{"id":3853,"date":"2021-03-18T10:42:43","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T14:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/?page_id=3853"},"modified":"2024-05-24T13:32:30","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T17:32:30","slug":"everglades-restoration","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/everglades-restoration\/","title":{"rendered":"Everglades Restoration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tThe Conservancy Policy Department advocates for CERP projects and funding to restore the River of Grass, reduce damaging discharges of polluted water to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries, and send clean water south to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. \n\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Aerial\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tCurrent situation\n\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t

The Everglades once stretched from just south of Orlando, through the Kissimmee chain of lakes, into Lake Okeechobee and all the way south to Florida Bay.\u00a0 The Everglades of today is less than half of its original size and has lost over 70 percent of its water flow due to urban and agricultural development and the creation of flood control canal systems that have drained the landscape.\u00a0 This loss has altered the ecosystem, particularly the timing and volume of the water supply needed to maintain the biological integrity of these wetlands. The number of native birds and other wildlife has dwindled, and some have vanished completely.The Everglades is one of the largest wetlands in the world and is essential for cleansing and purifying water that flows from the north before it enters Florida Bay and the Keys area off the southern tip of Florida. It also provides the drinking water of over 8 million Floridians by replenishing the aquifer systems relied upon for public water supplies.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t\t\tCERP\n\t\t\t\tOIL AND GAS EXPLORATION\n\t\t\t\tTHE RIPPLE EFFECT\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCERP\n\t\t

\n\t\t\teverglades restoration\n\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t

In 2000, Congress approved the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a multi-billion-dollar plan to save a national treasure. CERP includes 68 different project components necessary to complete the restoration puzzle and restore the connected ecosystems of the Greater Everglades.\u00a0 Key elements of the plan are in various stages of planning, construction, and implementation by the state and federal 50\/50 partnership between the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Click here to read more.<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Puzzle\"\n\t

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida advocates for a comprehensive approach to restore clean water to the Caloosahatchee and the Everglades. We advocate for science-based solutions that would benefit the environment, public health, and the safety of all of communities in South Florida.<\/h4>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tC-43 RESERVOIR\n\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t

The C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir is a key component of the larger Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). This critical storage reservoir is about the size of the City of Naples. It will hold 170,000-acre feet of water, which will be collected over the rainy season and then released back out to the Caloosahatchee during the dry season when the river desperately needs more fresh water. The Caloosahatchee can quickly swing from not enough water in the dry season to too much during the rainy season, underscoring the need for major storage projects like the C-43 reservoir and water management policy that better balances and prioritizes the needs of the ecosystems and natural resources that underpin our economy.Since groundbreaking began in 2019, 19 miles of levees and perimeter canals have been constructed around the C-43 Reservoir and construction is on track to complete the reservoir by 2025.The C-43 Reservoir project will ultimately help improve insufficient flows to the Caloosahatchee during dry periods.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Caloosahatchee\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Everglades\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tEverglades Agricultural area (EAA) RESERVOIR\n\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t

The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) encompasses an area of the Everglades south of Lake Okeechobee that spans 700,000 acres and encompasses 27 percent of the historic Everglades. Sugarcane is the major crop in the EAA. Nutrient runoff from these crops, the result of fertilizers and the use of herbicides and pesticides, as well as the intensive use of water for sugarcane and other crops, are critical challenges for South Florida.The EAA Reservoir is one of the original Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects.\u00a0 A key part of the solution to a complex water quality problem, the EAA Reservoir will provide needed water storage, treatment, and conveyance south of Lake Okeechobee to reduce harmful discharges to the estuaries and send water south to the Everglades and Florida Bay.\u00a0In 2017, the Florida legislature passed Senate Bill 10, which accelerates the planning and provides funding for the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir. The project includes a combination conveyance improvement, a stormwater treatment area (STA), and a reservoir to reduce harmful discharges to the estuaries, send more water south, and improve water quality in the Everglades. Site work began for the reservoir in 2020, as well as STA construction.\u00a0The STA is a 6,500-acre constructed wetland. The wetland will use three separate treatment cells of aquatic vegetation to naturally remove nutrient pollution and clean water before it flows south into the Everglades. The 10,500-acre reservoir will be able to store 240,000 acre-feet of water.In February of 2023 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) broke ground on the reservoir component, and in January 2024 started filling cell one of the STA. It is expected that STA cells 2 and 3 will be online summer of 2024 and the reservoir completed in 2030.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tPicayune Strand Restoration Project\n\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t

In the early 1960s, a team of developers in eastern Collier County purchased tens of thousands of acres of this undeveloped land in order to construct what would be considered the largest subdivision in the country, the Southern Golden Gate Estates. To achieve this, an extensive canal system was excavated draining the area of its seasonal waters and ultimately altering the drainage patterns of the western Big Cypress Basin.The development scheme ultimately failed, leaving the natural landscape dramatically altered with roads and canals crisscrossing and changing the wetland ecosystem into a distressed environment.\u00a0\u00a0 In an effort to restore natural conditions within the PSSF, plans for hydrologic restoration were developed and included “plugging 48 miles of canals, removing 260 miles of crumbling roads, and constructing three major pump stations,” all of which is currently underway.The Picayune Strand Restoration Project is the first Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP) to begin construction.Today, the PSRP is approximately 90% complete. Three massive pump stations have been constructed, and many miles of canals have been plugged along with the degrading and removal of roads to allow water to flow. One of the last hurdles is the Southwest Protection Feature (SWPF), a 7.1-mile levee and canal, plus culverts, which are being designed to protect adjacent properties (primarily in agriculture) from any potential flooding risks from the restored flow of water across the landscape.The SWPF is one of the last remaining construction prerequisites to plugging the final canals and fully implementing of all the project’s restoration features and ecological benefits. Until it is built, only about 30% of the ecological benefits can be realized due to construction and operational constraints in place until this project component is complete.Restoring the hydrology of the PSSF provides direct benefits to the western Everglades and downstream estuaries, reduces freshwater releases, and restores and enhances habitat for fish and wildlife.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Picayune\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tinterested in learning more? dive deep into the documents and resources on this topic and others by heading to the Policy Resource Center!\n\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tpolicy resource center\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOIL AND GAS EXPLORATION\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tOil and Gas Exploration\n\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t

Oil exploration projects, or seismic surveys, threaten thousands of acres of land in Southwest Florida. These projects may result in adverse hydrologic impacts, disturb wildlife, impact soils and vegetation, and may eventually lead to an expansion of oil drilling in the area.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Photo\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tWhy It Matters\n\t\t<\/h4>\n\t

These surveys involve the use of large trucks or explosives to send vibrations deep underground. These vibrations are used to generate data intended to locate geological formations that are likely to contain oil or gas. The oil company then uses this information to advance oil drilling projects.<\/p>\n

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is actively involved in monitoring such projects to ensure avoidance of impacts to our water, wildlife, and sensitive lands.<\/p>\n

For many years, the Conservancy has been advocating against Burnett Oil Company’s damaging seismic survey within the Big Cypress National Preserve. Despite our legal challenge against this proposal, the first phase of this project was authorized to cover 70,540 acres within the sensitive lands of the Preserve. The project used large trucks weighing over 30-tons – referred to as vibroseis buggies – to generate the vibrations.<\/p>\n

Read more about the Burnett Seismic Survey\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Click here to view a video showing vibroseis trucks.<\/a><\/p>\n

More information about the Burnett Oil Company’s plans and opportunities to protect the Big Cypress National Preserve can be found here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tinterested in learning more? dive deep into the documents and resources on this topic and others by heading to the Policy Resource Center!\n\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tpolicy resource center\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTHE RIPPLE EFFECT\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tPolicy Priorities\n\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"DrPass1\"\n\t\t

Coastal Resilience<\/h3>\n\t\t\t

A Collier County resilience study needs public attention. Your help is needed to help create a more sustainable storm resilience plan for the place we call home.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Aerial\n\t\t

Water Quality<\/h3>\n\t\t\t

To promote better water management, the Conservancy works with stakeholders and decision-makers to ensure that stringent water management tools and best practices are in place and utilized.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Eastern\n\t\t

Eastern Lands<\/h3>\n\t\t\t

Now is a pivotal time in Collier County’s history. A huge area of eastern Collier County is vulnerable to intensive development. If the eastern lands are developed as currently planned, the county could add over 300,000 residents.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Habitat\n\t\t

Habitat Protection<\/h3>\n\t\t\t

The Conservancy works to prevent harm to wildlife by preserving their habitats from land use changes, conserving landscape corridors to provide habitat connectivity, and ensuring that habitat protections are strong.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Aerial\n\t\t

Everglades Restoration<\/h3>\n\t\t\t

The Conservancy Policy Department advocates for CERP projects and funding to restore the River of Grass, reduce damaging discharges of polluted water to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries, and send clean water south to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Policy\n\t\t

Policy Resource Center<\/h3>\n\t\t\t

Want to learn more? Take a deep dive into our Policy Resource Center to get more information about our work.<\/p>\t\t\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tHelp protect our water, land, and wildlife\n\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Become a Member<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Membership helps support our work and gets you free membership to the Nature Center and many other perks. Join today!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Donate<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The majority of our funding comes from people like you who care about protecting our environment in Southwest Florida.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Volunteer<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

A variety of fun volunteer opportunities are available. Interact with diverse people, learn new skills, and enhance and share your knowledge.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Conservancy Policy Department advocates for CERP projects and funding to restore the River of Grass, reduce damaging discharges of polluted water to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries, and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3853","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3853"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14156,"href":"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3853\/revisions\/14156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/conservancy.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}