The Everglades Forever Act (EFA) was passed in 1994.The EFA recognizes that the long-term water quality objective for the Everglades is to implement the optimal combination of source controls, stormwater treatment areas, advanced treatment technologies and regulatory programs to ensure that all waters discharged to the Everglades Protection Area achieve water quality standards consistent with the EFA. The EFA regulates the construction, operation and maintenance of the Everglades Construction Project. The Everglades Construction project is a series of STAs, which are constructed wetlands designed to remove excess nutrients and pollutants from watershed runoff. 

OWPER is the lead office responsible for implementation of DEP’s responsibilities under the EFA pursuant to Section 373.4592, Florida Statutes. 

Restoration Strategies

To address water quality concerns associated with existing flows to the Everglades Protection Area (EPA), the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), DEP, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) engaged in technical discussions starting in 2010. The primary objectives were to establish a Water Quality Based Effluent Limit (WQBEL) that would achieve compliance with the State of Florida’s numeric phosphorus criterion in the EPA and to identify a suite of additional water quality projects to work in conjunction with the existing Everglades Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) to meet the WQBEL. 

Based on the collaborative effort described above, a suite of projects was identified to achieve the WQBEL. The projects have been divided into three flow paths (Eastern, Central and Western), which are delineated by the source basins that are tributary to the existing Everglades STAs. The identified projects primarily consist of Flow Equalization Basins (FEBs), STA expansions, and associated infrastructure and conveyance improvements. The primary purpose of FEBs is to attenuate peak stormwater flows prior to delivery to STAs and provide dry season benefits, while the primary purpose of STAs is to utilize biological processes to reduce phosphorus concentrations in order to achieve the WQBEL. Each component listed is a planning estimate of the project feature required in each flow path to meet the water quality standards for the EPA. 

In 2012, SFWMD published the Restoration Strategies Regional Water Quality Plan documenting these efforts and the Department issued SFWMD an Everglades Forever Act (EFA) watershed permit, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) watershed permit, and associated consent orders for operations of the Everglades STAs that outline the additional facilities and structures required to achieve the WQBEL. All required projects have been completed and are operational.

Last Modified: Friday, Oct 02, 2026 - 10:31am