Hopes are high that a July 18 hearing in U.S. District Court in Miami will ratify the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection's permit and associated projects to improve water quality in the Everglades. The expected ruling will enable an $880-million program of water treatment and storage facilities by 2025.
On June 13, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved DEP's plan for a suite of projects to achieve the ultra-low water-quality standard of less than 10 parts per billion of phosphorus in water entering the Everglades. EPA was under court order to hold DEP to its standard, so the court must approve the plan.