A key agreement intended to speed up construction of Everglades restoration projects was finalized Tuesday between the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The agreement puts federal dollars into state hands and focuses on a couple of construction projects needed to complete the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir in 2029: a seepage management pump station and the Blue Shanty Flow Way Project, which is expected to deliver water south across Tamiami Trail into Florida Bay.
At a signing ceremony at the Blue Shanty Flow Way construction site, South Florida Water Management District executive director Drew Bartlett said the signing builds “on our many previous actions to restore the River of Grass” and “will significantly reduce harmful discharges to the northern estuaries.”
The agreement was put into motion with the signing of a memo of understanding a year ago between Florida and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers anticipating completing the Blue Shanty Flow Way two years faster than planned.