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Our Issues Issues facing America’s Everglades may be summed up very simply in two words: water management. Nature designed the Everglades to accommodate massive flows of fresh water, particularly water for eons that would collect during periods of heavy rainfall in Lake Okeechobee causing the lake to flow over and drain through the Everglades. Man has transfigured these natural and critical wetlands over the past century to accommodate cities and large-scale agricultural use. In simplistic terms man decided to manage the flow of water through an elaborate system of canals, channels, dykes, and pumping stations. The flow of water was obstructed creating many problems for all of us today and our environment. The issues facing us today are grouped into four areas of concerns. First there is the question of how to return the ecology of the land, to the condition it was in before man’s meddling. Second, there is the question of how to end or largely abate the destructive effects of farming in the Everglades, particularly the effects of sugar cane farming and refining which involve tons of chemical fertilizers and other pollutants, and the waste of millions and millions of gallons of fresh water that would otherwise be available to nearby communities facing a shortage of clean drinking water. The current issue of how to restore the Everglades includes not only what steps are required to restore the natural flow of water but also how to make the water clean and pollutant free. Lastly, there is a new threat to the Everglades from the continued population growth of South Florida and plans for ambitious land developments.
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