EVERGLADES RESTORATION (CERP)

Everglades Restoration Plan

The Need for Restoration

The Everglades Restoration Plan: The Everglades ecosystem originally spanned from the Kissimmee River basin north of Lake Okeechobee southward to Florida Bay, covering millions of acres with a natural “sheet flow” of water moving slowly south. In the early 20th century, extensive drainage projects, including canals like the C-44 and St. Lucie Canal, were built to control flooding and support agriculture and development. These alterations diverted water from Lake Okeechobee eastward to the St. Lucie Estuary and westward to the Caloosahatchee River, reducing the natural north-south flow by up to 70%. This led to harmful algal blooms in coastal estuaries from nutrient-rich discharges, while starving the southern Everglades of freshwater, causing ecosystem degradation, saltwater intrusion, and loss of habitats for species like wading birds and mangroves.

The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)

Florida’s restoration efforts are primarily guided by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), authorized by Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 2000. CERP is a joint federal-state initiative led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), aiming to restore the quantity, quality, timing, and distribution of water across the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. The plan includes over 68 project components, with a total estimated cost of $26.9 billion (in FY2023 dollars), to be shared equally between federal and state governments. Key to restoring the north-south flow is capturing, storing, treating, and redirecting water from Lake Okeechobee southward, rather than discharging it to the coasts. As of FY2024, over $6 billion has been invested in CERP projects.

Key Projects Restoring North-South Flow

Restoration focuses on building storage reservoirs, stormwater treatment areas (STAs), and conveyance improvements to hold excess water from Lake Okeechobee, clean it of pollutants like phosphorus and nitrogen, and send it south to rehydrate the Everglades and Florida Bay. Below are the primary mechanisms and projects:

1. Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir Project:

• Located south of Lake Okeechobee in the 700,000-acre EAA (a former sugarcane farming region), this is often called the “crown jewel” of Everglades restoration.
• The reservoir will cover about 10,100 acres with a capacity of 240,000 acre-feet (78 billion gallons) of storage, paired with a 6,500-acre STA for water treatment.
• Process: Water from Lake Okeechobee is diverted into the reservoir during wet seasons, treated in the STA to remove nutrients, and then conveyed south via improved canals and flowways to the central Everglades.
• Benefits: Reduces harmful east-west discharges by 55%, sends an average of 370,000 acre-feet of clean water south annually, improves water quality in Everglades National Park, and supports Florida Bay’s salinity balance.
• Status: Groundbreaking occurred in 2023, with construction accelerated under a 2025 state-federal agreement. Full operation is expected by 2029, five years ahead of original timelines.
• Cost: Approximately $3.8 billion.

1. Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP):

• Integrated with the EAA Reservoir, CEPP focuses on the central portion of the Everglades and includes three sub-components: CEPP North, CEPP South, and CEPP New Water.
• Process: Removes barriers like old levees and canals (e.g., portions of the Tamiami Trail), backfills canals to restore sheet flow, and uses pumps and spreader canals to distribute treated water southward from the EAA Reservoir.
• Key features: The Blue Shanty Flowway (groundbreaking in 2025) enhances natural sheet flow by removing obstacles, allowing water to move freely into Everglades National Park.
• Benefits: Restores flows to over 70,000 acres of wetlands, reduces coastal discharges, and improves habitat connectivity.
• Status: Construction on CEPP North began in 2022, with full implementation targeted for 2026-2029.

1. Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project (LOWRP):

• North of Lake Okeechobee, this project adds storage and treatment in tributary basins like the Kissimmee River.
• Process: Builds aquifer storage and recovery wells, wetland restoration areas, and shallow reservoirs to capture runoff before it enters the lake, then treats and sends cleaner water south.
• Benefits: Improves lake water quality, reduces nutrient loads, and supports overall southbound flows.
• Status: Planning ongoing, with construction phases authorized in recent Water Resources Development Acts (e.g., WRDA 2024).

1. Supporting Infrastructure and Complementary Projects:

• Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs): Large wetland-like systems using vegetation to filter pollutants. For example, the A-2 STA (part of the EAA project) treats water before southern release.
• Caloosahatchee (C-43) and St. Lucie (C-44) Reservoirs: These store and treat water on the west and east sides, reducing the need for coastal discharges and allowing more water to be routed south.
• Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP): Authorized in 2024, it restores hydrology in the western basin, including the Big Cypress National Preserve, by improving flow distribution.
• Taylor Slough Flow Improvement: Completed in recent years, it restores freshwater flows to southeastern Everglades National Park by modifying roads and canals.

Current CERP Progress and Challenges

As of early 2026, Florida has accelerated CERP under Governor Ron DeSantis, with landmark agreements in 2025 allowing the state to lead key components. Over 20 projects are under construction or completed, including groundbreakings for the EAA Inflow Pump Station and C-43 Reservoir. State funding has exceeded $4 billion since 2019, with federal contributions matching pace through WRDA authorizations. Challenges include rising costs due to inflation, legal hurdles from agricultural interests, and climate change impacts like sea-level rise. Monitoring shows early successes, such as improved water quality in Florida Bay and reduced algal blooms.

Expected Outcomes

Full implementation of these projects over the next decade will restore approximately 1.5 million acre-feet of annual southbound flow, benefiting ecosystems, wildlife, and human water supplies for over 9 million Floridians. This includes enhanced resilience against droughts and floods, particularly relevant for areas like Cape Coral near the Caloosahatchee Estuary.