Water Resources Development Act Updates

On October 23, President Trump signed the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, also known as the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2018. This will authorize critical projects including the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Storage Reservoir to be built south of Lake Okeechobee that should reduce harmful discharges to Florida’s coastal estuaries and enhance water flows south for Everglades restoration. 

The Act also directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite completion of the revised Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule to coincide with completion of the Herbert Hoover Dike rehabilitation. 

“This is an important authorization which begins the real work of saving Florida’s waters from destructive pollution and directing the flows south to the Everglades and Florida Bay as nature intended”, said Mark Perry, Executive Director of Florida Oceanographic Society. “The State and Federal partners should now work together to appropriate the funding as soon as possible and get the job done.”