Restoring the Everglades

Jackson, James Best; Fink, Larry; Goforth, Gary; ,

Restoring the Everglades

by James Best Jackson, Construction Project Manager; Everglades Nutrient Removal Project, S. Florida Water Management District, 3301 Gun Club Road, P.O. Box 24680, West Palm Beach, FL 33416-4680,
Larry Fink, Supervising Professional-Environmental Scientist; Research Appraisal Division, South Florida Water Management District, 3301 Gun Club Road, P.O. Box 24680, West Palm Beach, FL 33416-4680,
Gary Goforth, (M.ASCE), Director; Project Management Division, Construction Management Department, South Florida Water Management District, 3301 Gun Club Road, P.O. Box 24680, West Palm Beach, FL 33416-4680,

Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1994, Vol. 64, Issue 3, Pg. 52-55

Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

Are constructed wetlands an effective management strategy for restoring and protecting the Everglades from phosphorus over-enrichment caused by agricultural stormwater runoff? The $13.85 million Everglades Nutrient Removal (ENR) project, developed by the South Florida Water Management District on approximately 4,000 acres of state-owned land formerly leased for sugar cane production, is the largest demonstration yet of this concept. Design was initiated in 1989, with construction beginning in 1991. Structural components were completed in September 1993, and the project is currently in the start-up phase. Establishment of marsh vegetation and stabilization of phosphorus releases from the former fertilized agricultural soils should occur in 1994, at which time discharges to the adjacent Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge will begin. Once the project is fully operational, it will significantly reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the Refuge.

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