Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Court affirms that Florida's Everglades restoration strategy is working: Big Sugar getting the job done

This is big news about Florida's Everglades restoration that went mostly unheralded in the news media. Here is the article by Christine Stapleton and a short excerpt:
     The 2nd District Court of Appeal recently upheld the existing best management practices that Glades-area sugar cane farmers [emphasis added] are using, rejecting arguments from the Florida Audubon Society that they weren’t stringent enough.
     Specifically, the appellate court in Lakeland noted that the practices are working and leading to phosphorus reductions that exceed state requirements.
     The court said that additional water-quality improvements should be focused on the Stormwater Treatment Areas outside the Everglades Agricultural Area, as envisioned in the state’s restoration strategy.