DYK: Highlighting National Water Quality Month

In recognition of National Water Quality Month, we are highlighting the South Florida Water Management District's year-round efforts to effectively manage and restore South Florida's water resources.

DID YOU KNOW: The District's water sampling program tracks Florida's water health across hundreds of sites. Our dedicated team of field technicians, laboratory chemists, environmental scientists and many other staff collect samples, analyze them and combine them with real-time sensor data to help guide restoration decisions.

ENVIRONMENTAL DATA: This monitoring program supports restoration projects throughout the District's 16-county region, including the Everglades, Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee, Big Cypress Basin, water conservation areas, stormwater treatment areas and the estuaries.

As part of routine scientific efforts, the District monitors numerous environmental indicators, such as surface water, ground water, rainfall, fish, birds, invertebrates, vegetation and sediments.

LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS: Accurate and reliable data are mandatory for implementing water quality improvements and environmental restoration efforts. The District continues to advance key restoration projects that are improving the quantity, quality, timing and distribution of water within the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.

REAL RESULTS: These investments in Everglades restoration are paying off. Together with our partners at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, we have completed, launched or reached a major milestone on 90 Everglades restoration projects since 2019. In addition, over 5.6 million pounds of nitrogen and 933,000 pounds of phosphorus are now removed from Florida's waterways on an annual basis, marking a major reduction in nutrient pollution.

LEARN MORE: Clean water is critical for the health of our ecosystem and the District remains focused on improving water quality across the region.

We encourage you to visit SFWMD.gov/Restoration to learn more.