Brady Reed

Issues Management Report

The Florida Everglades are currently facing many issues today. Some of the issues that have been found
in this report include: water quantity, water quality, pollution and exotic species. Some restoration groups
are trying to help with all of these issues as well as politicians. This project also has many conflicts like
funding and land usage. These issues in the Everglades have been going on for years; some people are
doing their best to help prevent the many problems that this area faces. The people that care about the area
will have to keep working together to restore it before its too late and the Everglades will be gone
forever.

The Florida Everglades was once a flowing river of grass from Lake Kissimmee to the southern tip of the
peninsula at Florida Bay. Now the Everglades are facing issues like water quality, water quantity, high
levels of phosphorous and mercury and pollution. Do to all of these problems; groups like the South
Florida Water Management District have started to help restore the Everglades. The South Florida Water
Management District is a regional, governmental agency that oversees the water resource in the southern
half of the state of Florida (Miller, 2015). They want to help the Everglades by balancing and improving
water quality and improve water supply. The issue that the Everglades are facing is affecting this
organization because they want to help with water quality and quantity in all of the south regions in
Florida.

ISSUE TRACKED
Everglades restoration has been an on-going battle since the early 1970s. Two big threats to the
Everglades ecosystem are water quality and water quantity. Human demand for water is steadily
increasing but the supply is not. This causes less water in the Everglades and deprivation to its ecosystem.
There have been structures built in the early 20th century to help with water flow, but this disrupted other
water flow from Lake Okeechobee. This causes water to flow through canals and dams out into the ocean,
this then bring less water into the Everglades (Fargo, 2015). This also caused high level of phosphorus
and mercury in the waterways. This brought great attention to the water ways by environmentalists. Then
in 1994 the Everglades Forever Act was passed and organizations like the South Florida Water
Management District and the U.S. Corps of Engineers have been working to keep the levels of
phosphorous down and have been improving the waters in that area (Miller, 2015). They also have started
construction on the C-44 reservoir (Miller, 2015). Another problem with water that enters the Everglades
is sometimes polluted and contaminated by runoff. The group that can help prevent this from happening is
farmers. Farmers in the south Florida area need to be cautious about runoff and pollution; this can greatly
affect plant and animal species in the areas being affected. In a recent study done, it is shown that

sugarcane and vegetable farmers south of Lake Okeechobee area have helped lower the phosphorous
levels by 79 percent (Everglades restoration advancing, 2015). Other issues like less tourism have
affected funding for the parks. Studies say if nothing is done then this area will rapidly deteriorate
(Pittman, 2015). Another plan formed called the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan proposed by
governor Jeb Bush was put together to restore areas like the Everglades, Caloosahatchee River, Lake
Okeechobee and the Florida Bay from damaged done over the past 50 years (Pittman, 2015). There have
been efforts and plans put together to help save and restore the Everglades water supply and ecosystem
but some are disrupted by politics and funding issues. Some politicians think that too much money is
being given and some think not enough (Derby, 2015). Governor Rick Scott has been a big advocate in
helping restore the Everglades and has helped pass bills to help fund the restoration with millions of
dollars (Turner, 2015). More issues like invasive species and urban takeover are also a problem for the
Everglades. New residents that move to the area will need water and this will take more away from the
Everglades; but this is an issue that may never be solved or prevented. Some exotic species have been
entering the area and threating the wildlife that has inhabited the area for years. There have been actions
taken to help restore this area that is so important to the environment. It seems though that there will
always be the issue of money, different politicians and groups have their own ideas of what to do and
how.

Issue Analysis
The Florida Everglades has multiple issues that are greatly affecting the area. One of the biggest issues is
water quality and quantity. Water is starting to flow in different directions and some is going out into the
ocean. This causes less water in the Everglades every day. Another issue is people moving into the area
around the Everglades. This causes a problem because the more people that move in the area, the more
water is going to be demanded and taken out of the Everglades. There is also the issue of runoff,
phosphorous and mercury deposits into the water supply. Groups like the South Florida Water
Management District want to help all of these water related issues and make the Everglades a better and
healthier area for plant and animal life. These water related issues affect this organization by making them
want to help more. This organization was put together to help the south Florida areas water issues (quick
facts on, 2015). They help by managing and protecting water and also protecting and restoring
ecosystems (quick facts on, 2015). This organization wants to help the Everglades restoration project;
which is the largest restoration project in the nations history (quick facts on, 2015). The problems with
the Everglades water is not a good or exciting issue but the good thing is that this organization is designed
to help this problem. The SFWMD has already been working on this issue and is taking steps to
improving the problem. They have a Central Everglades Planning Project which will help provide the
necessary actions to deliver fresh water from Lake Okeechobee areas in the Everglades National Park and
Florida Bay (quick facts on, 2015). This will also help the distribution of water flow to areas of the River
of Grass (quick facts on, 2015). SFWMD is also helping to restore areas like the Indian River Lagoon and
the Loxahatchee River Watershed (quick facts on, 2015). It seems that water will also be an issue in the
Everglades. Organizations like SFWMD are helping the Everglades stay alive and trying to keep the
ecosystem together. They will continue to help the Everglades even though there is a chance that this
issue may never stop.

Annotated Bibliography

Derby, K. (2015, June 16). U.S. House Appropriations Approves $150 Million for Everglades Restoration.
Retrieved December 1, 2015, from http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/us-houseappropriations-approves-150-million-everglades-restoration-interior-environment-funding
The U.S. House of Representatives approve a $150 million for Everglades restoration. This will help
Everglades parks such as: Big Cypress, Biscayne, Everglades and Dry Tortugas. The federal government
would send $4.8 million to ensure the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan is finished on
schedule, while almost $4 million will go to the Critical Ecosystems Studies Initiative and $1.9 million
for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force.

Everglades restoration advancing with South Florida farmers' efforts. (2015, August 17). Retrieved
December 1, 2015, from http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/commentary/fl-viewpoint-water20150817-story.html
Florida farms have helped Everglades restoration by lowering phosphorous levels by 56 percent annually.
There has been a 79 percent reduction in the annual level of phosphorous flowing from Florida sugarcane
and vegetable farms south of Lake Okeechobee. State law requires EAA farms to achieve an annual 25
percent reduction in phosphorous and Florida farms have done much more than that. They have stayed
active in the fight to keep the Everglades clean. Vegetable and sugar cane farms have played a major role
in cleaning water flowing south. All of this is paid by the farmers themselves. The researched and
developed was in conjunction with scientists at the University of Florida and the Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences. Due to all of this almost 95 percent of the Everglades today is meeting the stringent
10 parts per billion water quality standard, and we are nearing the final phase of restoring Everglades
water quality.

Everglades restoration projects continue with issuance of new dep. permit. (2014, July 10). Retrieved
December 8, 2015, from http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLDEP/bulletins/c35b42
The Florida Department of Environmental Protections Office of Ecosystem Projects issued a permit to
the South Florida Water Management District to construct the L-8 Divide Structure, a component of
Governor Rick Scott's strategies to restore south Florida ecosystems. The L-8 Divide Structure will help
the movement of storm water flow into the L-8 Flow Equalization Basin giving a lot of water storage. The
total cost for the project will be 5.6 million dollars. After completion, the L-8 basin will hold up to 15
billion gallons of water. This water will be treated and moved to the Everglades.

Farago, A. (2015, October 16). Can America's Everglades Catch a Break: Soon We Will See. Retrieved
December 8, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-farago/can-americas-evergladesc_b_8311080.html
The Modified Water Deliveries Project is a federal ecological restoration project in south Florida designed
to improve water delivery to Everglades National Park. The completion of Mod Waters is required before
the operation of portions of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Miami-Dade County

government, over the years, had a major role in delaying and obstructing expedited efforts to
restore water flow to Everglades National Park. The waters in the Everglades are in danger and the
efforts to restore it must be done to complete this project. Environmentalists are stressing the importance
of fresh clean water flow to keep Everglades restoration moving.

Miller, J. (2015, November 20). Corps breaks ground on reservoir for Everglades project. Retrieved
December 1, 2015, from https://www.dvidshub.net/news/182533/corps-breaks-ground-reservoireverglades-project#.Vl0A0LEo7IU
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, alongside federal, state and local officials and the South Florida
Water Management District, celebrated the start of a major construction contract for the reservoir
component of the C-44 Reservoir and Storm water Treatment Area project. The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Jacksonville District awarded the $197 million construction contract to Barnard Construction
Inc., from Bozeman, Montana. The contract includes the construction of a 3,400-acre reservoir that will
store an extra 16.5 billion gallons of water from the C-44 Basin. The project is set to be completed in
2020. This project will capture local runoff from the C-44 basin, reducing nutrients loads and improve
salinity in the St. Estuary and the southern portion of the Indian River Lagoon. It will also provide 60,500
acre-feet of new water storage and 3,600 acres of new wetlands. The Indian River Lagoon is the most
biologically diverse estuarine system in the continental United States and has more than 3,000 species of
plants and animals.

NPT Staff. (2015, October 30). National Parks Traveler. Retrieved December 8, 2015, from
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2015/10/everglades-general-management-plan-easterneverglades-wilderness-study-get-final-approval
There will be more protection for the Florida Bays shallow waters, wilderness and a new paddling trail
all provided for in the general management plan approved for Everglades National Park. The plan,
combined with the East Everglades Wilderness Study, should take the park's management plans forward
for the next several decades. The two plans are designed to better protect and restore critical natural,
cultural, and wilderness resources and provide improved visitor experiences. The park is now home to 1.5
million acres of wilderness. The plan includes multiple new features to the park; it is based on the concept
of improving adaptive management, user education and an advisory committee.

Pittman, C. (2015, September 27). As governor, Bush sided with campaign contributor on delaying
Everglades pollution cleanup. Retrieved December 8, 2015, from
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/as-governor-bush-sided-with-campaigncontributor-on-delaying-everglades/2247335
Jeb Bush gave a speech wanting to roll back government regulations on oil drilling, carbon emissions and
other activities. The rollback concerned Bush's signature environmental edge, saving the Everglades. Some
are saying that Bush and his current campaign are being controlled by the Florida sugar industry. Bush has
tried to help with the restoration of the area. He proposed the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration
Program to help with the plumbing in the River of Grass by putting a system of pumps, levees and wells.
Republicans and Democrats are telling Bush to veto the bill that will push back the clean-up of the water in the
Everglades.

Press, A. (2015, November 12). Proposed landfill expansion at odds with Everglades restoration project.
Retrieved December 1, 2015, from http://www.local10.com/news/proposed-landfill-expansion-atodds-with-everglades-restoration-project/36404936
A landfill in Miami-Dade County wants to expand space to nearby wetlands before it fills up. The landfill
is projected to be full by 2029. Waste Management Inc. spokesman Dawn McCormick wants to expand
the area so that the dump can stay open until 2050. However, the county's Division of Environmental
Resources Management wants to reject the expansion saying the land is being used for a $164 million
Everglades restoration project. McCormick says that they need to work with the Environmental Resources
Management and come to a solution

Staletovich, J. (2015, December 4). Deal could move power lines to edge of Everglades National Park.
Retrieved December 8, 2015, from
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article48069910.html

The National Park Service plans to approve a land swap that would elude erecting massive utility
poles through an important wetland in Everglades National Park and instead let Florida Power & Light
string a trio of high voltage power lines along the parks eastern boundary. Park officials say that this
would help prevent interfering with work meant to help in reviving marshes and Florida Bay, which
suffered a massive sea grass die-off over the summer and fall. This deal has taken over four years to
complete according to the article. FPL purchased the land in the 1960s and 70s, long before a 1989
Congressional act enlarged the park by 107,000 acres.

Turner, J. (2015, November 24). Environmentalists say Scott budget doesn't go far enough. Retrieved
December 8, 2015, from
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2015/11/24/environmentalists-say-scott-budgetdoesnt-go-far.html
Governor Rick Scott proposed more money for land preservation next year but environmentalists are
saying that this is not enough. Voters and environmentalists praised Scott for asking for more money but
say the overall funding should be higher because of the constitutional amendment approved by voters in
2014 and controversial spending by legislators this year. Scotts proposal requested a $45 million increase
in spending for the Everglades. Scotts funding request for next year might not get approved until the
2016 legislative session starts in January.

Reference List
Quick facts on... Everglades restoration progress. (2015). Retrieved December 13, 2015, from
http://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xrepository/sfwmd_repository_pdf/spl_everglades_progre
ss.pdf