<
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20240815-floridas-everglades-reservoir-will-clean-the-states-water>
'In February 2023, a large digger broke ground on a multi-billion dollar
project that has been decades in the making: building a reservoir the size of
Manhattan Island.
The reservoir, which is part of an historic restoration of the Everglades
ecosystem, is intended to help bring a secure, long-term supply of clean
drinking water to Florida's residents.
The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) reservoir will be located south of Lake
Okeechobee, the largest freshwater lake in Florida, and conservationists have
dubbed the project "the crown jewel" of the Everglades' restoration.
"It is the single most important project to store, clean and send water from
Lake Okeechobee to nourish the Everglades and supply clean drinking water to
millions in South Florida," Meenakshi Chabba tells
BBC Future Planet. Chabba
is an ecosystem scientist at the Everglades Foundation, one of the non-profit
organisations that advocated for the project.
As well as protecting the drinking water of South Floridians, the reservoir is
also intended to dramatically reduce the algae-causing discharges that have
previously shut down beaches and caused mass fish die-offs. (Read more about
the pollution causing harmful algal blooms).
Bigger than Manhattan and Staten Island combined, the reservoir will stretch
over 10,100 acres large (4,090 ha), and, in addition, have a 6,500-acre
(2,630-ha) stormwater treatment area. It will be able to store 78 billion
gallons (295.2 billion litres) of water – enough to fill 118,000 Olympic-sized
swimming pools.
"The water will help recharge the aquifer that provides drinking water to
millions of people in South Florida," says Jason Schultz, a spokesperson for
the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).
The reservoir, a joint project between the US Army Corps of Engineers and the
SFMD, is a small cog in a large initiative to restore the Everglades. The
multi-billion dollar Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was passed by
Congress in 2000, and includes 68 infrastructure projects across Florida. The
Everglades Foundation tells the BBC the restoration plan is the "largest
environmental restoration project" in the world.
The infrastructure projects range from rehydrating carbon-sequestering
wetlands, to building a complex network of stormwater treatment areas, smaller
reservoirs and water control structures – and they're at varying stages of
completion. The whole project is due to be completed in 2029.'
Via
Positive.News
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
