It's Worth it
From the mural-lined streets of Miami to the shell-strewn beaches of Sanibel Island, from the expanse of Lake Okeechobee to the coral cays of the Florida Keys, South Florida is bound together by water. The Kissimmee River carried rain into Lake Okeechobee for millennia, feeding the Everglades and the coastlines beyond. Yet decades of infrastructure development cut off that natural flow southward, harming Florida’s ecosystem, economy and water supply. Over the past 25 years, federal, state, tribal and local governments have worked to reverse the damage, fighting against the tide of population growth and environmental change. The largest missing piece of the puzzle is now under construction: the EAA Reservoir.
📍The EAA Reservoir site in 2023.
HURRICANES, FIRES AND FLOODS
Infrastructure built in the 1900s disrupted Florida’s natural flow of water, with devastating impacts on communities across the state.
The Everglades was once a sweeping river of grass that covered most of South Florida, but in the 19th century Floridians began to drain the wetlands for farming. These changes slashed the Everglades to half its original size — and the new infrastructure couldn’t hold up during powerful hurricanes, leading to catastrophic flooding. In response, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Herbert Hoover Dike along the southern edge of Lake Okeechobee. Water that used to flow south was rerouted to the coasts via the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers. More than 70 percent of the Everglades’ natural water flow was lost to the coasts, sparking fires and more devastating floods.
The federal government responded with another round of interventions in the 1940s: establishing The Everglades National Park, designating farmland south of Lake Okeechobee as the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) and building a new system of canals and levees. By 1950, South Florida faced a deepening water management crisis — worsened by the very infrastructure meant to solve it.
📍Damage from the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. Thousands of people drowned in floods when the storm’s surge overwhelmed Lake Okeechobee’s levees.
1928
Catastrophic hurricane and floods kill thousands of people near Lake Okeechobee.
1932
Herbert Hoover Dike constructed to prevent flooding from Lake Okeechobee.
1948
The federal government established The Everglades National Park and the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project.
The Current crisis
Historical water management decisions linger today, threatening Florida’s overall ecosystem, economy and drinking water supply.
The state’s current water management crisis seems simple at first: too much water is sent east and west, and not enough is sent south through the Everglades. But in one of the most complex ecosystems in the world, a “simple” problem has far-reaching consequences. Today, Florida faces three major problems:
Toxic algae blooms. Nutrient-rich water from Lake Okeechobee is currently discharged east and west, causing toxic algae blooms that kill wildlife and cripple coastal economies.
At-risk drinking water supply. Not enough water is sent South through the Everglades and into the Biscayne Aquifer, which supplies drinking water for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. A growing population and rising seas are further stressing the aquifer. A 2021 Florida Department of Environmental Protection report warned that without action the state’s water supply will fail to meet future needs.
Salinity imbalance in Florida Bay. Not enough freshwater flows into Florida Bay, a rich estuary at the southern tip of the state. That freshwater is needed to balance the Bay’s salinity. When salinity levels rise too high, wildlife dies and the fishing industry suffers.
In Florida, water challenges are economic challenges. Florida’s economy and tax revenues are inextricably tied to the natural ecosystem — Miami-Dade’s tourism industry alone contributed $30 billion in economic impact in 2023. Tourism and real estate, both of which rely heavily on water, also play an outsized role in tax revenues.
“South Florida is a hotbed for population growth, and it’s all being supported by an abundant supply of fresh water. And that future is in jeopardy because of the way we currently manage water.”
Eric Eikenberg, CEO of The Everglades Foundation
“Small and medium-sized companies in the tourism economy are now coming to the table, telling elected officials in Washington and Tallahassee that Everglades Restoration must happen in order to preserve their lifestyles and livelihoods,” Eikenberg continues.
📍Photo 1: Harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee can cause toxic algae blooms, like this 2018 outbreak in the Caloosahatchee River near Labelle, Florida.
📍Photo 2: Noxious algae blooms, including red tide and toxic blue-green algae, can cause respiratory symptoms and kill wildlife. The 2018 outbreak left beaches, like Fort Myers Beach, littered with dead fish.
$2.7 billion
Decline in tourism-related revenue from 2018 harmful algae bloom events.
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South Floridians get their drinking water from the Everglades
$1900
Tax burden reduction for an average Floridian because of tourism, which relies heavily on clean water.
Water in Reserve
Funded through a $4 billion partnership between state and federal agencies, the massive EAA Reservoir is a major investment in Florida’s clean water future.
In recent decades, policymakers and scientists have recognized that short-term fixes are insufficient. In 2000, state and federal leaders launched the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a multi-billion-dollar initiative to restore natural water flow south from Lake Okeechobee. Of its 68 planned projects, 33 have been completed, alongside dozens of state-led initiatives. The most ambitious project yet, the EAA Reservoir, began construction in 2021.
Instead of sending polluted, excess Lake Okeechobee water east and west, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will direct water from Lake Okeechobee into the reservoir, where it will be stored until the dry season. Water is then released into the adjacent stormwater treatment area (STA), an artificial wetland that cleans the water before sending it south through the Everglades.
“Lake Okeechobee is the heart of the system. EAA and the reservoirs north, south, east, and west of Lake Okeechobee move excess water during hurricanes and major rain events out of the lake and store it.”
Major Cory Bell, Deputy District Commander for South Florida, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
The EAA Reservoir, which will look like a massive “above-ground-pool,” can store at least 10 times more water than other reservoirs — enough to lower Lake Okeechobee by a half foot and give Everglades restoration a massive boost. The EAA Reservoir can double the amount of freshwater sent into the Everglades.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing the EAA Reservoir build, working with the state’s South Florida Water Management District, Seminole and Miccosukee governments and local communities.
150
Together, the reservoir and STA span 17,000 acres — an area larger than 150 Disney Magic Kingdoms combined.
📍Simplified, illustrative 2D and 3D renderings based on EAA Reservoir and STA diagrams from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
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The earthen embankment walls surrounding the reservoir are 37-feet high, roughly the height of a 4-story building. The water inside the reservoir will be roughly 23 feet deep.
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Gated culverts release water from the reservoir into the 6,500-acre STA.
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A pumping station releases water from the STA south into the Everglades when it’s most needed.
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The EAA Reservoir and STA cover an area slightly larger than the island of Manhattan.
The Power of Plants
Historical water management decisions linger today, threatening Florida’s overall ecosystem, economy and drinking water supply.
If polluted water flows south unchecked, the Everglades suffers. That’s why water entering protected Everglades areas must meet a state standard of cleanliness.
Phosphorus, a key fertilizer ingredient used in sugar farming, is the main pollutant.
“The lake water is opaque and dark-colored,” says Dr. Steve Davis, chief science officer at the Everglades Foundation. “It looks like the chocolate drink Yoo-hoo mixed with Coca-Cola.”
That’s where the STAs come in — artificial wetlands designed to clean the water before it reaches the Everglades for a final filter.
Wetland plants are the clean-up crew. Cattails and bulrushes slow the water, allowing sediment to settle and absorbing excess nutrients. And under the water, even more aquatic plants and algae like muskgrass and native naiads filter out the pollutants. These plants, and the microbes around them, remove most of the phosphorus and sequester carbon, which is key to reducing carbon emissions.
“As the water enters the stormwater treatment areas, it gets gradually cleaner. At the other end, it’s almost crystal clear."
Dr. Steve Davis, Chief Science Officer at The Everglades Foundation
Biologists from the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) carefully plant and manage these wetlands. In spring 2025, they started planting the 6,500-acre STA next to the EAA Reservoir. In addition to the plants, this new ecosystem is already attracting wading birds and alligators.
📍Photo one: Sugarcane fields burning north of the EAA Reservoir site. Phosphorus, a key fertilizer ingredient used in sugar farming, is the main water pollutant.
📍Photo two: Plants in the 6,500-acre stormwater treatment area (STA), which is adjacent to the EAA Reservoir, will filter out phosphorus before water is released south into the Everglades.
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Parts per billion.
The phosphorus limit that water flowing south must meet to protect the Everglades.
CLEANER COASTS
Sending water south will reduce harmful discharges to Florida’s east and west coasts by 55 percent, minimizing the crippling effects of toxic algae blooms.
Today, nutrient-rich, polluted waters from Lake Okeechobee are released to Florida's east and west coasts, fueling harmful algae blooms. The two major forms — red tide and toxic blue-green algae — can harm public health and kill wildlife. Discharge-related toxic algae blooms have worsened as Florida has gotten hotter, nutrient runoff has increased and hurricanes have intensified. Florida’s coastal communities, especially Stuart, Fort Myers, Naples and Sanibel Island, have been hardest hit.
South Florida draws anglers worldwide for its tarpon fishing and warm waters. Captain Daniel Andrews, a Fort Myers charter captain and co-founder of Captains for Clean Water, witnessed algae-driven fish die-offs devastate his business and community.
“I had clients who’d fished here for 30, 40 years telling me, ‘We’re thinking of selling our homes. The water’s getting too bad,’” he says.
The damage lingers. Harmful blooms spiked in 2013, 2016 and 2018, preventing ecosystems from rebounding.
“Snook, redfish and tarpon populations are still struggling from the last major red tide bloom in 2018,” Andrews says. “What kills us is when the fish and the economy can’t recover. Eliminating even a few events is a big win.”
“Looking at all the components of the Everglades Restoration plan, the EAA Reservoir will have the single biggest impact as far as discharge reduction.”
Captain Daniel Andrews, co-founder of Captains for Clean Water
The 2017-2019 outbreaks alone cost Florida’s tourism sector $184 million, according to a 2022 University of Florida study. Algae blooms won’t disappear entirely. Red tide and blue-green algae outbreaks have multiple causes, including natural ones like calm seas and sunlight. However, the EAA Reservoir will decrease the frequency and severity of the outbreaks.
📍Beachfront real estate in Naples (Collier County). Harmful algae outbreaks have long-lasting effects on tourism and property values along the coasts.
Restoring the river of grass
With added water from the EAA Reservoir, the Everglades can better withstand dry seasons, helping restore its ecosystems.
The historic changes in water flow and fire patterns have taken a toll on the natural landscape of the Everglades. Previously, slow-moving water sculpted the Everglades’ limestone foundation, creating raised ridges of peat and sawgrass interspersed with deep-water sloughs. Over time, sediment built up on some ridges, forming tree islands — small forested patches of cypress, sweet bays, or willow that shelter diverse wildlife. These landforms also hold deep historic and cultural significance for the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes.
Since 1940, more than 70 percent of tree island land cover has disappeared.
Tree island disappearance is just one of the problems plaguing the Everglades. As Florida’s climate grows hotter and drier, the Everglades’ dry season arrives too early, stranding fish and forcing wading birds to abandon their chicks. Alligators — “the architects of the Everglades” — also struggle to find food. The EAA Reservoir will help reverse these trends by storing water during the wet season and releasing it when needed most.
Dense, over-drained sawgrass stands will begin breaking into more regularly patterned ridges and sloughs,” says Davis.
“Tree islands take thousands of years to develop, so degraded ones may not come back within our lifetime — but those still somewhat intact will see improved conditions.”
📍Photo 1: The Everglades is one of the largest wetland ecosystems in the world, filled with biodiversity, including sawgrass marshes, cypress swamps and mangrove forests.
📍Photo 2: Alligators use tree islands for nesting sites and create “alligator holes” — deep pockets of water essential for other wildlife in the dry season.
📍Photo 3: A tree island rises above the marsh in the Everglades.
2.2 Billion
Increased uptake of carbon gasses per year with Everglades restoration — equivalent to removing 211,660 cars from the road each year.
Protecting Florida Bay
Wildlife and the fishing industry will benefit when more clean water moves south into Florida Bay.
Florida Bay, a rich estuary of seagrasses, mangroves and reefs at the southern tip of the peninsula, serves as a top fishing destination and a winter refuge for tarpon. But without enough freshwater, Florida Bay’s salinity can be double that of seawater. When salt levels rise too high, seagrasses die, along with the fish and manatees that rely on them. The reservoir would ensure enough freshwater reaches Florida Bay.
“The EAA Reservoir is drought insurance for the Everglades and Florida Bay.”
Dr. Steve Davis, Chief Science Officer at The Everglades Foundation
In 2016, one of the worst die-offs wiped out over 40,000 acres of seagrass.
“Florida Bay was known for clear water,” says Andrews. “But all that dead grass rotted, releasing nitrogen and triggering horrible cycles of algae blooms and muddy water.”
The murky conditions blocked sunlight, slowing seagrass regrowth.
“The very water that’s destroying us is so desperately needed down there,” says Andrews. “The EAA reservoir is a critical missing link.”
📍Healthy sea grass in Florida Bay.
40 acres
Of seagrass die-off in 2016
Recreation and restoration
Wildlife and the fishing industry will benefit when more clean water moves south into Florida Bay.
Everglades restoration projects balance ecological health with public access, allowing local communities to help shape their design. Potential amenities include hiking and biking trails, bird observation decks, kayak launches, picnic areas, fishing spots and hunting zones. Kayakers may explore the reservoir itself, while the nearby stormwater treatment wetland will attract abundant wildlife.
“The treatment wetlands are internationally recognized hotspots for duck hunting,” says Davis.
Visitors might spot snail kites hunting over the wetlands or alligators sunning along the shore. Wading birds like wood storks and roseate spoonbills have already started flocking to similar areas, making restoration a win for both ecology and recreation.
📍STA adjacent to the EAA Reservoir.
6,500 acres
Of stormwater treatment area wetland that will be open to the public.
Building the future
While the EAA Reservoir project has made significant progress, it can’t fulfill its promises without continued funding and public support.
Construction of the EAA Reservoir began in 2021, but restoring a system as vast and interconnected as the Everglades takes time. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) ranks among the largest ecosystem restoration efforts in the world, spanning millions of acres, impacting millions of people and requiring billions of dollars. The EAA Reservoir is one of its most significant projects.
“It's not like you can just pull these things off a shelf at a home improvement store and install them,” says Bell. “It takes a lot of engineering, time and financial support from both federal and non-federal sponsors.”
“This long-planned project is finally fixing the problem by redirecting water south. But we can’t finish the job without this reservoir.”
Eric Eikenberg, CEO of the Everglades Foundation
“We’ve been waiting 25 years for the EAA reservoir. Fish kills, job losses — crises like these have driven demand for change on both coasts,” says Eikenberg. “ Every year, we have to push Congress and the White House to fully fund Everglades restoration.”
Bringing the reservoir online will happen in phases, Bell explains, with extensive modeling to evaluate how it affects the entire Lake Okeechobee system. The stakes are high — delays mean more algae blooms, worsening droughts and floods, plus further stress on the Biscayne Aquifer.
In 2028, the Army Corps will begin drafting its next plan for managing lake flows with the reservoir in place — an opportunity, Bell emphasizes, for the public to shape the future of South Florida’s water.
📍EAA reservoir project site in 2021.
2021
2023
Reservoir construction started
2029
Reservoir construction completes
2034
Embankment walls completes
Going with the flow
In the 20th century, Floridians tried to bend nature to their will. The Reservoir is a response to a simple truth: Working with nature is better than fighting against it.
Whether it's sipping a cafecito on a breezy Miami patio, skimming across the River of Grass on an airboat or wrestling a silver tarpon in Florida Bay, water shapes life in South Florida.
Yet the impact of Everglades restoration extends beyond the coasts or the marshes, as Florida’s economy and tax revenues benefit the entire country.
Protecting Florida’s clean water economy and the delicate ecosystem that fuels it requires ongoing investment. The EAA Reservoir and other key Everglades restoration projects, including the C-43 Reservoir west of Lake Okeechobee, the Picayune Strand Restoration Project, and the long-overdue effort to raise the Tamiami Trail are all key components.
“Every part of Everglades restoration—even a small project like a pump station—fits into a larger solution. The biggest puzzle piece we have is the EAA reservoir.”
Major Cory Bell, Deputy District Commander for South Florida, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
“Once all these pieces are in place, we’ll be able to see the big picture and recognize real progress,” says Bell.
Each project plays a role in improving water management, working together to restore the Everglades step by step. Managing South Florida’s water is a vast, ever-evolving challenge.
The final picture is coming into focus — an Everglades restored, resilient and thriving once again.
📍Video 1: Florida life is bound by water. Reducing harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee will help protect the water-based economies of cities like Stuart, Florida.
📍Video 2: South Floridians consume 3 billion gallons of water each day — enough water to fill almost 5,000 Olympic size swimming pools or make billions of cafés con leche.
$36.9 billion
Amount that Florida’s tourism economy contributes in state, local and federal taxes.