The Everglades Restoration Crisis
The Florida Everglades is the largest subtropical wetland ecosystem in North America, and the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere. The Everglades is home to many endangered species as well as millions of animals. The Everglades is in critical condition right now. With constant pressure from increased development, and the lack of fresh water supply to Florida Bay, it is struggling to survive. From its once thriving and untouched beauty, to the polluted and damaged river it now is, the future of the Florida Everglades must include swift action that prioritizes the restoration of its natural flow and freshwater supply to ultimately fix this threatened ecosystem.
History of the Everglades
The Everglades has changed dramatically in the last 100 years, and not in a good way. The Everglades is often thought of as a large wetland, when it is in fact a large river. The water slowly flows from Orlando, all the way south to Florida Bay. Before humans civilized south Florida, the water would flow uninterrupted by man all the way through the system. Now that we have developed much of Florida, the original Everglades flow is lost. The water was drained from many areas and also rerouted to allow for more development. In the article “Our everglades, Our Water”, it states “Historically, water in the Everglades flowed down the Kissimmee River, overflowed the banks of Lake Okeechobee, and moved in a slow sheet across South Florida until it reached Florida Bay. However, in the early 1900s, the Everglades was drained. Water was rerouted by a series of pumps, canals, levees, and other structures. 50% of its original wetlands were lost. The water that used to fill the lake and overflow the southern lip is now sent out to sea along the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Canals, while the southern Everglades is starved for freshwater.” This is nothing new, the Everglades has been struggling to survive for over 100 years. Although, with new government legislation, and non-profit organizations like Captains for Clean Water and Bull Sugar, we are now on the right track to save the special ecosystem that is the Florida Everglades.
Economic Impact of the Everglades
The Florida Everglades covers more than 1.5 million acres of Florida, all protected to help ensure this ecosystem is around for years to come. It is home to 36 endangered and threatened species, including the Florida Panther. Along with the many species that rely on the everglades to live, it is also a source for nearly 8 million residents daily water supply in the state of Florida. According to Les Medley, “residential fishing alone generates approximately $1.2 billion a year in economic activity in the 13-county Everglades Region.” The Florida Everglades is essential to the way of life for many Floridians. It also is a way of life for many people who go to the Everglades to get away from their everyday life. Many fisherman, hunters, bikers, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts enjoy coming to the everglades to do what they love. The conservation of the Everglades would ensure that for the next generations to come, they have the same opportunities to enjoy the Florida Everglades as we do today.
Issues at hand
The water quality in the Everglades has been a problem for decades. Lately, these problems have been making headlines again. A Tampa Bay Reservoir has recently been on the verge of a collapse which would threaten the wildlife and natural water quality of the bay and surrounding areas. The threat was noticed by Florida Governor Ron Desantis who went to the site where a leak at a waste water reservoir threatened to flood the area and Tampa Bay with polluted water (Reuters). This was a shock for many as it was an unexpected setback in the fight for Everglades restoration. It was also very disheartening for conservationists who fight so hard for the water quality in Florida. The Tampa water collapse threatens to cause another repeat of 2018, when toxic algae was destroying fisheries on the west coast. The issue with the Tampa water entering the bay is that it contains higher levels of nutrients, phosphorous, and nitrogen which can fuel the harmful algae blooms that are linked to red tide. These problems are the cause of special interest groups (in this case phosphate miners) having no regard to the environmental impacts that their businesses may be causing. In order for these problems to stop occurring, people and legislation must hold these polluters accountable for their actions, or else the measures we are taking to ensure Everglades restoration will be useless.
Following a historic year in 2016, 50,000 acres of seagrass was lost. An acre of seagrass sequesters the same amount of carbon as an acre of rainforest. Chris Wittman, who works alongside Captains for Clean Water, while also being a full-time fishing guide, states “In 2016 we had this water crisis that just crushed us, it was like a wakeup call. With the help of Captains for Clean Water and Columbia we are bringing attention to the value of places like Everglades National Park.” The seagrass die off of 2016 was a disaster of its own, a toxic green algae bloom of 2018 just made matters worse. Captains for Clean Water stated, “Toxic blue-green sludge suffocated our waterways and red tide lingered for months, leaving dead marine life scattered along 300 miles of Florida coastline. Businesses suffered, vacations were cut short and cancelled, residents feared for their health, and Florida made national headlines — and not in a good way.” Floridians are now becoming aware of the problems that are occurring with the water in Florida. Actions speak louder than words though, that’s why many nonprofit organizations have been created to help solve this issue. People are also starting to inform politicians on these issues which used to not be a priority to many governors of Florida. Governor Ron Desantis has been working closely with ecologists and experts in the field to try and formulate a plan to restore the Everglades.
A New Hope in Everglades Restoration
In 2018 Florida elected a new governor, Ron Desantis. With this election was the hope that legislation would finally dedicate the necessary recourses to help restore the Everglades; and that is exactly what is happening. DeSantis outlined a $2.5 billion plan over four years to rescue the ailing Everglades. The plan would tackle local water pollution, protect springs and finish raising the Tamiami Trail to allow water to flow south to the ecosystem (Milman). A sweeping Everglades restoration project was passed by congress in 2000, but was quickly stalled. Eric Eikenberg, the chief executive of the Florida Everglades states “It feels like more has happened in the past few months than in the past 25 years.” With Florida’s legislation now on conservationists side, it seems as if Florida is turning the page in the restoration process.
Restoration Projects now Underway
The everglades restoration process is looking to get an increase in funding for multiple new projects. Naples daily news states “In March, Florida’s representatives in the U.S. Congress asked president Joe Biden for $725 million, an increase from the $250 million in federal funding last year.” This possible extra funding would be crucial in helping the everglades restoration process. A project in the works right now is the roadbed removal of Tamiami Trail. When completed, it is expected to increase the flow of freshwater into the northeast Shark River Slough by 220 billion gallons per year. The extra water will flow underneath Tamiami Trail and all the way south to Florida bay. The Old Tamiami Trail currently acts as a dam to the Everglades. Pedro Ramos, the National Park service’s superintendent of the Everglades states, “The Old Tamiami Trail has been an impediment to flow into Everglades National Park for 97 years… and it will be an impediment no more with all of this work we are doing here. This is a great day and the Everglades are smiling today.” With these new projects being constructed, it will provide the much needed support the Everglades needs to finally be restored.
Another project currently under way is the construction of the EAA Reservoir. This reservoir will significantly reduce the harmful Lake Okeechobee discharges that are sent to St. Lucie and the Caloosahatchee. It accomplishes this by storing and cleaning excess water from the lake before sending it south to the Everglades. This reservoir was almost never built due to sugarcane operations. Sugar operators have been a threat to the restoration of the everglades for years. Foundations like “Bull sugar” and Captains for Clean Water have tried to inform people about the harmful effects of these agricultural areas. In 2018, an under the table agreement granted a 8-year lease extension to the sugarcane operators on nearly 16,000 acres that was slated for the EAA reservoir site. The sugar cane industry in south Florida is a staple crop for farmers, and legislation in the past has viewed this as more important then the quality of our ecosystems. Recently though, legislation realized that the everglades being restored would only increase the amount of tourism, fisherman, and jobs within Florida, leading to a healthy economy. The Everglades generates approximately $1.2 billion a year in economic activity just from fishing alone. Due to this, when Desantis was elected he immediately took action against the sugar companies that were polluting Florida’s waters. He cancelled the sugar lease, allowing for the new reservoir to be built. In an article talking about the progress at the EAA reservoir, Captains for clean water states ,“The lease was eventually terminated, clearing the way for construction to begin, but it serves as a reminder of the type of schemes that have delayed progress for decades — when the public is aware and gets involved, we have the power to defeat these attempts.” The termination of the harmful sugarcane lease, leading to a beneficial reservoir, shows the level of commitment Florida now has from the current legislation. The everglades is in good hands.
Conclusion
The Florida Everglades is like no other place on the planet. It is the life source for South Florida, providing a unique habitat for over 800 animal species. Although, the development of Florida resulted in a change to the natural flow of the Florida everglades. This in result has caused decades of problems that are in need of repair in order to restore the Everglades ecosystem. From its once thriving and untouched beauty, to the polluted and damaged river it now is, the future of the Florida Everglades must include swift action that prioritizes the restoration of its natural flow and freshwater supply to ultimately fix this threatened ecosystem.
References
Fulton, Drew. “Everglades Imagery, Intimate Detail of a Vast Landscape.” 11 June 2018, Everglades Imagery, https://www.evergladesimagery.com/main.html, 4 April 2021.
“‘Imminent’ reservoir wall collapse threatens polluted flood of Tampa Bay” Reuters, 4 April 2021, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-reservoir-idUSKBN2BR0IG, 5 April 2021.
Medley, Les. “55 Reasons Why the Florida Everglades are Special” Destination Wildlife, 5 December 2019, https://www.destinationwildlife.com/blog/55-reasons-why-the-florida-everglades-are-special, 5 April 2021.
Milman, Oliver. “Everglades in crisis: can this Florida treasure avert an environmental tragedy?.” The Guardian, 28 February 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/27/florida-everglades-climate-change-environmental-disaster-hope-for-future, 5 April 2021.
O’Brien, Erin. “Florida’s Population Growing By 900 People A Day, Report Says.” WSUF Public Media, 26 july 2019, https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/news/2019-07-26/floridas-population-growing-by-900-people-a-day-report-says, 5 April 2021.
“Our Everglades, Our Water.” Audubon, 22 April 2019, https://fl.audubon.org/sites/default/files/our_everglades_our_water_fact_sheet.pdf, 29 April2021
“Progress at the EAA Reservoir — moving earth to move more water south.” 29 January 2021, https://captainsforcleanwater.org/eaa-reservoir-progress, 2 May 2021
Shneider, Karl. “Gov. DeSantis celebrates removal of Old Tamiami Trail blocking historic Everglades flow.” Naples Daily News, 30 March 2021, https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/environment/2021/03/30/gov-ron-desantis-celebrates-old-tamiami-everglades-restoration-project/7046846002/, 5 April 2021.