April
2001
Getting
the Water Right: The Restoration of the Florida Everglades
By April H. Gromnicki
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The Everglades ecosystem of southern Florida,
from the Kissimmee River Valley in the north through Lake Okeechobee,
the Everglades, Florida Bay, the Keys, and the coral reefs to the
south,
is world-renowned for its biodiversity. Because of its unique biological
wealth and beauty, the 17,000 square mile area of Everglades National
Park has been declared a World Heritage Site, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
and Ramsar Wetland. The Everglades, America’s premiere wetland,
is also the nation’s most endangered ecosystem.
For more than 50 years, the water of the Everglades has been diverted,
ditched and diked, resulting in the tragic decline in natural resources
and wildlife habitat so apparent today. We now have the opportunity
to restore much of this national treasure to its natural condition,
and in so doing, set international precedents for sustainability. Over
the past several decades, the Everglades has become a case study of
the interdependence of human society and its ecosystem. Bordered by
extensive urban and agricultural development, the South Florida/Everglades
ecosystem epitomizes the integral link between society, the economy,
and the environment. That link is water.
Because of the degradation of this vast ecosystem and consequent threats
to South Florida’s ecological and economic future, the Everglades
has become the focal point of the most ambitious ecosystem restoration
project ever attempted. In December 2000, Congress passed an act approving
the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) as a framework
to restore, preserve and protect the Everglades, while providing for
other water-related needs of the region. CERP anticipates spending
nearly
$8 billion on more than 60 projects over nearly 30 years. The primary
objective of the CERP is to provide the appropriate quantity, quality,
timing and distribution of water to the Everglades.
Water Quantity and Quality
South Florida receives approximately 60 inches of rain each year.
Unfortunately, much of this is wasted—rapidly pumped off to prevent
flooding—sending almost one trillion gallons of water to the ocean
each year—the equivalent annual water supply for over 15 million
people. This wasted water must be stored to satisfy the needs of the
Everglades, and to augment the needs of agriculture and urban populations.
Additionally, Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) is heavily relied
upon
in the Everglades Restoration plan. ASR is the process by which water
is pumped underground into the aquifer, stored and then recovered for
later use. Upwards of 330 ASR wells are proposed to store water 1,000
feet underground in the upper Floridian aquifer.
High quality water is one of the crucial elements of a sustainable
Everglades ecosystem and a sustainable human population in South Florida.
Much
of the political discussion has focused on phosphorus—primarily
from agricultural runoff—as the major water contaminant that must
be dealt with by reducing concentrations to ten parts per billion or
less. The reality is that phosphorous is only one of a suite of contaminants
that must be considered in developing a water quality strategy. Nitrogen,
a variety of residual pesticides, and herbicides are commonly found
in agricultural runoff. Urban runoff often contains a complex mixture
of contaminants that include heavy metals, petroleum products, nutrients,
and sediments. Sufficient treatment areas and filtration marshes must
be established and, where applicable, restored in the southern Everglades
Agricultural Area and throughout the system.
Contamination of drinking water aquifers and groundwater is also of
great concern, due to the porous nature of much of the surficial limestone
aquifer because contaminants on the surface can rapidly infiltrate groundwater.
Groundwater contamination concerns are threefold. The first concern
is for public water supply; the second is agricultural irrigation waters;
and third, groundwater contamination in the Everglades Protection Area.
We must ensure that water entering the Everglades Protection Area is
of sufficient quality to avoid causing any biotic or abiotic imbalances
in the Greater Everglades ecosystem.
Restoring Biodiversity
The Everglades, a subtropical ecosystem, has the highest biological
diversity value in the continental U.S. The Everglades is home to some
of the world’s most distinctive plant and animal communities including
68 federally listed endangered or threatened species, and 29 candidate
species—the most in the country. It is also a critical flyway
for a wide variety of the migratory bird species.
Restoration must maximize and protect a healthy, self-sustaining mosaic
of ecological community types that recreates the unique diversity of
the historic Everglades ecosystem. This involves protecting and expanding
the current area of South Florida’s natural ecosystems, restoring
lost habitat types, reestablishing connection among ecological communities
to reduce fragmentation, and creating buffer zones between developed
and natural areas.
The Everglades has been abused for more than 100 years. Its restoration
is the most ambitious environmental challenge our nation has ever undertaken.
The outcome is uncertain and depends on how much Americans recognize
the need to balance the use and conservation of natural resources. Moreover,
restoration faces such obstacles as the actual implementation of funding
at the state and federal levels, access to new technologies, and a balanced
allocation of water that satisfies drinking water and agricultural needs
without harming the environment. If our effort is successful, restoration
of the Everglades will serve as the hemispheric model for sustainability.
In all the world, there is only one Everglades.
April H. Gromnicki is the Everglades Policy Coordinator for the
National Audubon Society of Florida. Ms. Gromnicki joined the staff
of Audubon in 1996. Ms. Gromnicki will graduate from Univ. of Miami
Law School in 2001 with a Juris Doctorate degree. Additional material
provided by Erin Deady, Esq., Environmental Counsel for Audubon of Florida.
