How many acres of stormwater are in the Everglades?
runoff can be reduced before it flows south into protected wetlands. The Everglades Stormwater Treatment Areas collectively comprise 57,000 acres of effective treatment area. For more information Up-to-date information about STA research, enhancement projects and other components of managing and improving the stormwater treatment areas can be found at
How do stormwater treatment areas help the Everglades?
Stormwater Management in the Everglades The C-44 Reservoir/Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) covers roughly 6,300 acres in Central and South Florida. The massive, groundbreaking project implemented by South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is a critical part of a long-term plan to restore, protect and preserve the water and natural resources of one of the most …
How many acres are in the Everglades restoration plan?
· The scope of the Everglades covers 2,000 square miles in south Florida. The focus of restoration is the Everglades freshwater marsh. The western portion of Everglades National Park is mangrove forest.
What happened to the water quality in the Everglades?
· Once covering an area of 4,000 square miles (10,360 square km), the Everglades has been significantly reduced to less than half that size. The “sheet flow” of water across the land makes this area unique in contrast to other wetlands that typically rely on waters originating from rivers and streams. Water control structure on Lake Okeechobee.
How many square miles are the Everglades?
7,800 mi²Everglades / Area
How much of the Everglades was drained?
Since 1900 much of the Everglades has been drained for agriculture and urban development, so that today only 50 percent of the origi- nal wetlands remain. Water levels and patterns of water flow are largely controlled by an extensive system of levees and canals.
How much space does the Everglades take up?
An unparalleled landscape of exceptional beauty, Everglades National Park encompasses 1.5 million acres of subtropical wilderness in South Florida.
How many million acres is protected in the Everglades?
To date, that work has resulted in the protection of more than 360,000 acres, mostly within a 170-mile swath of working cattle ranches, longleaf pine savannahs and seasonal wetlands in the northern end of the system.
How deep is the water in the Everglades?
around 4 to 5 feet deepThe water in the Everglades is only on average around 4 to 5 feet deep and the deepest point is around 9 feet. While this river is shallow enough for people to swim in it, you should stick to riding in an airboat for your own safety.
Who was responsible for draining the Everglades?
Flagler built a railroad along the east coast of Florida and eventually to Key West; towns grew and farmland was cultivated along the rail line. During his 1904 campaign to be elected governor, Napoleon Bonaparte Broward promised to drain the Everglades, and his later projects were more effective than Disston's.
Is the Everglades the largest swamp in North America?
The Everglades is the largest subtropical wetland ecosystem in North America and the largest mangrove ecosystem in Western Hemisphere. The Everglades is often referred to as a “swamp”, but in reality it is a giant, slow moving river.
How wide is the Everglades?
50 milesThe Everglades is a subtropical marsh region up to 50 miles (80 km) wide but less than 1 foot (0.3 meter) deep. The Everglades occupies a shallow limestone-floored basin and much of it is covered with saw grass, which grows to a height of 4 to 10 feet (1.2 to 3 meters).
Who owns the Everglades in Florida?
Charlie Crist announced that Florida had struck a deal to buy most of U.S. Sugar's Everglades holdings for $1.75 billion.
How much of the Everglades is a protected National Park?
Everglades National Park is an American national park that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida....Everglades National ParkReference no.37425 more rows
What is the biggest problem in the Everglades?
The two biggest threats to the Everglades ecosystem are water quality and water quantity. With rapid development on both coasts and an expanding agriculture industry, the human demand for water is increasing rapidly while the supply is not changing.
What are 5 interesting facts about the Everglades?
5 Surprising Facts About the EvergladesNo. 1: It's a river. ... No. 2: It's the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist. ... No. 3: Fire is common in the Everglades – and important. ... No. 4: It provides drinking water for 7 million Floridians. ... No.
Did they drain the Everglades?
Even though a wealthy industrialist from Philadelphia saved it from bankruptcy at the end of the nineteenth century by purchasing 4 million acres of submerged land, extensive development proved virtually impossible. By 1920 fewer than 900,000 acres had been successfully drained.
Are the Everglades drying up?
Areas of Everglades National Park that used to be wet year-round started to dry out for months at a time. Over decades, Johnson says, a key part of the ecosystem dried up — organic peat soils. "As the peat soils disappear, the vegetation community changes.
When did the Everglades get drained?
Draining the Everglades The notion of draining the vast wetland persisted into the 20th century. Expanded dredging efforts between 1905 and 1910 transformed large tracts from wetland to agricultural land. This abundance of "new" land stimulated the first of several south Florida land booms.
Are the Everglades disappearing?
However, the ecosystem has shrunk by around half since a network of canals and dams were built over the past century to divert water for agriculture and to build homes. Swaths of the Everglades have been drained to accommodate a booming human population – more than 6 million people now live in south Florida.
What are the benefits of stormwater treatment areas in the Everglades?
Stormwater treatment areas are built specifi- cally for improving Everglades water quality. However, their vast, shallow waters and rich plant life also make them outstanding habitat for wildlife, including threatened and endan - gered species. Wading birds, ducks and American alligators are found year-round in the treatment wet- lands. Migratory birds use them, too, visiting in abundance during winter months. Rabbits, bobcats, wild hogs, deer and the occasional Florida panther roam the banks and levees. Because the STAs have a specialized cleansing function, public recreation is limited to activi- ties that do not disturb the water and soils. Visitors can enjoy nature viewing, and some fishing and hunting is allowed, under guide- lines of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Keeping the treatment wetlands healthy and undisturbed is vital for Everglades restoration. Enhanced wildlife habitat is a great bonus!
What is the impact of stormwater runoff on the Everglades?
Stormwater runoff also carries nutrients off the landscape, especially fertilizers used in suburban, agricultural and urban settings. Scientists have determined that a common ingredient in fertilizer, phos- phorus, has put the fragile Everglades environment at risk. Phosphorus is a mineral that is essential for all life.
What birds are in Florida wetland?
Wading birds, ducks and American alligators are found year-round in the treatment wet- lands. Migratory birds use them, too, visiting in abundance during winter months. Rabbits, bobcats, wild hogs, deer and the occasional Florida panther roam the banks and levees.
What is a STA in Florida?
An STA is a living wetland, affected by natural conditions such as weather (rainfall, drought, hurricanes), plant growth rates, wildlife and invasion of undesirable plant species. STAs have never before been used on the large scale now at work in the Everglades, so their operation and management is a process of ongoing learning and continual improvement. Water quantity and water quality monitoring is a vital part of STA operations. Each treatment cell is monitored regularly to determine how the STA is performing. Operational decisions are then based on real-time data. STA performance data are continually assessed and are reported weekly, monthly and yearly. An annual summary is available in the South Florida Environmental Report, viewable online at www.sfwmd.gov/sfer. Structural components of the STAs must be operated and maintained as well. These include more than two dozen pump stations, 350 water control structures and more than 600 miles of levees and canals. Mechanical repairs, preventative maintenance, erosion control and debris cleanup are essential and ongoing tasks. Responding to extreme weather is a large part of the job, too. In 2005, hurricane winds uprooted much of the aquatic vegetation in the STAs and stirred up sediments. Repairing these living wetlands presented challenges, and the District has incorporated new design strategies to help protect STAs during high wind and rainfall events. The District has also learned to deal with prolonged droughts by altering STA operation and incorporating more water pumping flexibility into STA designs.
What is the green technology used in stormwater treatment?
Stormwater treatment areas use “green” technology to remove excess phosphorus, a nutrient that can harm the Everglades environment.
Does STA water have phosphorus?
As a result, water flowing out of an STA has significantly less phosphorus than stormwater runoff flowing in. By building STAs in key locations north of the Everglades, phosphorus in stormwater runoff can be reduced before it flows south into protected wetlands.
What plants use phosphorus in the Everglades?
Everglades Stormwater Treatment Areas use “green” technology to remove phosphorus from the water. Wetland plants, such as cattail, southern naiad and algae, uptake phosphorus and use it in metabolic life processes. Phosphorus is stored in their roots, stems and leaves.
How many square miles are there in the Everglades?
The scope of the Everglades covers 2,000 square miles in south Florida.
What is the Everglades ecosystem assessment?
The Everglades Ecosystem Assessment is a continuing effort to monitor surface water, soils, vegetation and fish for contaminants such as mercury and nutrients in the freshwater flow way of the Everglades ecosystem.
What is a stormwater treatment area?
An airborne view of constructed wetlands (called Stormwater Treatment Areas) that are used to remove excess phosphorus from water before discharging into the Everglades. Learn more about pollution from phosphorus and other nutrients.
What is the importance of the Everglades?
“A healthy Everglades is vital to the well-being of Florida and contributes jobs and billions of dollars to Florida’s economy.”.
Why are there so many habitats in the Everglades?
There are many habitat types within the Everglades due to changes in land elevation.
What is the Everglades?
Introduction. The Everglades is a wide expanse of freshwater marshes. It once covered 4,000 square miles and is now less than half that size. This region is unique, relying on sheet flow of water. The Everglades is a large region of freshwater marsh land that originally extended from Lake Okeechobee south to the tip of peninsular Florida.
How long does Lake Okeechobee flow?
Marsh vegetation further reduces the flow from near zero to two feet per minute (0.4 m per minute). This flow continues for approximately 100 miles (161 km) until reaching the waters of Florida Bay or the Gulf of Mexico.
How are the Everglades sustained?
Unlike any other wetland system on earth, the Everglades are sustained primarily by the atmosphere. Evapotranspiration – the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's land surface to atmosphere – associated with thunderstorms, is the key mechanism by which water leaves the region.
What is the area of the Everglades?
Coordinates: 26°00′N 80°42′W / . 26.0°N 80.7°W. / 26.0; -80.7. Area. 7,800 square miles (20,000 km 2) The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm.
What is the dominant force in the Everglades?
Water is the dominant force in the Everglades, shaping the land, vegetation, and animal life in South Florida. Starting at the last glacial maximum, 21,000 years ago, continental ice sheets retreated and sea levels rose. This submerged portions of the Florida peninsula and caused the water table to rise. Fresh water saturated the limestone that underlies the Everglades, eroding some of it away, and created springs and sinkholes. The abundance of fresh water allowed new vegetation to take root, and formed convective thunderstorms over the land through evaporation.
What is the Everglades ecosystem?
The Everglades are a complex system of interdependent ecosystems. Marjory Stoneman Douglas described the area as a "River of Grass" in 1947, though that metaphor represents only a portion of the system. The area recognized as the Everglades, prior to drainage, was a web of marshes and prairies 4,000 square miles (10,000 km 2) in size. Borders between ecosystems are subtle or imperceptible. These systems shift, grow and shrink, die, or reappear within years or decades. Geologic factors, climate, and the frequency of fire help to create, maintain, or replace the ecosystems in the Everglades.
What is the cause of precipitation in the Everglades?
Precipitation during the wet season is primarily caused by air mass thunderstorms and the easterly flow out of the subtropical high (Bermuda High).
How much rain does the Everglades get?
Annual rainfall averages approximately 62 inches (160 cm), with the Eastern Coastal Ridge receiving the majority of precipitation and the area surrounding Lake Okeechobee receiving about 48 inches (120 cm). Unlike any other wetland system on earth, the Everglades are sustained primarily by the atmosphere.
Where did the Everglades begin?
Prior to urban and agricultural development in Florida, the Everglades began at the southern edge of Lake Okeechobee and flowed for approximately 100 miles (160 km), emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. The limestone shelf is wide and slightly angled instead of having a narrow, deep channel characteristic of most rivers.