EVERGLADES, Fla. (AP) 鈥� In a region of Florida known as the River of Grass, John Kominoski plops into hip-deep waters. Blobs of brown periphyton 鈥� a mishmash of algae, bacteria and other organisms 鈥� carpet the surface.
The air is thick and sticky as Kominoski, a Florida International University professor, pushes a rod to secure a tube that collects timed and continuous water samples that will help his team investigate the impacts of climate change and freshwater flows in this unique, sensitive ecosystem.
The Everglades ecosystem was degraded and transformed when a highway connecting Tampa and Miami was built in 1928, cutting through a mosaic of prairies, sawgrass marshes, freshwater ponds and forested uplands. Sections of the road are now being elevated to restore water flows into the Shark River Slough 鈥� a vital restoration area deep in the Everglades National Park.
The highway elevation is part of a massive state-federal project, approved by Congress in 2000 with bipartisan support, that aims to undo damages wreaked upon these wetlands.
鈥淭his is the biggest, most complicated and most expensive ecosystem restoration project in the world," said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. "It's really important that we get it right.鈥�
More than two decades into it, there are signs of progress. to some areas, regions dominated by the invasive melaleuca tree have dropped 75%, and enthusiasm is high as significant projects are finally underway, others gain momentum and funding pours in. But there are also worries: the projects are billions of dollars over budget and questions remain about whether some will work.
Once about twice the size of New Jersey, today only half of the Everglades remains. Home to endangered and threatened species, the area buffers storms and is a vital source of drinking water for millions of Floridians. Decades of engineering projects for development and agriculture partitioned and drained water that once flowed freely from the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Bay. Invasive species have transformed the land, and pollution from agriculture 鈥� primarily phosphorus 鈥� has impoverished water quality.
are projected to cost more than $23 billion and take 50 years to complete. Water quality has improved, but challenges remain and accelerating salt water intrusion, sea level rise and higher temperatures are ongoing threats.
Since 2019, the South Florida Water Management District has completed, broken ground on, or celebrated other milestones on some 70 projects. This year, lawmakers earmarked $1.275 billion for the next 12 months of restoration efforts 鈥� the largest annual amount allocated. It is unclear what Donald Trump may do with restoration efforts when he takes office, but during his first presidential term he allocated funds and helped pass the Great American Outdoors Act, which secured $900 million annually in permanent funding to improve access to public lands, protect watersheds and more.
Big enough reservoir?
Northwest of Miami, excavators claw mounds of blasted limestone as crews replace acres of sugarcane fields in a massive project that aims to supply clean freshwater to the Everglades.
When the $3.9 billion Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir Project is complete, a reservoir and wetland will store and clean polluted water from Lake Okeechobee in central Florida before it鈥檚 discharged into the southern Everglades.
Considered by some the most important of the projects, the reservoir, at 10,500 acres (4,249 hectares), will have the capacity to store enough water for the equivalent of about 480,000 to 720,000 homes. Its adjacent 6,500-acre (2,630.5 hectares) wetland 鈥� or the stormwater treatment area 鈥� will clean reservoir water before it鈥檚 discharged.
Combined, the project will be nearly the stretch of a marathon.
鈥淭he wildlife and the mosaic of habitats that are here rely on getting the water right, and that鈥檚 what this project is about,鈥� said Jennifer Reynolds, the director of ecosystem restoration and capital projects for the water district. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about getting the water right for the natural habitats and also to sustain the population of people who live and recreate here.鈥�
Although both the administrations of Democratic President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, have called it a 鈥減riority,鈥� it is also among the most controversial projects. The reservoir will be 82.5% smaller than its original plan due to insufficient land.
Questions remain about whether it will work when completed. Critics worry the project will be too small and too deep to significantly clean water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is constructing the reservoir, has itself indicated uncertainty about whether the water will meet standards.
Climate and development threats
On that sticky May morning, Kominoski, the FIU professor, and research specialist Rafael Travieso wanted to know the water chemistry, including phosphorus concentrations.
While phosphorous levels are rising slightly with increased water flows, data shows the region鈥檚 water quality is excellent. That's good news, considering phosphorous pollution has degraded water quality in the Everglades for decades and remains a challenge. The phosphorous has altered the ecosystem, contributing to toxic algae blooms, oxygen depletion and harmed native plants and wildlife.
But measurements downstream tell a different story. Salinity levels have gone up, from a few days at a time to weeks and months, Kominoski said, suggesting that sea level rise and salt water intrusion are accelerating.
South Florida鈥檚 low elevation is especially vulnerable to storms and accelerating sea level rise, with some estimates of up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) by 2100. Experts have also warned of sea level rise impacts and rising temperatures that will decrease water runoff and increase evaporation.
In its most to Congress, a committee of experts acknowledged the enormous challenge of accounting for climate change impacts in restoration efforts. They recommended several actions, including developing a set of climate scenarios that are consistently used across all planning and implementation.
The Everglades' long-term survival will depend partly on whether mangroves, among its most unique and threatened native species, can keep pace with climate impacts. These salt-tolerant trees that buffer erosion and hurricanes are shifting inland as sea levels rise. While restoration efforts have helped, higher seas remain a threat.
鈥淭here are certain points where they are overwhelmed with flooding and it will restrict their ability to stay alive and recoup, and then you experience wetland loss,鈥� said Kevin Montenegro, a student at FIU.
Saltwater intrusion also poses threats to biodiversity, drinking water, and peat soils, which store planet-warming carbon.
Then there are the people.
Florida has undergone decades of population growth, becoming the nations鈥� fastest-growing state in 2022.
In Homestead, south of Miami, there鈥檚 pressure to develop flood-prone, low lying farmlands between the Everglades and Biscayne national parks.
鈥淭hat is a major hurdle and that鈥檚 playing out in all 16 counties that encompass the greater Everglades region," said Samples from Friends of the Everglades. 鈥淧opulation growth and development are really intense threats right now.
Back at Shark River Slough, the airboat roared into action. For the next several hours, Kominoski and Travieso glided over the reflective waters, past tree islands and lily pad clusters, dodging alligators and watching birds take flight as tiger-striped dragonflies clung to their clothes.
Some signs of progress
Steve Davis looked down at the Tamiami Trail from the backseat of a small airplane some 2,500 feet in the air.
The wetlands surrounding the highway were once drier, but restoration efforts have helped increase flows. 鈥淭o see water in the dry season, that鈥檚 a big deal,鈥� said Davis, chief science officer for the Everglades Foundation. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want areas to dry out completely.鈥�
As parts of the Everglades are rehydrated and habitats reemerge, so are native species such as the wood stork. Wading bird colonies have returned to the Kissimmee River floodplain. Habitats in swamps or shallow lakes called sloughs are increasing in some areas. And flamingos blown in by have stayed in the Everglades.
鈥淚n the last 10 years, progress has ramped up significantly,鈥� said Davis. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more than optimism. We鈥檙e starting to see the benefits.鈥�
A for managing Lake Okeechobee's water levels aims to have widespread benefits for restoration efforts. sending more water south, reducing harmful discharges to the east and west coasts, and allowing more flexibility in water management decisions.
Other parts of the Everglades need more help.
From the air, floating mats of harmful blue-green algae are sometimes visible on Lake Okeechobee 鈥� a sign of warm temperatures and excess nutrients.
In the west, sea level rise and salt water intrusion are impacting drinking water wells where the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida live, according to Betty Osceola, an environmental activist and tribe member. The tribe's ancestral have been flooded by water mismanagement, they've said, decimating plants and animals they've subsisted on. Other areas are drier and face ongoing threats from polluted water and wildfires.
鈥淩estoration efforts are mainly to benefit Everglades National Park,鈥� said Osceola. 鈥淪o maybe the national park sees benefits, but at the sacrifice to the tribe.鈥�
That鈥檚 why the tribe has for decades advocated for the Western Everglades Restoration Project, whose goal is to improve the quantity, quality, timing and distribution of water. The project鈥檚 in July.
The Everglades' future
Inside the Everglades, Michael Kennedy-Yoon looked out into the sawgrass marsh with binoculars.
The New York resident spotted a soft shell turtle. Earlier he saw two alligators. But he was most excited about the birds he ticked off his list, including an anhinga, a night heron and a swallow-tailed kite.
鈥淚 think that preserving and conserving wildlife and wildlife areas is some of the best and most useful uses of our taxpayer money,鈥� Kennedy-Yoon said, sweat glistening on his face. 鈥淪omething has to change or else we鈥檙e going to lose areas like this.鈥�
But it鈥檚 more than just restoring and protecting the Everglades for recreation and its wildlife. As Samples from Friends of the Everglades notes, it鈥檚 also about building climate resiliency in Florida.
She quoted the famous words popularized by author and conservationist Marjory Stoneman Douglas: 鈥淭he Everglades is a test. If we pass it, we may get to keep the planet.鈥�
Faced with development pressures and climate change, Samples said those words are more true today than ever.
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Dorany Pineda And Rebecca Blackwell, The Associated Press
