Restoration Timeline

February

As environmental leaders celebrated Florida Forever Day in Tallahassee, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that the state has acquired more than 99 percent of the land needed to complete Acceler8 – Florida’s initiative to speed up eight vital Everglades restoration projects. more

Governor Charlie Crist joined Senate President Ken Pruitt, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael W. Sole and South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Carol Ann Wehle to tour portions of the St. Lucie River and Estuary. Together with the Florida Legislature, Governor Crist is making the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem an environmental priority. The Crist/Kottkamp recommended budget includes $190 million to improve the health of the Florida Everglades, Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries. more

March

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) released the 2007 South Florida Environmental Report detailing a year of scientific, engineering and restoration work to improve the environmental quality of America’s Everglades and the entire South Florida ecosystem. more

On March, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Michael W. Sole and President and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts Harris Rosen joined a host of state and local leaders to launch a first-of-its-kind wilderness trip entitled: Expedition Headwaters, An Everglades Journey to Remember. Embarking from the Rosen Shingle Creek, two teams of kayakers and hikers will traverse 140 miles from Shingle Creek to Lake Okeechobee over a 12-day period. more

April

On April 3, two teams of kayakers and hikers concluded a first-of-its-kind wilderness trip entitled: Expedition Headwaters, An Everglades Journey to Remember. Embarking from the Rosen Shingle Creek on March 23, the adventurers traversed 140 miles from Shingle Creek to Lake Okeechobee over a 12-day period. more

May

The Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 392, which expands the Lake Okeechobee Protection Act to include protection and restoration of the Lake Okeechobee watershed and the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and estuaries. more

The U.S. Senate passed the 2007 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which is necessary for the continued restoration of the Everglades. Enacting WRDA 2007 will bring a number of critical Florida projects that have been awaiting federal authorization and funding one step closer to implementation. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of WRDA 2007 in April. more

June

Governor Charlie Crist marked another milestone in Florida’s environmental history, signing a “green” law that expands the restoration of the famed River of Grass to Lake Okeechobee and the farthest northern reaches of the Everglades ecosystem. The bill provides the plan, schedule and a dedicated infusion of funding for improving and protecting the health of the northern Everglades, including Florida’s largest freshwater lake and its surrounding coastal estuaries. more

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Currently, 41,000 acres of Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA)  have been constructed. Of the 41,000 acres, the State constructed 36,000 acres. The State’s STAs are performing better than expected, treating water to levels of phosphorus as low as 12 parts per billion (ppb). A decade ago, before the implementation of these "green" technologies, discharges into the Everglades were as high as 300 ppb (average was 170 ppb).

January

The State of Florida in conjunction with Marin County purchased more than 12,000 acres of land in Martin County. The land will be used as part of the Acceler8 program, designed to fast track Everglades restoration.  more

February

Florida began expanding three treatment wetlands by a total of 18,000 acres, which will expand treatment capacity to more than one-half million acre-feet of water a year. more

Florida began building the test cells of the plan to construct the C-43 Caloosahatchee West Storage Reservoir, which will hold 170,000 acre-feet of water or 85,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. more 

March

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) released the 2006 South Florida Environmental Report providing a summary of Everglades and South Florida restoration efforts. more

Florida began construction on the $330 million C-44 St Lucie Canal Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area test cells. more

April

The SFWMD Governing Board approved the purchase of the last parcels of land needed to complete the Kissimmee River Restoration Project.  more

Completion of the Ten Mile Creek Water Preserve Area, a critical Everglades Restoration Project, was celebrated. Ten Mile Creek Water Preserve Area is one of nine critical projects authorized by Congress in 1996 to provide immediate benefits to the south Florida ecosystem. more

Completion of Taylor Creek Stormwater Treatment Area construction of the Lake Okeechobee Water Retention and Phosphorus Removal Project, Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough critical restoration project was celebrated. The purpose of these STAs is to reduce phosphorus loadings into the Taylor Creek basin and Lake Okeechobee. more

June

Florida broke ground on the Water Preserve Area/Acme Basin B Discharge Acceler8 Project that will improve the quality of water flowing into the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. more

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District and the SFWMD broke ground on Lake Okeechobee Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) pilot, a Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) project. more

July

South Florida water managers celebrated the completion of two 28-acre test cell reservoirs as part of Florida’s Acceler8 Everglades restoration initiative. The C-43 (Caloosahatchee River) West Storage Reservoir test cells will provide engineers with valuable data that will guide design and construction of the $338 million C-43 West Storage Reservoir. more

Florida received federal approval to begin construction of a massive reservoir in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) -  the flagship project of the state’s Acceler8 initiative to fast-track eight key restoration projects. more

August

Former Governor Jeb Bush broke ground on one of the most expansive reservoirs in the world as part of the massive effort to restore America’s Everglades. The EAA Reservoir will cover 25 square miles and provide 190,000 acre-feet of water storage. more

September

In a 200-page report, the National Academy of Sciences documented their in-depth review of Everglades restoration and acknowledged the state’s role in restoration achievements. The report recognized numerous state contributions to Everglades restoration progress. more

November

The DEP and the SFWMD celebrated two years of construction progress on the Picayune Strand Restoration Project in western Collier County. more

December

As a part of Florida’s ongoing commitment to restore America’s Everglades, the DEP and South Florida Water Management District completed more than 5,000 acres of additional treatment wetlands to clean water flowing into the famed River of Grass three week ahead of schedule. more

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January

Florida began turning dirt on the first water project under the ambitious Acceler8 initiative - building test water storage areas which will be used to design the massive Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir. more

February

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) published the first comprehensive report detailing a year of scientific, engineering and restoration work to improve the environmental quality of America’s Everglades and the entire South Florida ecosystem. more

June

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began construction on the 2nd phase of restoration along the Kissimmee River – the headwaters of America's Everglades. This phase backfills 10,000 feet of canal, recreates the historic river channel and reestablished flows to replenish 11,000 acres of wetlands.  more

October

Former Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Cabinet approved the conveyance of approximately 345 acres to the SFWMD. The land will be used by SFWMD as part of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) STA project, Acceler8 Program that is  designed to fast track Everglades restoration. more

Former Governor Jeb Bush unveiled the Lake Okeechobee and Estuary Recovery (LOER) Plan, a comprehensive plan to accelerate restoration and recovery of the largest freshwater lake in the southeast.  more

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Florida presented the Lake Okeechobee Protection Plan (LOPP) to the Governor and State Legislature on January 1st. The plan contains a schedule for implementation of the subsequent phases of load reduction needed to achieve the Lake Okeechobee Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL).

January

Water managers began moving water to restore a natural flow to the Northwest Fork Loxahatchee River with the G-160 structure. As part of Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), the structure provides essential freshwater to the 8 mile Loxahatchee River and flood protection to residents in Palm Beach County. moree

February

Florida began moving water through the world’s largest constructed wetland, STA 3/4. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) began operating the 17,000-acre treatment marsh that uses plants to clean pollution from water flowing into the famed River of Grass. more

The Everglades Radio Network (ERN) was launched to inform travelers about what they are seeing as they cross the Everglades on “Alligator Alley”. more

April

Florida signed off on a joint plan by the state and federal government to protect the Indian River Lagoon. When complete, the project will restore more than 53,000 acres of wetlands, reduce pollution and provide water storage to return a more natural flow of freshwater to the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon.  more

May

Water managers completed the first phase of the Kissimmee River Restoration project that will when wholly completed restore 27,000 acres of wetlands and reestablish a more natural flow of water to 43 miles of river. more

June

Florida officially adopted a phosphorus criterion of 10 ppb for the entire freshwater area of the Everglades. The rule establishes the process for improving water quality and restoring the natural system in the famed River of Grass. more

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) broke ground on close to a thousand acres of treatment marshes to clean water flowing into Lake Okeechobee.  more

September

The final phase to restore 50,000 acres of wetlands in the Southern Golden Gates area in America's Everglades received the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)approval.  more

October

Florida unveiled an ambitious plan, Accerler8, to accelerate the restoration of America's Everglades. Florida is stepping up the pace to complete critical environmental projects identified in the $10.5 billion plan more than a decade ahead of schedule. more

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April

The Florida House of Representatives voted by an overwhelming bipartisan majority to support amendments to the Everglades Forever Act, which provide clear environmental benefits for America's Everglades.  more

May

The Florida Legislature boosted Florida’s commitment to Everglades restoration by appropriating a record $225 million for implementation of Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). more

June

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)accelerated  clean up by using a Periphyton-Based Stormwater Treatment Area (PASTA). The “green” technology is used in one of the six man-made treatment marshes that filter pollution from water entering the Everglades. more

October

Florida donated the last parcel of state-owned property needed to complete the massive expansion of Everglades National Park launched by Former President George H. W. Bush in 1989. A total of 42,000 acres of state land was donated to the federal government to accomplish plans to increase the size of the park by 109,000 acres.  more

Florida began restoring a more natural flow of water to more than 50,000 acres of wetlands in America's Everglades, Picayune Strand, seven years ahead of schedule.  more

November

Since 1991, mercury concentrations found in fish and wading birds in America's Everglades have dropped by 60 to 70 percent. more

USACE broke ground on the Ten Mile Creek Stormwater Treatment Area. The project is increasing protection for the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon by improving water quality and providing needed water storage in the region.  more

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Best Managed Practices reduced phosphorus loads from the Everglades Agricultural Area by 48 percent more than is required. Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA) reduce phosphorus concentrations to less than 35 ppb, exceeding the goal of 50 ppb established in the Everglades Forever Act.

Construction began on the two final Everglades Construction Project (ECP), STA 3/4 and STA 1 East.

January

President George W. Bush and Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed an agreement that will reserve water for environmental restoration under state law as a condition to receiving federal money to pay for half of the $10.5 billion project. more

December

The The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board approved the purchase of a ready-made reservoir that places restoration efforts ahead of schedule.  more

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For the fifth consecutive year, Best Managed Practices (BMP) reduced phosphorus loads from the Everglades Agricultural Area by 30 percent more than is required by statute. more

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May

Florida Legislature passed the Everglades Restoration Investment Act to fund the State’s cost-share of 50 percent with the Federal Government for implementing the CERP. more

June

Florida Legislature passed the Lake Okeechobee Protection Act, a phased, comprehensive program designed to restore and protect the lake. more

December

President Clinton authorized the Water Resource Development Act of 2000, committing a multibillion dollar budget to the CERP. more

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Agricultural Best Managed Practices reduced phosphorus amounts leaving the agricultural area basin by 51 percent . Phosphorus loadings were reduced from 240 metric tons to 122 metric tons.

The The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) completed construction of the first of six filtering wetlands known as Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA).

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Farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area implemented Best Management Practices (BMPs).

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The Florida Legislature passed the Everglades Forever Act, which directed the State of Florida to develop a phosphorus criterion for the Everglades Protection Area, implement a BMP program and construct filter marshes.

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The Settlement Agreement was approved and directed the State to construct 32,000 acres of Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA) with a phosphorus discharge concentration of 50 ppb and outlined specific monitoring stations and formulas for evaluating phosphorus levels in the Refuge and Everglades National Park.

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The Florida Legislature passed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Protection Act to restore the Everglades and a settlement agreement was reached.

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A Settlement Agreement was reached between the Federal government and State government due to water quality standards in Everglades National Park (ENP) and Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) not be met. Governor Chiles committed Florida to cleaning up the Everglades. 

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