The Everglades Foundation

Each and every day 1.5 billion gallons of polluted water is released into two of Florida’s most popular sport fishing, boating, and tourism areas

Historic water flow has been altered, discharging billions of gallons of freshwater from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, interfering with the balance of fresh and saltwater. This imbalance has led to massive blue-green algae blooms, which suffocate seagrass and are toxic to wildlife, pets, and people. Meanwhile, the redirection of freshwater has left South Florida to suffer drought conditions and a massive seagrass die-off.

The construction of the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee

The massive reservoir will capture and store fresh rainwater that will be channeled south and redistributed to the Everglades during the dry months. Increased storage, treatment, and transportation of water south of Lake Okeechobee in the Everglades Agricultural Area is essential to the following

• Protecting the drinking water for eight million Floridians and tourists.
• Stopping the damaging discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers and estuaries.
• Restoring the flow of clean, fresh water to the Everglades, Florida Bay, and the Florida Keys.