Everglades restoration project reaches milestone

Friday marked a major milestone for a federally funded Everglades restoration project as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and conservationists celebrated along with representatives from the local, state and federal level.

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting marked the opening of the Merritt Pump Station, one of three pump stations that will help restore water to what was once wetlands decades ago.

Eric Draper, executive director of conservation organization Auduban Florida explained what caused the problem in the first place.

This was going to be a subdivision, this was going to be a 55,000-acre subdivision, he said.

In the 1970's the area was abandoned by developers who had hoped to expand the residential part of the Golden Gate Estates. Even though the houses weren't built, the roads had been paved and the canals dug. The canals drained the wetlands and they're now being plugged, along with several other measures, like the opening of the Merritt Pump Station.

I'm so excited this has been underway for 30 years, Draper said.

Bob Progulsky from U.S. Fish and Wildlife works on Everglades management and said the opening of the pump station is a major step in the Picayune Strand Restoration Project.

It's important for panthers, it's important for manatees, it's important for wetland restoration all the way down to the 10,000 Islands area, he said.

On a tour, resident engineer, Mike Miller explained how several pumps would help get water from one side of the building out into levees on the other side, which would guide the water to spread out into its natural course.

If you look out there in that open area over there, that was all trees at one time, it'll probably more than likely look like that, Miller said.

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Everglades restoration project reaches milestone