Wherever you live in Florida, the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir will have an impact on your life.
For those in South Florida, the reservoir means protecting the source of your drinking water. For those along theTreasure Coast and the Gulf Coast, it means a dramatic reduction in the algae-causing discharges that ruin fishing and close beaches. Even if you live in North Florida, the EAA Reservoir means restoration of America’s iconic Everglades and protecting our state’s multi-billion-dollar tourism industry along with the millions of jobs it generates.
1. What is the “EAA Reservoir” anyway?
“EAA” stands for “Everglades Agricultural Area.” The EAA Reservoir will be located south of Lake Okeechobee and is designed to store excess Lake Okeechobee water so it can be cleaned in an adjacent stormwater treatment area (STA) and then sent south to nurture the Everglades and Florida Bay. The reservoir will also supply freshwater for the Biscayne Aquifer, which is the source of drinking water for millions in South Florida. The EAA Reservoir will also help to significantly reduce the harmful discharges of polluted Lake Okeechobee water to Florida’s east and west coasts.
The EAA Reservoir has been called “the crown jewel of Everglades restoration,” as it is the single most important project to store, clean, and send water south from Lake Okeechobee into the Everglades, helping restore South Florida’s natural freshwater flow.
2. How big is the project, and how much water will it hold?
At a combined 16,600 acres, the 10,100-acre EAA Reservoir and its 6,500-acre STA will be bigger than Manhattan. The reservoir itself will store about 78 billion gallons (enough water to fill more than 118,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools) and lower water levels in Lake Okeechobee by about six inches.
3. Why is the EAA Reservoir needed?
The reservoir will provide much needed water to America’s Everglades, which is too arid in the dry season. The water will also recharge the aquifer that provides drinking water to millions in South Florida and will help balance the salinity of Florida Bay. The most visible improvements, however, will be along Florida’s east and west coasts, which have suffered perennial outbreaks of toxic blue-green algae and red tide, both of which are fed by discharges of polluted Lake Okeechobee water that will now be stored, cleaned, and sent south instead.
4. What effect will the EAA Reservoir have on toxic blue-green algae and red tide?
The South Florida Water Management District has calculated that, in conjunction with other Everglades restoration projects already underway, the EAA Reservoir will reduce algae-causing discharges of polluted Lake Okeechobee water by up to 55 percent – all while sending 120 billion gallons of clean, freshwater to the Everglades and Florida Bay every year.
5. How much will the project cost?
The EAA Reservoir is part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), which is the world's largest environmental restoration project, and is a joint undertaking by the federal government and the state of Florida. The state, which owns the land, has dedicated significant funding to construction of the 6,500-acre STA, while the federal government will construct the reservoir itself, at an estimated cost of over $3 billion.
6. When will it be done?
The state of Florida has completed construction of the STA. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, meanwhile, plans to complete construction of the massive reservoir by 2034.
7. Has there been progress?
Ground was broken on the EAA Reservoir in February 2023. The EAA Reservoir’s 6,500-acre STA had its groundbreaking in 2021, and was completed in January 2024. In October 2024, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded its final contract for the reservoir to construct the embankment at a cost of $2.8 billion.
8. How is the funding coming?
The state of Florida has committed to fulfilling its obligations to complete the project. Most recently, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a recommendation of $805 million for Everglades restoration in January 2025, with calls to expedite construction of the EAA Reservoir.
On the federal side, the last four years have seen historic funding amounts from Washington. In addition to increased annual appropriations, CERP received $1.1 billion toward Everglades restoration in the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In total, over the past four years the federal government has committed over $2.7 billion with a significant amount of that total directed specifically for the EAA Reservoir.
Watch our 2-minute video about the EAA Reservoir
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