Beginning
in 1948 with the creation of the Central and Southern
Florida (C&SF) Flood Control Project, much of the
original greater Everglades ecosystem was drained in an
effort to create a system of canals and dikes that would
control the flow of water and accommodate agriculture
and urban development. Some 50 percent of the original
Everglades has been lost to agriculture and development
but the majority of the remaining original Everglades
acreage is now protected in a national park, national
wildlife refuge, and water conservation areas. Recently,
the
U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the
South
Florida Water Management District and numerous other
federal, state, local and tribal partners has developed
a plan to save the Everglades called the
Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The Plan was approved
in the
Water
Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000. It includes
more than 60 elements, will take more than 30 years to
construct and will cost an estimated $7.8 billion. The
goal of CERP is to capture fresh water that now flows
unused to the ocean and the gulf and redirect it to areas
that need it most. The majority of the water will be devoted
to environmental restoration, reviving a dying ecosystem.
The remaining water will benefit cities and farmers by
enhancing water supplies for the south Florida economy.
