Senator Burt Saunders, (R-Naples), is proposing a bill that would put millions of dollars into restoring the Florida Everglades. He’s hoping to eliviate red tide, black water and flooding problems that plague Florida.

Saunders is proposing the Everglades Restoration bill that would allocate about $400 million a year for the next 10 years. He’s planning to make his case on the Senate floor.

“It will do a lot of things tremendously beneficial to Southwest Florida and the entire state,” Saunders says.

The bill aims to clean up pollutants and excessive nutrients in the Kissimmee River Basin, Lake Okeechobee, and the Caloosahatchee River.

“There’s a lot of concern that this nutrient-laden water flowing from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee may be exacerbating the problems with algae blooms and red tide,” Saunders explains.

The Everglades Restoration bill would also earmark money for clearing more than a dozen culverts, a move aimed at reducing flooding north of Tamiami Trail. Other benefits of restoring the Everglades include preserving freshwater normally dumped into the ocean. “It will help Collier County because it will restore our groundwater supply,” Saunders explains.

If approved by the state senate, the Everglades Restoration bill still would need approval from the house and from Gov. Charlie Crist.

Read quoted news story

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 18th, 2007 at 2:38 am and is filed under Environmental News, Florida Red Tide News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.