EVERGLADES – The White House says the federal government will spend $1.1 billion dollars restoring and preserving the Everglades. This is the largest federal investment in the Everglades ever.
According to the Bradenton Herald, this money comes from the infrastructure law signed by President Biden. In Congress, only Florida’s Democrats voted for it; all Florida Republicans in the House and Senate voted against the infrastructure bill.
This $1.1 billion comes from $1.9 billion dollars that was allocated to the U.S. Corps of Engineers through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for restoring aquatic ecosystems across the country.
The money will boost the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir. The EAA reservoir holds and treats the nutrient-polluted water from Lake Okeechobee, allowing it to flow south toward the Everglades instead of down rivers, which triggers harmful algae blooms.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will also use funds to increase the ecosystem’s resilience against climate change by storing surface water runoff and minimizing seepage losses during dry periods.