Resto atio
wo k
at
Picayu e
St a d
is
helpi g
esto e
wetla ds
ac oss
55,000
ac es
i
Southwest
Flo ida.
A
majo
esto atio
p oject
i
Southwest
Flo ida
has
bee
completed
afte
yea s
of
wo k
to
b i g
the
atu al
flow
of
wate
back
to
55,000
ac es
of
wetla ds.Acco di g
to
officials,
the
Picayu e
St a d
Resto atio
P oject
cove s
a ea
betwee
Alligato
Alley
a d
Tamiami
T ail
i
Southwest
Flo ida.
It
is
pa t
of
the
Comp ehe sive
Eve glades
Resto atio
Pla
(CERP)
which
aims
at
esto i g
the
Eve glades
ecosystem.The
histo y
of
the
site
goes
back
to
the
ea ly
1960s,
whe
the
la d
was
d ai ed
i
a ticipatio
of
what
was
i te ded
to
become
the
la gest
eside tial
subdivisio
i
the
wo ld.The
d ai age
cha ged
the
atu al
flow
of
wate
ac oss
the
a ea.
The
Picayu e
St a d
p oject
was
desig ed
to
eve se
those
cha ges
by
emovi g
oads,
blocki g
ca als
a d
esto i g
wate
moveme t
th ough
the
wetla ds.The
esto atio
i volved
majo
cha ges
to
the
la d
a d
its
wate
etwo k.
Mo e
tha
260
miles
of
oads
we e
emoved,
almost
50
miles
of
ca als
we e
plugged
a d
mo e
tha
60
miles
of
loggi g
t am
oads
we e
emoved.
Th ee
pump
statio s
we e
also
co st ucted
as
pa t
of
the
p oject.The
aim
was
to
esto e
the
atu al
moveme t
of
wate
ac oss
the
a ea.
The
wo k
is
expected
to
imp ove
wate
flows
towa ds
Collie
Semi ole
State
Pa k,
the
Te
Thousa d
Isla ds
Natio al
Wildlife
Refuge
a d
the
Rooke y
Bay
Natio al
Estua i e
Resea ch
Rese ve.
It
is
also
expected
to
imp ove
wetla ds,
wate
quality
a d
habitat
fo
fish
a d
wildlife,
i cludi g
the
Flo ida
pa the .
Resto atio
cha ged
flow
The
Picayu e
St a d
p oject
focused
o
esto i g
the
atu al
flow
of
wate
ac oss
the
55,000-ac e
a ea.
This
was
impo ta t
because
the
wetla ds
a e
pa t
of
the
wide
Eve glades
ecosystem.The
p oject
emoved
mo e
tha
260
miles
of
oads
that
had
alte ed
the
la dscape.
It
also
plugged
almost
50
miles
of
ca als.
Mo e
tha
60
miles
of
loggi g
t am
oads
we e
emoved
as
well.These
cha ges
allow
wate
to
move
th ough
the
a ea
i
a
way
that
is
close
to
its
atu al
flow.
The
esto atio
is
expected
to
educe
d ai age
f om
ea by
se sitive
ecosystems
a d
imp ove
the
flow
of
f eshwate
to
dow st eam
a eas.The
p oject
is
also
expected
to
imp ove
aquife
echa ge.
Aquife s
a e
u de g ou d
a eas
that
sto e
wate .
Bette
echa ge
ca
help
p otect
u de g ou d
wate
supplies
a d
p eve t
saltwate
f om
movi g
i to
them.The
esto atio
is
expected
to
imp ove
wetla ds
a d
p ovide
bette
habitat
fo
fish
a d
wildlife.
It
will
also
imp ove
wate
flows
i to
ea by
p otected
a eas,
i cludi g
Collie
Semi ole
State
Pa k,
the
Te
Thousa d
Isla ds
Natio al
Wildlife
Refuge
a d
the
Rooke y
Bay
Natio al
Estua i e
Resea ch
Rese ve.Flo ida
officials
said
the
p oject
is
al eady
imp ovi g
wate
quality
a d
wildlife
habitat.
“Tha ks
to
the
suppo t
of
Gove o
Ro
DeSa tis
a d
the
Flo ida
Legislatu e
a d
thei
steadfast
commitme t
to
Eve glades
esto atio ,
we
a e
seei g
what
is
possible
whe
state
a d
fede al
gove me ts,
alo g
with
ou
pa t e s,
commit
to
this
wo k
a d
follow
th ough,”
said
Alexis
A
Lambe t,
Sec eta y
of
the
Flo ida
Depa tme t
of
E vi o me tal
P otectio .
Lo g-te m
be efits
The
esto atio
is
expected
to
p ovide
seve al
lo g-te m
be efits
to
Southwest
Flo ida.
These
i clude
esto ed
wetla ds,
imp oved
habitat
fo
fish
a d
wildlife,
educed
d ai age
of
se sitive
ecosystems
a d
bette
aquife
echa ge.The
p oject
is
also
expected
to
educe
f eshwate
eleases
a d
imp ove
the
health
of
dow st eam
estua ies.
These
be efits
a e
i te ded
to
p otect
the
egio ‘s
atu al
esou ces
fo
futu e
ge e atio s.The
completio
of
Picayu e
St a d
comes
as
othe
Eve glades
esto atio
p ojects
have
also
eached
majo
milesto es.
Rece t
wo k
has
i cluded
the
completio
of
the
Biscay e
Bay
Coastal
Wetla ds
P oject.
That
p oject
is
aimed
at
imp ovi g
the
health
of
Biscay e
Bay,
suppo ti g
wetla d
ehyd atio ,
imp ovi g
wate
quality
a d
buildi g
coastal
esilie ce
i
Miami-Dade
Cou ty.Officials
have
also
b oke
g ou d
o
the
Eve glades
Ag icultu al
A ea
Rese voi
I flow
Pump
Statio
i
Palm
Beach
Cou ty.
The
statio
will
have
the
ability
to
move
about
3
billio
gallo s
of
wate
a
day
f om
Lake
Okeechobee
i to
the
EAA
Rese voi .A othe
p oject,
the
Blue
Sha ty
Flow
Way
i
Miami-Dade
Cou ty,
is
i te ded
to
delive
clea
wate
south
ac oss
Tamiami
T ail
a d
i to
Flo ida
Bay.
The
Caloosahatchee
(C-43)
Rese voi
i
He d y
Cou ty
has
also
sta ted
ope atio s.A
sepa ate
ag eeme t
betwee
the
State
of
Flo ida
a d
the
US
Depa tme t
of
the
A my
is
aimed
at
speedi g
up
Eve glades
esto atio ,
i cludi g
the
EAA
Rese voi .
U de
the
ag eeme t,
the
co st uctio
timeli e
fo
the
EAA
Rese voi
was
b ought
fo wa d
by
five
yea s,
f om
2034
to
2029.
