Why Do We Need Reservoirs For Everglades Restoration? 🤔 An Everglades Scientist Explains 🌱💧

Massive reservoirs like the C-43 and the EAA Reservoir help bring back balance to Florida’s water 💧⚖️

Florida’s water cycle swings between too much water in the wet season and not enough in the dry season. These projects help store, clean, and move large volumes of water to America’s Everglades and its estuaries – while reducing harmful discharges to our coasts.

Our Senior Restoration Scientist Dr. Erik Stabenau breaks down how these reservoirs protect our water supply and environment 🏗️

✍️ Read our blog to learn more about the projects restoring the one-of-a-kind Everglades ecosystem:

https://www.evergladesfoundation.org/...

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Restoring the Everglades isn't just about moving water, it's about storing it, too. The Everglades has been cut off from Lake Okeechobee, the ecosystem's natural storage. That's why massive projects like this newly finished C-43 Reservoir are game-changers.

Florida's water cycle swings between too much and not enough. In the wet season, excess water rushes to the coasts, often loaded with nutrients that harm our estuaries. In the dry season, there's just not enough water to go around.

Reservoirs like the C-43 store excess water in the wet season and release it in the dry season, just like nature used to do. That keeps rivers like the Caloosahatchee healthier year-round. The reservoir spans over 10,000 acres and can hold 170,000 acre feet of water. Plus, it has a treatment system to help clean the water before it's released. And it's not the only one.

There are many reservoirs all over South Florida that are part of the plan to restore the Everglades. One of the key ones is the EAA reservoir, which is now under construction. It is roughly the same size as this one, but will be even deeper and have its own treatment wetlands. It's designed to move large volumes of water south into the heart of the Everglades.

These storage projects are based on science, decades of research, and a shared vision to heal an ecosystem. Storage is the bridge between the water we have and the water we need. It's not flashy, but it's a fundamental and necessary part of Everglades restoration.