This year’s record-breaking wet season coupled with significant rainfall from Hurricane Irma created extremely high water levels in the Central Everglades. These conditions highlighted the need to accelerate projects that increase storage throughout the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, and galvanized the South Florida Water Management District to embrace the Florida Legislature’s mandate to plan for a reservoir in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA).

Planning for an EAA Reservoir started in October and the process is moving quickly. The next step is for a series of project alternatives to be developed. Analysis of these alternatives will unfold before the end of 2017, providing opportunities to ensure that the objectives of this project are met: to alleviate northern estuarine discharges and to increase freshwater flows to the Southern Everglades. Audubon remains focused on getting the water right for the birds and Floridians that call this paradise home.