Specifications

Section 1 Introduction
EAA Storage Reservoirs Revised Draft PIR and EIS February 2006
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• Storing of water during the wet season and releasing it to the Everglades
during the dry season, thereby contributing to improvements that benefit
water quality and hydro-patterns in the Everglades;
• Improving flow equalization, by capturing peak storm events in the
reservoir for slow release to the Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs),
thereby improving STA treatment performance, habitat and functional
quality, and native plant and animal species abundance and diversity;
and,
• Providing a water storage facility for agricultural runoff, water supply and
flood protection, thereby improving the Lake’s ability to operate in a more
environmentally sustainable manner.
The goals and objectives of the EAA Storage Reservoirs Project include:
Habitat Restoration in Lake Okeechobee
• Restore lake littoral zone hydro-patterns
• Restore lake water quality
• Restore lake littoral zone habitat functional quality
• Restore lake littoral zone native plant and animal abundance and species
diversity
Habitat Restoration in the Caloosahachee and St. Lucie Estuaries
• Restore estuary hydro-patterns
• Restore estuary water quality
• Restore estuary habitat functional quality
• Restore estuary native plant and animal abundance and species diversity
Habitat Restoration in the Everglades Protection Area
• Restore Everglades hydro-patterns
• Restore Everglades water quality
• Restore Everglades habitat functional quality
• Restore Everglades native plant and animal abundance and species
diversity
The Restudy proposed the construction of above-ground reservoirs and
conveyance improvements within the EAA. The reservoirs would meet the
project objectives by reducing EAA irrigation demands on Lake Okeechobee, by
capturing regulatory releases from the lake, and by improving the timing of
environmental water deliveries the Water Conservation Areas (WCA). Simply
expressed, the EAA reservoir would reduce withdrawals from Lake Okeechobee
for irrigation during the dry season; store some excess runoff water so that it
does not contribute to lake level rises during the wet season, and thereby reduce
the magnitude of fluctuations in Lake Okeechobee water levels; taking the