In Florida, a race is on to save the Everglades and protect a key source of drinking water

December 19, 2024 – The Associated Press

A motorboat glides through a winding waterway surrounded by lush green mangroves in the Everglades on a sunny day, leaving a white wake behind it. Adobe Stock image.

Please Note: The following is an excerpt. To view the entire article by The Associated Press, click the link at the end of this blog.

EVERGLADES, Fla. (AP) — In a region of Florida known as the River of Grass, John Kominoski plops into hip-deep waters. Blobs of brown periphyton – a mishmash of algae, bacteria and other organisms – carpet the surface.

The air is thick and sticky as Kominoski, a Florida International University professor, pushes a rod to secure a tube that collects timed and continuous water samples that will help his team investigate the impacts of climate change and freshwater flows in this unique, sensitive ecosystem.

The Everglades ecosystem was degraded and transformed when a highway connecting Tampa and Miami was built in 1928, cutting through a mosaic of prairies, sawgrass marshes, freshwater ponds and forested uplands. Sections of the road are now being elevated to restore water flows into the Shark River Slough – a vital restoration area deep in the Everglades National Park.

The highway elevation is part of a massive state-federal project, approved by Congress in 2000 with bipartisan support, that aims to undo damages wreaked upon these wetlands.

(AP Article Cont'd) Some signs of progress

Steve Davis looked down at the Tamiami Trail from the backseat of a small airplane some 2,500 feet in the air.

The wetlands surrounding the highway were once drier, but restoration efforts have helped increase flows. “To see water in the dry season, that’s a big deal,” said Davis, chief science officer for the Everglades Foundation. “We don’t want areas to dry out completely.”

As parts of the Everglades are rehydrated and habitats reemerge, so are native species such as the wood stork. Wading bird colonies have returned to the Kissimmee River floodplain. Habitats in swamps or shallow lakes called sloughs are increasing in some areas. And flamingos blown in by Hurricane Idalia have stayed in the Everglades.

“In the last 10 years, progress has ramped up significantly,” said Davis. “It’s more than optimism. We’re starting to see the benefits.”

Read The Associated Press' full story here: https://apnews.com/article/everglades-florida-water-restoration-quality