Programs Instituted to Help the Environment

                SOFIA (South Florida Information Access)    

               
                    The first effort to restore the decaying environment of the Florida Everglades was in 1948, with the Central and Southern Florida (CS&F) Project. In 1992, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were authorized by Congress to investigate the state of these efforts, so they brought out over 100 scientists and specialists to measure the performance of the project. After further review, it appeared that the systems in place from this program were either outdated or ineffective, so in the year 2000, a the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was established to more effectively combat the negative effects that have plagued the Everglades due to human intervention. The new and improved program supplies the infrastructure and regulations needed to restore, protect, and preserve the water resources of all of central and southern Florida, not just in the Everglades. The C&SF Project provides a smarter managing and storing of fresh water, protections from flood, integration of water into the affected marshes, and other benefits to south Florida. In order to use all of the possible water sources, the Comprehensive Plan is designed to capture, store and redistribute fresh water previously lost to tide and to regulate the quality, quantity, timing and distribution of water flows. The ultimate purpose of this plan is to use the water more effectively, so less is needed to support the growing population. The reforms affect 16 counties over an 18,000-square-mile area. In this area, the workers have built 1,000 miles of canals, 720 miles of levees, and several hundred water control structures. In total it includes more than 60 unique strategies to help conserve the water, and is estimated to take at least 30 years to complete. It was originally estimated to cost $7.8 billion in October 1999, not adjusted for inflation (The Plan in Depth, 1).

Rescources:

Robbins, Erica. Journey to Restore America's Everglades. "The Plan in Depth" <http://www.evergladesplan.org/facts_info/sywtkma_ani mals>