together to boost the economy and create jobs across America, it's important to recognize the strength we draw as a nation from our abundance of natural resources. I'm proud of what we have accomplished in the Everglades — but we have much more to do. And I'm committed to building on our historic progress in the years to come.

The Miami Herald Editorial
Posted on Wed, Jul. 18, 2012

Ailing after a decade of broken deals, choking, invasive exotic plants, runoff from sugar and other farms, federal lawsuits, and even deadly pythons, the Everglades finally has a fighting chance to be restored to that fabled River of Grass that Marjory Stoneman Douglas sought to save more than 60 years ago.

In dispute for years: how to reduce nutrients from nearby farms and urban runoff that have poisoned the Everglades with heavy concentrations of phosphorous, changing the very character of the swampy river that Florida wildlife counts on to survive.

Under the Everglades Forever plan, Big Sugar has reduced the amount of phosphorus flowing south from Lake Okeechobee — the latest count by regional water managers was down 71 percent from 1994 levels. Despite that strong performance by farms using marshes to stem the flow into the river, the damage accumulated over decades has been hard to reverse. The water, though significantly cleaner, still does not meet the federal standard for a healthy Everglades.

That, too, seems to be resolved with U.S. District Judge Alan Gold’s order last week that clears the way for a historic $880 million cleanup plan agreed upon by state and federal governments. The Obama administration also announced an $80 million program to preserve 23,000 acres of farmland by buying up the development rights to ensure that ranchland in the Northern Everglades remains pristine in perpetuity — a key to saving the endangered Florida panther.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told the Editorial Board on Wednesday that he has been meeting with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians to hear their concerns about road improvements to Tamiami Trail. It’s good to keep an open door, but unless the facts change it’s difficult to see, after years of studies, how else to protect animals in that corridor without an elevated roadway.

Mr. Salazar visited the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge to celebrate these new efforts to clean up the Everglades — part listening tour and part stump speech for President Obama’s reelection. He told the board that Gov. Rick Scott’s support is crucial to ensuring a steady course for the clean-up, instead of more stalling. The governor says he’s committed. Good.

This is not a quick fix. The landmark cleanup will take a dozen years to complete. Not only is the Everglades and the lake the source of drinking water for millions in South Florida, its survival depends on removing the canals and dikes that have drained the natural water flow and cleaning up the pollution.

As it is, the clean-up target of 2025 comes two decades after the project was to be completed. South Florida’s future depends on keeping to the timetable. No more deadly delays.