Natural Ecosystem

The Everglades encompasses a series of rivers, lakes and estuaries and within these waters exist a deep and inextricable relationship between Florida’s environment and the quality of life for the more than seven million residents that call south Florida home. By saving America’s Everglades – through the largest environmental restoration project in the nation’s history – Florida is restoring wetlands, revitalizing water quality and reviving the habitats for more than 60 endangered and threatened species.

Challenges to the Ecosystem

Originally, close to 8.9 million acres of Florida’s southern peninsula extending from the lakes and marshes of central Florida southward to the Florida Bay were composed of interconnected wetlands -- four million of those acres were known as the Everglades.

• During the late 1880s, the promise of fertile farmland and inviting cities, flood protection and a supply of fresh water culminated in the construction of the Central and South Florida project the natural flow of water to the Everglades into thousands of miles of canals and 720 miles of levees.
• Despite the damage that was done more than 50 years ago, the Everglades is still a national treasure just as remarkable as the Grand Canyon, the Great Lakes or the Redwood Forests.

Restoration Plans

• Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) - 50/50 state-federal partnership to implement a $10.9 billion restoration plan covering 16 counties over an 18,000 square-mile area.
• Acceler8 - By issuing certifications of participation, Florida has financed $546 million toward its initiative to speed up funding, design, construction and completion of eight Everglades restoration projects over seven years.
• Lake Okeechobee and Estuary Recovery (LOER) - The recovery plan to help restore the ecological health of Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries.
• The Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program (NEEPP) – Passed by the State Legislature in May 2007 to expand the existing Lake Okeechobee Protection Program to include the Caloosahatchee River and the St. Lucie watersheds, including the estuaries.

Everglades Water Quality

Restoring America’s Everglades is returning a more natural water flow to the 2.4 million-acre marsh, reviving habitat for more than 60 threatened and endangered species, establishing a reliable supply of water for millions of Floridians and providing flood control to the south Florida area.

• Scientists are using the newest technology to ensure that remedies achieve results.
• Advanced water quality technologies and Best Managed Practices for farmers have successfully prevented more than 2,678 tons of phosphorus from entering the Everglades.
• The construction of 52,000 acres of man-made treatment marshes, which use native plants to naturally clean harmful nutrients from water flowing into the Everglades, combined with the use of improved agricultural practices have reduced phosphorus concentrations. Averages of 170 parts per billion a decade ago are as low as 12 parts per billion today, repeatedly surpassing earlier predictions for what was achievable.