George Lindemann Journal by George Lindemann - "Army Corps delays key Everglades restoration project" @sunsentinel
Florida Gov. Rick Scott and environmental advocates Wednesday called for federal officials to reconsider their delay of a $2 billion plan intended to help the Everglades and lessen coastal water pollution.
In an unexpected move, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Civil Works Review Board Tuesday refused to sign off on the Central Everglades plan, which would redirect more Lake Okeechobee water south to the Everglades.
That postponement threatens to torpedo efforts to convince Congress to split the $2 billion cost with the state to help restore lake water flows to the Everglades – cut off by decades of drainage to make way for South Florida development and farming.
Sending more lake water south could boost South Florida drinking water supplies in addition to helping Everglades wildlife habitat. It could also lessen the draining of Lake Okeechobee water out to sea for flood control, which hurts coastal fishing grounds.
Gov. Rick Scott Wednesday issued a statement saying he was "extremely disappointed" in the delay and called for the board of top Army Corps' officials to immediately reconvene to reconsider the Central Everglades plan.
"We must do everything it takes to protect the natural treasures that Florida families rely on," Scott said.
The Everglades Foundation environmental group called the delay "a staggering failure of duty and responsibility" that threatens to set back the Central Everglades plan for years.
"The blame for this failure – and future damage to the environment and economy – now is squarely on the epaulets of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers," Everglades Foundation CEO Eric Eikenberg said.
Army Corps officials on Wednesday countered that they remain committed to the Central Everglades plan, nearly three years in the making. They said concerns about water quality issues in the Everglades need to be addressed with the state before they can give the OK to move the proposal on to Congress.
Army Corps officials say they plan to renew talks with the South Florida Water Management District to overcome the water quality hurdle and then try to sign off on the plan by the end of June.
But they also said that getting it done in time to be included in this year's water bill isn't their primary concern.
"We understand everybody's frustration," said Eric Bush, the Army Corps policy chief overseeing the crafting of the Central Everglades plan. "We haven't failed. We are very close."
The end of June could be too late, according to environmental advocates.
Florida officials are trying to get the Central Everglades project added to a list of water projects that Congress is considering this year.
Not getting that Congressional approval for the Central Everglades project this year could translate to even more years of waiting for construction that was already projected to be a decade away. About seven years passed between the previous water project bills approved by Congress.
"We just can't continue to keep the Everglades parched," said Eric Draper, Audubon Florida's executive director. "We are losing habitat every day."
Tuesday's delay out of Washington D.C. comes less than two weeks after the South Florida Water Management District endorsed the Everglades restoration plan, agreeing to potentially pay half of the nearly $2 billion cost.
The Central Everglades plan involves removing portions of levees, filling in canals and increasing pumping to redirect more Lake Okeechobee water flows toward Everglades National Park.
Moving more Lake Okeechobee water south, where it once naturally flowed, would lessen the amount of lake water that gets drained out to sea through the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers – with damaging water quality consequences along the coast.
Last summer, draining hundreds of billions of gallons of fresh water from the lake into the normally salty estuaries killed sea grass and oyster beds and scared off fish. The influx of pollutants and sediment from the lake draining also hurt water quality, fueling toxic algae blooms that made some coastal waterways unsafe for swimming.
"This (delay) could really signify a missed opportunity and lead to more suffering for ecosystems, estuary communities and local economies," said Caroline McLaughlin, of the National Parks Conservation Association.
Earlier this month, the projected cost of the Central Everglades project was bumped up about $100 million to $1.9 billion.
Florida taxpayers have already spent about $2 billion on Everglades restoration. On top of that, the Florida Legislature last year approved an $880 million ongoing plan to clean up Everglades water pollution.
The water quality concern federal officials cited Wednesday stems from the possibility that increasing the amount of water flowing to the Everglades could also bring an influx of pollutants that makes it harder for the state to meet federal water quality standards.
State officials have sought assurances that they won't ended up getting penalized for moving much-needed water south to the Everglades, but the Army Corps contends it won't roll back water quality standards.
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