Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Additional Water Quality Projects May Be Needed And Could Increase Costs PDF Download

The South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative is a complex, long-term effort to restore the South Florida ecosystem, which includes the Everglades. Because water is key to restoring the ecosystem, one of the initiative's major goals is 'getting the water right'-or improving the quality, quantity, timing, and distribution of water in the ecosystem. The primary means of achieving this goal is through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (the Plan). Although achieving the right quantity, timing, and distribution of water is important, improving its quality is critical to sustaining and restoring the South Florida ecosystem. The Plan represents one of the most ambitious restoration efforts the Corps has ever undertaken; it contains 66 individual projects that are scheduled to take more than 20 years to complete."2 Implementing the Plan is currently estimated to cost $7.8 billion-a cost that will be snared equally by the federal government and the state of Florida. We are here today to discuss our report,3 which is being released today, on (1) the role of the Corps' Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan in addressing the major water quality concerns in the ecosystem and (2) modifications that may be needed as the Corps implements the Plan after it has been authorized by the Congress.