The current of Everglades restoration carried forward to another milestone Tuesday, as Gov. Rick Scott announced the construction green light for the Tamiami Trail project, a critical feature needed to feed more water to Everglades National Park.
The Tamiami Trail in Miami-Dade County has acted as a dam, impeding the flow of water south to the Everglades, since its construction in the 1920s. The newly approved permit is for 2.6 miles of bridges and raised roads that will allow water to continue to move under it into Everglades National Park. Although much of the restoration buzz has been about water quality, the Everglades has also long needed enhancements to water quantity, timing and flow. The bridges, which are a component of the federal Modified Water Deliveries project (aka Mod Waters), will remove one of the constraints.
Tuesdays declaration continues the momentum the governor started last January when he announced a $90 million commitment from the states transportation budget -- $30 million per year for three years to help the federal government with its project. Two months later, the Obama administration cut restoration funding, causing a sharp rebuke from Scott, who, nonetheless, continued his commitment to push the project forward.
While announcing the new construction permit, Scott said, Restoring the Florida Everglades and protecting Floridas natural treasures is incredibly important to protect the beauty of our state. The Tamiami Trail project will help move more water south from Lake Okeechobee, which directly benefits the Everglades, as well as the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries.
According to the South Florida Water Management District, more than 13 billion gallons of water from Lake Okeechobee was moved south to the Everglades last week alone. Since November, nearly 195 billion gallons of lake water has been directed south to the Everglades.
Jon Steverson, who took the helm at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection this year, said, This is a huge step forward in our efforts to restore the Everglades. Moving water south through the Everglades is critical for wildlife, and keeping it out of the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries is vital to protecting these important water bodies."
The Florida Legislature is in the process of deliberating over how to invest nearly $730 million in water conservation funding from Amendment 1, approved by Florida voters in November. True to their nature, Everglades activists want the lion's share of the funding. They propose using roughly $500 million for the acquisition of farmland from U.S. Sugar Corp. Meanwhile, a coalition of water advocates is lobbying for lawmakers to use the conservation funding for other environmentally sensitive areas important to tourism, for example Florida's vast collection of impaired springs.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
