Biden budget seeks $265 million for EAA reservoir. Will Congress OK Everglades funding?
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Construction on the Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir, designed to slash Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon, could see a multimillion-dollar boost from Uncle Sam soon.
About 65% of the cash allocated for Everglades restoration in President Joe Biden's 2023 budget request will go toward EAA reservoir construction, the Army Corps of Engineers announced Wednesday.
If Congress approves the budget, that's nearly $265 million earmarked to build the reservoir's foundation and embankments, one of the first steps in the multiyear restoration project expected to cross the finish line in 2029.
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The Corps previously announced in March that Biden's requested budget includes $407 million for restoring Florida's historic River of Grass, and said a "substantial amount" of that money would be for building the reservoir.
"The entire Everglades restoration program is important, but we are zoning in on the reservoir as the single-biggest project that will deliver a lot more water to the Everglades in the dry season, which is key," said Cara Capp, the National Parks Conservation Association's senior Everglades program manager.
"Consistent, high-level funding is changing the pace of this project in a way that the advocates have really pushed for from the very beginning," Capp said Thursday.
The Corps unveiled its detailed spending breakdown Wednesday, according to spokesperson Erica Skolte. It lists several other South Florida restoration projects, including:
Loxahatchee River — $18.5 million
Indian River Lagoon South — $7.7 million
Caloosahatchee C-43 — $1.6 million
Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands— $3.1 million
Broward County Water Preserve — $1.8 million.
Once completed, the EAA reservoir will store about a half-foot of water that otherwise would sit in Lake O. At 23 feet deep, the reservoir will hold about 78 billion gallons. That's enough water to fill over 118,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The latest budget request would add to a fast-growing pot of money for Everglades restoration. Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act already allocates roughly $1.1 billion for South Florida ecosystem projects, which the White House dubbed "the single largest investment in history" for the ecosystem.
In January, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Rep. Brian Mast (R-Palm City) criticized how funding for the EAA reservoir wasn't included in the infrastructure law. Mast called it a “middle finger” to Florida while DeSantis called it a "whiff."
The money is a step in the right direction, "but still a long way from the $725 million annually that the Florida delegation has been pushing for on a bipartisan basis," Mast told TCPalm in an emailed statement Thursday. "Without dedicated funding for the EAA reservoir, everything else is peanuts."
Biden requested about $57 million more this year than last year to restore the South Florida ecosystem, according to Corps spokesperson Jim Yocum.
"The billion-dollar investment and now this follow-up $265 million that is specifically line-itemed for the reservoir? Both of these items should be good news for everyone who cares about the Everglades," Capp said.
Max Chesnes is a TCPalm environment reporter focusing on issues facing the Indian River Lagoon, St. Lucie River and Lake Okeechobee. You can keep up with Max on Twitter @MaxChesnes, email him at max.chesnes@tcpalm.com and give him a call at 772-978-2224.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Biden budget seeks $265 million for EAA reservoir to help Everglades
