Deal approved to jumpstart restoration
WEST PALM BEACH (AP) – South Florida water managers and federal officials have reached a deal that promises to jumpstart stalled Everglades restoration.
The agreement reached Thursday ends years of dispute over how to split the costs of the restoration project – expected to top $22 billion – and clears the way for construction to begin.
The “master agreement” spells out how the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will share costs and duties for projects intended to restore water flows to the Everglades.
The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, or CERP, was originally estimated to cost about $7.8 billion and take 30 years to complete. The price tag has since ballooned due to rising costs. Congress has appropriated several hundred million dollars.