THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Water Science and Technology Board
Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress
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Congressional Briefings
Friday, December 16, 2022 – 10:00 a.m.
via Zoom
on
Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Ninth Biennial Review - 2022
The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was established in 2000 as a joint effort by the state and federal government to reverse the decline of the ecosystem. The multibillion project aims to restore the ecosystem over the course of 30 to 40 years by reestablishing the natural hydrological characteristics of the Everglades where feasible and ultimately creating a water system that serves both the natural and human needs of South Florida. Since 2004, a National Academies committee has provided a series of independent, peer-reviewed assessments of CERP progress.
Requested by Congress in P.L. 106-541, the Water Resources Development Act of 2000, this new report, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is the ninth in a series. It reviews ongoing progress and highlights the need for rigorous scientific support for water quality improvement in stormwater treatment areas and modeling for a wider range of plausible climate conditions. The report recommends the development of a multiagency Everglades restoration science plan to ensure the needed tools, research, analysis, and synthesis are available to support critical restoration management decisions.
This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on December 19, 2022 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.