FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 14, 2005
CONTACT: Randy Smith, (561) 682-6197; Russell Schweiss, (850) 245-2112

Florida Breaks Ground on First Acceler8 Project

--Test reservoirs to aid in design of 190,000 acre-foot water storage area--

PALM BEACH COUNTY – Just three short months after Governor Jeb Bush unveiled a plan to fast-track Everglades restoration, the State of Florida began turning dirt on the first water project under the ambitious Acceler8 initiative. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Colleen M. Castille today joined South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Chairman Nicolás J. Gutiérrez and Executive Director Henry Dean to begin building preliminary water storage areas as part of the plan to construct the massive Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir.

“Breaking ground on Florida’s first accelerated construction project is another remarkable milestone in the restoration of America’s Everglades,” said DEP Secretary Castille. “These initial test reservoirs are the first step in creating the water storage needed to continue healing the River of Grass and Florida’s estuaries.”

The South Florida Water Management District is constructing two initial storage areas that will hold 24 million gallons of water from Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River. The test reservoirs will provide engineers with critical information to design and build the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir on more than 16,700 acres of former agricultural land.

“By constructing test cells, we are protecting the $300 million taxpayer investment in the larger reservoir,” said SFWMD Executive Director Henry Dean. “The data provided by these cells will fine-tune the project design ensuring the long-term success of an essential Everglades water storage component.”

Located in Palm Beach County, the first phase of the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir will hold 190,000 acre-feet of water – the same capacity as 2.7 million residential swimming pools. When complete, the reservoir will protect coastal estuaries and reduce the flow of nutrients into the Everglades by capturing and storing agricultural stormwater runoff and freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee.

A Florida initiative, Acceler8 is stepping up the pace of funding, design and construction to complete eight critical Everglades restoration projects over the next seven years. At substantial savings to taxpayers, the projects will restore 100,000 acres of wetlands, expand water treatment areas by close to 20,000 acres and provide 418,000 acre-feet of additional water storage for Everglades restoration a decade ahead of schedule.