2013 South Florida Environmental Report Released
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) released the "2013 South Florida Environmental Report" on March 1st. This is the 15th year the two agencies have collaborated to report the detailed environmental condition of South Florida.
This year's report highlighted the environmental restoration that has been possible because of scientific and engineering progress made to improve the Everglades, Lake Okeechobee, the Kissimmee Basin, and South Florida coastal areas. Some highlights from the report include:
- Stormwater Treatment Areas have expanded to improve water quality
- Restoration Strategies advance with major agreement between the EPA and the State of Florida
- Best Management Practices continue to reduce harmful nutrients in offsite flows
- Projects and initiatives improve South Florida's ecosystem
- Kissimmee River Restoration projects continue to see success
These efforts have increased amounts of onsite water storage for agricultural applications, decreased offsite flows and the amount of nutrients in offsite flows, provided increased flood control, promoted a more natural hydroperiod in wetlands, improved water quality, continued to increase protection for Florida's water resources, and resulted in increased numbers of native wildlife.
To view previous reports or this year's report in it's entirety, please visit http://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20about%20us/agency%20reports
