Biden Seeking $407 Million For Everglades Project Central To Drinking Water Supplies
A record-breaking funding proposal from the Biden Administration is underscoring just how critical local ecosystems are becoming in the fight to ensure clean and plentiful drinking water around the country.
“President Joe Biden … proposed spending an additional $407 million for Everglades restoration next fiscal year on top of the more than $1 billion the federal government will spend on the crucial Florida ecosystem during the current year,” the Miami Herald reported.
The Army Corps of Engineers has confirmed that much of this funding would go toward the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir Project, a proposed structure meant to help solve numerous issues related to Florida’s source water, wastewater, and drinking water.
“The massive structure … would hold and treat tens of thousands of gallons of polluted Lake Okeechobee water, preventing toxic spills on the coast and providing more water for the thirsty southern glades,” per the Herald. “The reservoir is a favorite of both Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and some environmental advocates.”
And though all seem to agree that such an infrastructure project is sorely needed, and Biden’s administration is now attempting to secure significant funding for it, the project still represents some controversy among politicians.
“The reservoir, part of a larger suite of restoration projects, has emerged as a lightning rod among Republicans who earlier this year accused the White House of withholding infrastructure dollars and forcing the project’s funding to maneuver through a sticky appropriations process,” per E&E News. “While [Republican Representative Brian] Mast welcomed the budget request, the congressman in a statement … also made clear the White House hadn’t fully met his demands, pointing to a bipartisan letter Florida’s delegation sent … urging President Biden to budget $725 million for the project.”
While Congress will be the final decider on the level of funding that the Everglades receives, it appears clear the representatives on both sides of the aisle are aware that projects like this are important for protecting source water and delivering drinking water. In a way, this effort represents the bipartisanship that will be critical to the protection of such critical resources going forward.
“The water has to flow south and the money has to flow south,” said Everglades Foundation Chief Executive Officer Eric Eikenberg, per the Herald. “This is how it should work.”
To read more about how water systems around the country secure budgets for their projects, visit Water Online’s Funding Solutions Center.