© 2000 National Geographic Society
December 17, 2000  
By Donald Smith

Political unity is something that the state of Florida has not been winning any medals for recently. But for one shining moment just before this year’s presidential election, an unlikely combination of political bedfellows came together to approve what is being hailed as the most ambitious environmental project in U.S. history: a 20-year, $15.6-billion effort to restore the 4,000 square miles (10,000 square kilometers) of sawgrass and swamp that make up the Florida Everglades.

The massive undertaking is aimed at restoring the health of Florida’s "sea of grass," which has been devastated over the past 50 years by attempts to redirect its flow to farms and cities. Officials hope to snatch from the brink of extinction as many as 68 animal and plant species now considered at risk for the simple lack of fresh water.

Under legislation that cleared on a 312-2 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives just before Congress recessed for the election showdown, the Everglades will be "replumbed" to restore much of its water flow. The federal government—which has acknowledged responsibility for much of the damage that has been done—will pay half the cost, with the state picking up the remainder.

EVERYBODY WINS

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the plan is that it calls for little or no sacrifice on the part of anyone, except possibly the taxpayers who will be footing the bill. Instead of denying water to densely populated areas and farms, especially the sugar cane plantations that rely on fresh water for irrigation, the project involves catching and storing rainwater. Eighty percent of the water will be sent into the Everglades, and the remainder pumped into farms and cities.

A series of wide, shallow above-ground reservoirs are planned to store some of the water in this massive undertaking. More water will be sent into underground aquifers, to be pumped out as needed. If successful, the restoration plan will provide a model for other areas of the world facing similar water resource problems.

The Everglades region lies like a wide, shallow groove along the center of the south Florida peninsula. Its low, marshy area originally drained Lake Okeechobee into the Gulf of Mexico, though much of that water now flows into farmland and urban areas such as Miami. Fragmented and starving for fresh water, the marsh is now only a fraction of its original size.

SWAMPS DRAINED

People began manipulating water in the Everglades in the early 19th century. Intervention began to seriously affect the region about a hundred years ago when farmers began draining large tracts to create agricultural and grazing land.

As the population of south Florida began to boom, the swamps were increasingly seen as impediments to growth, partly because of seasonal flooding. In 1950, under a congressional mandate, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began draining the Everglades through a series of levees and canals. Much of drained the water was—and still is—dumped into the ocean.

The detrimental effects of these activities were recognized early on. But for years, powerful political interests, especially land developers and the sugar industry, successfully fought off restoration efforts. Most environmental groups have now joined with their old adversaries in supporting the current plan; but at the same time they point out potential problems. The shallow reservoirs could lose water to evaporation and seepage. The aquifer storage and recovery scheme has never been attempted on this large a scale. And questions remain as to whether polluted runoff from agricultural and urban lands can be adequately purified before being introduced back into the system.

Many would like to see the Army Corps of Engineers develop a backup plan. But for now, the great restoration of South Florida is about to go forward. Everyone knows the Everglades will never be the same as it was a century ago. But in time, they hope the "river of grass" once again will flow unbroken and teeming with life.

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