Restoration Of The Everglades And South Florida Ecosystem

Water is the common lifeline for the natural and built environments in South Florida. Engineered flood control and water distribution systems, agriculture, growth, and development have disrupted the region's water quality, quantity, timing, and distribution (i.e., the hydropattern). Agricultural runoff and urban stormwater have introduced high levels of phosphorus, mercury, and other contaminants into the water system, polluting lakes, rivers, estuaries and the Everglades.

This report is the first in a congressionally mandated series of biennial evaluations of the progress being made by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a multibillion-dollar effort to restore historical water flows to the Everglades and return the ecosystem closer to its natural state, before it was transformed by drainage and by urban and agricultural development. The Restoration plan, which was launched in 1999 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District, includes more than 40 major projects that are expected to be completed over the next three decades. The report finds that progress has been made in developing the scientific basis and management structures needed to support a massive effort to restore the Florida Everglades ecosystem. However, some important projects have been delayed due to several factors including budgetary restrictions and a project planning process that that can be stalled by unresolved scientific uncertainties. The report outlines an alternative approach that can help the initiative move forward even as it resolves remaining scientific uncertainties. The report calls for a boost in the rate of federal spending if the restoration of Everglades National Park and other projects are to be completed on schedule.

'The book provides valuable contributions on three related fronts: It places past and current debates on ecosystem restoration of the Everglades in a clear systems context that acknowledges feedback between ecosystem quality and economic growth; shows for the case of the Everglades that good intentions of providing generous financial support for restoration may lead to undesired effects that actually run counter to the original goal; and demonstrates the use of regional modeling tools to develop consistent baseline forecasts and alternative scenarios.' - Matthias Ruth, University of Maryland, College Park, US The restoration of the Florida Everglades, the largest ecosystem restoration project in the world, is now underway. Missing from the original plan, however, is a study of the region's cities and farms and the economic impact their growth will make on this already endangered ecosystem. This book provides that analysis.

The South Florida ecosystem covers about 18,000 square miles and is home to the Everglades, a national resource. Over the past 100 years, efforts to manage the flow of water through the ecosystem have jeopardized its health. In 2000, a strategy to restore the ecosystem was set; restoration was expected to take at least 40 years and cost $15.4 billion. The restoration comprises hundreds of projects, including 60 key projects known as the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), to be undertaken by a partnership of federal, state, local, and tribal governments. Given the size and complexity of the restoration, GAO was asked to report on the (1) status of project implementation and expected benefits, (2) factors that determine project sequencing, (3) amount of funding provided for the effort and extent that costs have increased, and (4) primary mathematical models that guide the restoration. GAO is recommending actions to ensure that agencies apply the established sequencing criteria when making implementation decisions for some projects and that the development of models and their interfaces is better coordinated. The agencies generally agreed with these recommendations, although the state was concerned that the first recommendation could lead to further delays and cost increases.

During the past century, the Everglades, one of the world's treasured ecosystems, has been dramatically altered by drainage and water management infrastructure that was intended to improve flood management, urban water supply, and agricultural production. The remnants of the original Everglades now compete for water with urban and agricultural interests and are impaired by contaminated runoff from these two sectors. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a joint effort launched by the state and the federal government in 2000, seeks to reverse the decline of the ecosystem. The multibillion-dollar project was originally envisioned as a 30- to 40-year effort to achieve ecological restoration by reestablishing the natural hydrologic characteristics of the Everglades, where feasible, and to create a water system that serves the needs of both the natural and the human systems of South Florida. Over the past two years, impressive progress has been made in planning new CERP projects, and the vision for CERP water storage is now becoming clear. Construction and completion of authorized CERP projects will likely take several decades, and at this pace of restoration, it is even more imperative that agencies anticipate and design for the Everglades of the future. This seventh biennial review assesses the progress made in meeting the goals of the CERP and provides an in-depth review of CERP monitoring, with particular emphasis on project-level monitoring and assessment. It reviews developments in research and assessment that inform restoration decision making, and identifies issues for in-depth evaluation considering new CERP program developments, policy initiatives, or improvements in scientific knowledge that have implications for restoration progress.

The South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative is a complex, long-term effort to restore the South Florida ecosystem including the Everglades that involves federal, state, local, and tribal entities, as well as public and private interests. In response to growing signs of the ecosystem's deterioration, federal agencies established the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force in 1993 to coordinate ongoing federal activities. The Water Resources Development Act of 1996 formalized the Task Force; designated the Secretary of the Interior as its Chair; and expanded its membership to include state, local, and tribal representatives. The Task Force is charged with coordinating and facilitating the overall restoration effort. Restoring the ecosystem, which covers 18,000 square miles, or about 11.5 million acres, could take up to 50 years and will require the continuous effort and commitment of all the agencies involved.

The report reviews a U.S. Department of the Interior research program, finding that it provides key information to support the restoration of the Florida Everglades and to better assess the impact of hydrologic change on the ecosystem. However, the program needs more funding, better management and broader distribution of its findings. The report suggests that strategic investments in Everglades research will increase the chances of reaching restoration goals while reducing overall costs.