Subject
Discuss the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) Everglades Agricultural Area A-2 Reservoir. The A-2 Reservoir is designed to increase storage and treatment capacity to accommodate additional flows south to the Central Everglades, which includes Water Conservation Area 3 and Everglades National Park. The additional storage capacity will increase flows to the Central Everglades while also reducing harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River and St. Lucie estuaries. The South Florida Water Management District developed a Post-Authorization Change Report Feasibility Study and Integrated Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate the CEPP A-2 Reservoir project features. The tentatively selected plan indicated that flows increased to the Central Everglades by approximately 370,000 acre-feet on an annual average. These additional flows will benefit habitats for several key indicator species of fish and wildlife in the Central Everglades, including Everglades National Park.