Major Progress Continues on the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir Project

Under the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the South Florida Water Management District (District) is working with our partners at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to continue to accelerate the completion of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir Project.

The EAA Reservoir is a top priority for the state of Florida because of its significant environmental and ecological benefits. The project is considered the “crown jewel’ of Everglades restoration and is a key component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).

The EAA Reservoir, located south of Lake Okeechobee, will store over 78 billion gallons of water—larger than Manhattan—and deliver up to 470 billion gallons of clean water annually to the Everglades and Florida Bay. It also supports the Biscayne Aquifer, the primary source of drinking water for South Florida.

For decades, Florida’s water system was altered to prevent flooding, but at the cost of cutting off the natural flow of water to the Everglades. The EAA Reservoir Project is designed to correct that—redirecting water south, restoring ecosystems, and significantly reducing harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries. Once complete, the EAA Reservoir will provide lasting benefits for Florida’s coastal communities and unique natural environment.

Major Project Milestones

Since 2019, significant progress has been made to advance the EAA Reservoir Project.

• April 2020: The District began construction ahead of schedule on the 6,500-acre EAA Stormwater Treatment Area.
• February 2023: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the District broke ground on the 10,500-acre reservoir component of the EAA Reservoir Project.
• January 2024: The District began filling the 6,500-acre EAA Stormwater Treatment Area, which will store and clean water flowing from Lake Okeechobee before it is sent south.
• July 2025: Governor DeSantis announced that the State of Florida and the U.S. Department of the Army reached a landmark agreement to accelerate Everglades restoration, including the EAA Reservoir. This agreement supercharges Everglades restoration by accelerating the EAA Reservoir’s construction timeline by five years—from 2034 to 2029.
• November 2025: The District broke ground on the EAA Reservoir Inflow Pump Station, which will have the capability to move approximately 3 billion gallons of water per day from Lake Okeechobee into the EAA Reservoir.

EAA STA Ribbon Cutting in January 2024

Signing of the Landmark Agreement in July 2025

Groundbreaking of the EAA Reservoir Inflow Pump Station in November 2025

Background and Historical Documents:

The EAA Reservoir Project is a joint Everglades restoration effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District. The project includes two major features: a treatment wetland that cleans water and a reservoir that will store excess water from Lake Okeechobee. The District constructed the treatment wetland, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is building the reservoir component, which will hold 240,000 acre-feet of water. 

The EAA Reservoir Project was conditionally authorized in the federal Water Resources Development Act of 2000 as a component of CERP. To accelerate progress on the project, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 10 in 2017. Congress provided additional authorization and approval in 2018 and 2020 to support the project’s plan developed by the District.  

The project includes a combination of canals, stormwater treatment areas (STAs), and a reservoir to reduce harmful discharges to the northern estuaries, send more water south, and improve water quality in America’s Everglades.

Public Planning Meetings

The District conducted a series of meetings to solicit public input on the EAA Storage Reservoir Project. Presentations, videos and materials from these meetings are posted in the archive below.

These public meetings were consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The NEPA process provides an opportunity for the public to give input related to the project.