South Florida - Wednesday January 24, 2024: The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) reports that new data on the ongoing efforts to restore the Everglades and preserve water quality is having a measurable positive impact on the ecological health of South Florida's natural resources.
To date, more than 65 Everglades restoration and resilience projects have been completed, broken ground or hit a major milestone since January of 2019.
Together with federal, state, and local partners, the SFWMD has been able to accelerate key Everglades restoration projects that are improving the quantity, quality, timing and distribution of water to the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Major progress continues on projects such as the EAA Reservoir Project, Caloosahatchee (C-43) Reservoir, the Picayune Strand Restoration Project and more.
Among the highlights of those efforts are:
• Salinity Levels in Florida Bay Hit Goals. Record water flows and water depths in the Everglades coupled with rainfall demonstrated that restoration can support healthy salinity levels in Florida Bay. Balanced salinity supports sea grass and spawning fish.
• Record Hydration in the Everglades. End of the wet season water depths in two key locations, Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough, demonstrate that restoration projects and operations work well together to nourish the Everglades and send water south to support the health of Florida Bay.
• Reduction of harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee. Proactive Lake Okeechobee management and weather patterns have helped reduce harmful estuary discharges in 2022 and 2023 while maintaining water levels in the lake to support the environment, businesses and communities.
Visit: SFWMD.gov/Restoration for more information on Everglades restoration.