November 17, 2017
West Palm Beach, FL – The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) this week sought public input on initial concepts being considered for the proposed Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Storage Reservoir Project.
These project concepts under consideration will be modeled further by SFWMD staff in the coming weeks. Modeling results will be presented at future public meetings as part of the extensive ongoing public review process for the EAA Storage Reservoir Project. The project began as Senate Bill 10. Earlier this year, the bill was authorized by the Legislature, an effort led by Senate President Joe Negron, and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott.
"This is an exciting step in a rapidly moving process," said SFWMD Federal Policy and Coordination Bureau Chief Matt Morrison. "The public received a first look at the conceptual project features and provided additional valuable feedback. Next, we will undertake detailed modeling on the array of initial concepts to determine what features provide the most benefit while making the best use of taxpayer dollars."
The initial concepts discussed by SFWMD staff at two meetings this week included:
- A 240,000 acre-foot reservoir that would require 10,000 acres for storage and another 6,300 acres of stormwater treatment areas (STAs) to treat water and meet the project goals by sending additional clean water south to the Everglades. This alternative includes a total project footprint of approximately 16,000 acres.
- A 360,000-acre foot reservoir that would require 22,000 acres for storage and another 9,500 acres of STAs to meet the project goals by sending additional clean water south to the Everglades. This alternative includes a total project footprint of approximately 31,000 acres.