PREDICTED OUTCOMES OF RESTORATION
Focus is directed toward the EAA because restoration in this area would improve water management of regional water storage, floodwater detention, and the "fixing" of wetlands and wildlife habitat. (3) Using the EAA for water storage would reduce the area's dependency on Lake Okeechobee during dry periods. Damage to the WCAs to the south would be decreased because the storage in EAA would lower its water levels. (3) Recall that the excessive hydroperiods in the WCAs are detrimental to the ecosystem.

The Army Corps of Engineers has performed most research with respect to the effects of restoration. The Everglades Screening Model (ESM) shows that the most efficient method of water storage would result from a design consisting of compartments. This series of water storage compartments would consist of secondary compartments that pump water to maintain a primary compartment. The secondary compartments would probably support nutrient-tolerant wetland vegetation. (3) The total size of the area (all compartments) varied in the model, from a minimum of 10,000 acres to a maximum of 150,000 acres. In a range from 10,000 acres to 150,000 acres, the ESM showed that 40,000 to 60,000 acres is the optimal range to meet the restoration objectives assuming that the compartments have a maximum depth of 6 feet. The deeper compartments, where applicable, make for more efficient storage. The ESM revealed that the large surface size compartments were less efficient due to increased evaporation.

The creation of wetlands along the southern and eastern borders of the EAA will serve to remove nutrients from agricultural discharge water. (3) Referred to as Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs), these span 47,250 acres. The runoff would be collected in the STAs storage area within the EAA. This would reduce loss of water to tide and would prevent nutrient runoff from agriculture from reaching the rest of the Everglades. (3) The synthetic wetlands created in the STAs will reduce phosphorus outflow into the rest of the Everglades to 50 ppb (The natural, nutrient-poor water flow was 10ppb phosphorus). Plants materials and microbes are the actual nutrient-and- pollutant-removing mechanisms. With six individual STA, an average of 1.4 million acre-feet per year of stormwater runoff from the EAA can be received. Once the water is treated it will be used to improve quality and quantity of water flow in the Everglades to the south. (5) The purchase of land by the State of Florida serves several functions. After the land is publicly owned, it is engineering back into wetlands. Instead of the water being channeled to the Ocean, it will remain in wetlands for a longer period of time, allowing more to seep underground and replenish the aquifer. Thus, the purchase and "renovation" of EAA lands restores habitat for wildlife and refills the aquifer that supplies water to urban communities. (7) Federal purchase of land parcels in the EAA will also enable the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem through improved water management activities. The transfer of lands from private to public will have minimal short-term impacts. The private land used for farming in the EAA is subject to ad valorem taxes, and this source of revenue will be lost with public ownership. However, a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes plan could offset these short-term losses to the state. The state and local budgets would not be greatly affected by the loss in funds. Cultural and natural resources, especially wildlife, will also benefit in the short term with the change in ownership. (3)

URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Urban development, although certainly not economically enhanced by restoration actions, does depend on the flood control and water supply that is provided by the C&SF project (1996). If restoration is not made a priority while urban growth continues its westward sprawl, there will be more strain on the natural ecological processes. (3) These ecological processes are important for maintaining the water supply that the South Florida population and wildlife depend on.

RECREATION
The land for the STAs was acquired through the purchase of properties. Sixty-three thousand areas were obtained for these STAs. Some of the new public land will be used for public recreation. Such areas include the Holey Land Wildlife Management Area, Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area, Brown's Farm Wildlife Management Area and Lake Harbor Waterfowl Management Area. The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission is responsible for managing these areas. However, farming will continue on some of the acquired lands until 2005. (5)

CONCLUSIONS
While Agriculture is willing to make changes in the way it conducts business, environmentalists need to be more willing to compromise. If the effects of the current plan have a negative impact on sugar yields, then prices will soar. While ensuring that the Everglades Restoration is successful should be a high priority, the livelihood of farmers and croppers should also be taken into consideration. Without any safety nets in case the restoration process proves fatal to the EAA's farms, farmers are left with their fingers crossed. Acquired lands in the EAA are being used for water storage areas and other restoration activities. The Corps Restudy is what determines precisely how this marshland will be managed for restoration purposes. (3)

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Main | History | Restoration
Environmentalist Perspective | Agriculture Perspective
Conclusions | Bibliography

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