In 1948, the U.S. Congress authorized the largest civil works project in the country. Construction began the next year and continued for over 20 years as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a massive plumbing system called the Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) Flood Control Project.
The project stretches from just south of Orlando to Florida Bay. It consists of 1,800 miles of canals and levees and 200 water control structures. It includes 16 major pump stations to send water south and through waterways eastward and westward to both coasts.
Over the last four decades, urban development and agricultural production have flourished. At the same time, the altered natural areas became inhospitable to native wildlife. As a result, the environment began to flounder. The number of wading birds decreased along with the amount of floodplains. In the 1970s, as more habitats showed signs of distress, SFWMD's responsibilities expanded to encompass environmental restoration. The whole of southern Florida has outgrown population projections made in the '40s and '50s. Considered very generous at the time, the projection for the new millennium was two million people -- today almost six million call southern Florida home. The population is expected to double in the next 50 years; yet, we have a limited supply of fresh water.
Yesterday & Today
Everglades Tomorrow
