Photo credit: South Florida Water Management District Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) refers to the process of recharge, storage, and recovery of water in an aquifer. ASR is the central component of the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project (LOWRP) as presented in the draft PIR, accounting for roughly 85% of the costs. ASR has long been the subject of considerable scientific uncertainty. Questions surrounding its feasible use in Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects date back to an evaluation by the National Academy of Sciences in 2001 which identified five areas of major uncertainty that needed to be addressed before it was clear that ASR would be viable on a regional scale in CERP: 1) operations to protect [...]

Members of Congress met last week for a hearing on the Everglades and water management in Florida. During the hearing, Congresswomen Debbie Mucarsel-Powell asked all 5 witnesses if they support how water is currently managed in Lake Okeechobee. Here's how the vote stacked up: NO: Elizabeth Jolin, Captain, The Bay and Reef Company of the Florida Keys NO: Chauncey P. Goss, II, Chairman, South Florida Water Management District Governing Board NO: Noah Valenstein, Secretary, Florida Department of Environmental Protection NO: Shannon Estenoz, Vice President of Policy and Public Affairs, The Everglades Foundation YES: Gary Ritter, Assistant Director of Government and Community Affairs, FL Farm Bureau Federation One of these is not like the others... Watch the full Everglades hearing here: [...]