Skip to main content
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • ASK US
Home South Florida Water Management District
  • Who We Are
    • Governing Board Chairman
    • Open Government
    • Governing Board
    • Budget & Finance Reports
    • Careers
    • Locations
    • Contact Us
  • Our Work
    • Flood Control
    • Water Supply Planning
    • Water Quality Improvement
    • Ecosystem Restoration
    • Python Elimination Program
    • Addressing Blue-Green Algae
    • Resiliency
  • Doing Business with Us
    • Permits
    • RegPermitting
    • ePermitting
    • Right of Way Permits
    • Procurement
    • Real Estate
    • Grants/Funding Opportunities
  • Community & Residents
    • Water Conservation
    • Recreation
    • Navigation
    • Education Center
    • Everglades License Plate
  • Science & Data
    • Real-Time Data
    • Vertical Datum Upgrade
    • Scientific Publications & SFER
    • DBHYDRO
    • Weather
    • Operational Planning
    • GIS
    • Survey Data
    • Modeling
  • News & Meetings
    • News Releases
    • Public Meetings
    • Calendar
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Media, Photo & Video
    • Fact Sheets
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Locations
  1. Home
  2. news
  3. letter 2018 0122 tucker everglades wq
  • News Releases
  • News Archive (Oct. 2009 - July 2020)
  • Fact Sheets
  • Calendar
  • Speakers Bureau
  • Media, Photo & Video
  • Public Meetings and Forums
Letter: Embrace Victory on Everglades Water Quality and Build Off It
photo of a Stormwater Treatment Area

Note: This letter to the editor by SFWMD Governing Board member Brandon Tucker was featured on TCPalm.com on Jan. 17, 2018.

As the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) board member representing the Treasure Coast, it was a pleasure at our December meeting to listen to a detailed report highlighting a major victory for Everglades water quality.

Agencies like SFWMD and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, along with members of the agricultural community, have a lot to brag about. The latest water quality results are great.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of these parties and the significant investment made by Florida’s taxpayers, these results show that the District's network of constructed wetlands, known as Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs), treated water to an average of 15 parts per billion (ppb) of phosphorus in Water Year 2017. That’s the best performance on record.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one blown away by this news.

As Champion of the Everglades Martha Musgrove said, "That is the most encouraging report I have seen presented to the Governing Board in 29 years."

These words verify that water quality in the Everglades keeps getting better because of Gov. Rick Scott's innovative $880 million Restoration Strategies plan.

The guidance laid out by Scott is working brilliantly and will soon bring the entire Everglades ecosystem into compliance with the state's stringent water quality standards.

When you invest $2 billion-plus over the last two decades to improve Everglades water quality, you expect a return on your money, but this is a return that many deemed impossible to achieve.

I encourage the news media to share this wonderful news. A topic of this great importance must be spread far and wide until all 8 million of us living in South Florida have heard the message loud and clear. We are making a difference.

Brandon Tucker
Governing Board Member
South Florida Water Management District

  • ASK US
  • Who We Are
    • Governing Board
    • Big Cypress Basin Board
    • Open Government
    • Public Records Request
  • Our Work
    • Flood Control
    • Resiliency
    • Emergency Management
    • Water Supply Planning
    • Water Quality Improvement
    • Ecosystem Restoration
    • Land Management
  • Community and Residents
    • Water Conservation
    • Year-Round Rule
    • Recreation
    • Educational Center
    • Volunteering
  • Doing Business with Us
    • Permits
    • RegPermitting
    • ePermitting
    • Right of Way Permits
    • Procurement
    • Real Estate
    • Grants/Funding
    • Agriculture
    • AVATAR
  • Science and Information/Data
    • Real-Time Data
    • Water Levels
    • Scientific Publications & SFER
    • DBHYDRO
    • Weather
    • Operational Planning
    • Environmental Monitoring
    • Modeling
  • News and Events
    • News Releases
    • Meeting Agendas & Minutes
    • Calendar
    • Photo and Video Resources
South Florida Water Management District

Contact Information

3301 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406

561-686-8800

800-432-2045 (Florida Only)

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • ASK US
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • Locations
  • Careers